I think Psalm 18 is the sweetest…
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| I love you, Lord |
Psalm 18
I love you, Lord, my strength,
my rock, my fortress, my savior.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise;
when I call I am saved from my foes.
The waves of death rose about me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the snares of the grave entangled me;
the traps of death confronted me.
In my anguish I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the mountains were shaken to their base:
they reeled at his terrible anger.
Smoke came forth from his nostrils
and scorching fire from his mouth:
coals were set ablaze by its heat.
He lowered the heavens and came down,
a black cloud under his feet.
He came enthroned on the cherubim,
he flew on the wings of the wind.
He made the darkness his covering,
the dark waters of the clouds, his tent.
A brightness shone out before him
with hailstones and flashes of fire.
The Lord thundered in the heavens;
the Most High let his voice be heard.
He shot his arrows, scattered the foe,
flashed his lightnings and put them to flight.
The bed of the ocean was revealed;
the foundations of the world were laid bare
at the thunder of your threat, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your anger.
From on high he reached down and seized me;
he drew me forth from the mighty waters.
He snatched me from my powerful foe,
from my enemies whose strength I could not match.
They assailed me in the day of my misfortune,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me forth into freedom,
he saved me because he loved me.
He rewarded me because I was just,
repaid me, for my hands were clean,
for I have kept the way of the Lord
and have not fallen away from my God.
For his judgments are all before me:
I have never neglected his commands.
I have always been upright before him;
I have kept myself from guilt.
He repaid me because I was just
and my hands were clean in his eyes.
You are loving with those who love you:
you show yourself perfect with the perfect.
With the sincere you show yourself sincere,
but the cunning you outdo in cunning.
For you save a humble people
but humble the eyes that are proud.
You, O Lord, are my lamp,
my God who lightens my darkness.
With you I can break through any barrier,
with my God I can scale any wall.
among the Psalms. The first line speaks for itself. How sweeter it could be when it starts with “I love you, Lord”?
With all the grave experiences I’ve had in my life, I thought I was alone in these sufferings, so for a long time, I drifted away from Jesus. But what I realized when I had wilfully chosen God was that all along, starting a milestone of my conversion by praying the Liturgy of the Hours, that He’s been carrying this Cross with me, abiding with me, remaining with me, by my side.
I had a belief that He didn’t care about the good things I did before, like I was imagining He was only taking note of my sins, but overlooked the goodness of the deeds I shared. But I was mistaken, for He remembers all our actions, and is pleased with the good ones. There is no sin we have committed that is greater than His love for us, as long as there is something good deep inside our hearts, God is working his best to reach out to us, and seize us from any evil which desperately tries to snatch us from Jesus, who gives even more urgent effort to pull us out of it, that danger. Though we must also have the desire calling upon Him and listening to His voice.
And indeed, Jesus has saved my life from death many times. For that, He has given me innumerable chances to repent, not die without the Sacraments, and ultimately aim getting to heaven. Without Him, I shouldn’t be alive. I am a favored child of God. Most people who are aided by Him are not aware that He has rescued their lives too, including from perils of despicable people who await day and night our downfall. But us Catholics who are in Him, we’re awaiting for our salvation. He saved us, because He loved us. Like its Antiphon says, “The Lord has saved me; he wanted me for his own.”.
This is one of my favorite Psalms! It keeps me totally reminded of what Jesus is to me – He’s my lamp, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my savior, my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold. We should ever muse on this prayer and praise Him, who is worthy of all praises. Thank you so much God for being my light against darkness. I love you, Lord.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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