1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my solid rock,
my fortress, my rescuer.
My God is my rock—
I take refuge in him!—
he’s my shield,
my salvation’s strength,
my place of safety.
3 Because he is praiseworthy,
I cried out to the Lord,
and I was saved from my enemies.
Reflection
When praying, do you at times find yourself at a loss for words? What can we say that is meaningful to God? What can we say to God that God does not already know or has not already heard? How can we truly express our thanks to God? King David provided us a simple and wonderful example in Psalm 18 of where to start by simply saying, “I love you, Lord.”
If we start our prayer by professing our love to God, this can open our heart to go much deeper in our praise. When we realize that our relationship with God is based on love, both God’s perfect love for us and the love we reciprocate to God, we can more clearly realize how God is our rock, our strength, our fortress, our rescuer. God’s love will shield us. God’s love will strengthen us. God’s love will provide us peace. This is certainly praiseworthy.
So, if you are at a loss for words and don’t know what you should say to God, or what God wants to hear from you, start by simply saying, “I love you, Lord,” and see where the conversation goes from there!
by Manny Estevez
For Pondering and Prayer
Have you expressed your love to God recently?
Prayer: I love you, Lord…. <now you fill in the rest!>