Who Is Going to Rescue Me? – A Psalm 18 Devotional
As a little girl I loved Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, classic fairy tales of heroes and princesses. In the end there was always a rescue whether from an evil stepsister or sea witch or being trapped in a tower.
I was drawn to this question “Who is going to rescue me?”
When I was about 13 I saw a new movie called Ever After, a modern retelling of Cinderella starring feisty Drew Barrymore as a Thomas-Moore quoting, sword brandishing, clever, not-so-helpless fair maiden. And over the course of the movie, she goes from being helpless and in need of rescue to being the rescuer.
There is a great scene at the end when the prince rides up ready to rescue her, but she’s already done it! She’s vanquished the bad guy, set herself free, and is confidently striding across the courtyard as the prince pulls up.
Holding out for a hero…
13 year old me was obsessed with this movie. More than the movie being magical, I adored this Cinderella for rescuing herself. There was no waiting for the hero to swoop in, she did it.
Now that I’m a grown-ish, mid-thirties woman, I still find myself trying to answer that question “Who is going to rescue me?”
Not from evil stepmothers or villains, but from the piles of laundry waiting to be folded, from the emails stacking up in my inbox, from the endless discipline of my kids, from the everyday crises, from my own lack of personal discipline, from my own questions and doubts–I need a rescue.
And I want to be the rescuer.
I want to be like the Ever After Cinderella and be independent, create my own destiny, and overcome the odds all by myself.
But I am actually hopelessly inadequate at rescuing myself and my attempts at seeking rescue in others or in myself crash and burn in a fiery death or fizzle out slowly like the dying embers of a campfire.
In Psalm 18 we meet the Real Rescuer…
Psalm 18 says,
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3 (ESV)
The Freedom of NOT being the hero…
What a relief.
The story of the universe, the story that God is writing is a hero story! But I am not the hero–God is.
I don’t have to look for the hero or be the hero; I am the one in need of rescue. I’m not the rock, not the refuge, not the shield, not the stronghold–God is.
We can loosen our shoulders and relax our grip on the sword. We don’t have to prove we’re right or strong or good enough. You don’t have to be the hero of your own story. That’s Jesus’ job.
You can set your sword down and rest knowing He is in control and He is a good hero.
Father, You are the Hero of all Heroes in our story. Free us from the need to rely ourselves spiritually, emotionally, or relationally. May we call out to You as our first resource, not our last resort. May we never forget You are writing good stories in our lives. Amen.