Psalm 18 Part I
1 I love you, O Lord my strength, *
O Lord my stronghold, my crag, and my haven.
2 My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, *
my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge;
you are worthy of praise.
3 I will call upon the Lord, *
and so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The breakers of death rolled over me, *
and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid.
5 The cords of hell entangled me, *
and the snares of death were set for me.
6 I called upon the Lord in my distress *
and cried out to my God for help.
7 He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; *
my cry of anguish came to his ears.
8 The earth reeled and rocked; *
the roots of the mountains shook;
they reeled because of his anger.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils
and a consuming fire out of his mouth; *
hot burning coals blazed forth from him.
10 He parted the heavens and came down *
with a storm cloud under his feet.
11 He mounted on cherubim and flew; *
he swooped on the wings of the wind.
12 He wrapped darkness about him; *
he made dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.
13 From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds, *
burst hailstones and coals of fire.
14 The Lord thundered out of heaven; *
the Most High uttered his voice.
15 He loosed his arrows and scattered them; *
he hurled thunderbolts and routed them.
16 The beds of the seas were uncovered,
and the foundations of the world laid bare, *
at your battle cry, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high and grasped me; *
he drew me out of great waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemies
and from those who hated me; *
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster; *
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out into an open place; *
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Collect of the Day: The First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Image Credit: Sea and Cliffs, ca. 1885, Auguste Renoir
Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Open Access Collection
