This morning I read Psalm 18. There were many verses and phrases that I underlined while reading it, however one in particular resonated with me in a deep way…”He took me…(Psalm 18:16).”  The whole verse reads, “He reached from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.”  But “He took me” sums up the way God has helped me in my life. There are all of these complex emotions and thoughts I have every day.  Some are helpful and some are not.  It’s clear to me that when I try to figure life out without submitting myself to God first, things are confusing, a struggle, and at times, dark.  But God doesn’t leave me there.  He didn’t leave me there.  He took me.  He lifted me up from a place of not knowing Him, to a place of knowing that I’m known by Him.  He took me from darkness to the awareness of His love.  He gave me things I didn’t deserve and topped them with a handful of “I love you.”  And there were no strings attached. Before I knew Jesus, I was on my own, at least in my own mind.  I had made my decision that I would lead the life I wanted to and that I was only accountable to myself. But He took me.  He took me from there and said, “No, I’m real, this is Who I Am, and I love you.”

“Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations . . . ”

(Psalm 18:49a, NIV)