Real Hope: The Psalms of DavidEsimerkki

## Going After God’s Heart Psalm 18 is one of David’s psalms of deliverance. He wrote it in response to God saving him from his enemies and Saul. It speaks about his great challenges and how present God was with him. David is called ‘a man after God’s own heart’ in 1 Samuel, and I think we see the peace that brings him in this scripture. Throughout the entire psalm, David shows gratefulness in recognising the onslaught of his enemies yet celebrating the hand of God that supported him. David can see that, while he was attacked, God protected him. He found spaciousness in a situation of unimaginable pressure – to say the least – and where it could’ve felt like the walls were closing in in many ways. The fear David felt and his hardship isn’t denied – it just sits under a bigger awareness of God’s presence and the delight He finds in David. For us to be people after God’s own heart, it seems gratefulness will be a hallmark of our character, and our sense of peace in disaster will be bolstered by the knowledge that we are delighted in by God. Using that as your measure, what do you need to do to become a person after God’s heart today? #### Written by LAURA BENNETT