Blessed are they who when they hear the Word of the Lord, hold it fast in an honest
and good heart, bearing fruit with patient endurance. –cf. Luke 8:15 (NRSVCE)
I treasure Your Word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against You. –Psalm 119:11
Psalm of David – Thanksgiving For Victory
The Lord Lives! Blessed be My Rock and exalted be the God of My Salvation! (Psalm 18:46)
I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is My Rock, my Fortress and My Deliverer, My God,
My Rock in whom I take refuge, My Shield and the horn of My Salvation, My Stronghold. I call
upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. The cords of
death encompassed me; The torrents of perdition assailed me; The cords of Sheol (Hell)
entangled me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; To My
God I cried for help. From His Temple He heard my voice and my cry to Him reached His ears.
Then the earth reeled and rocked; The foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked
because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils and devouring fire from His mouth;
Glowing coals flamed forth from Him. He bowed the heavens and came down; Thick darkness
was under His feet. He rode the cherub (angel) and flew; He came swiftly upon the wings of the
wind. He made darkness His covering around Him, His canopy thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before Him there broke through His clouds hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens and the Most High uttered His voice and He sent out
His arrows and scattered them; He flashed forth lightnings and routed them. Then the
channels of the sea were seen and the foundations of the world were laid bare at Your rebuke,
O Lord, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils. He reached down from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of the mighty waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy and those who
hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of calamity but the
Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He
delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to His righteousness, according to the
cleanness of my hands He recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not
wickedly departed from My God! For all His Ordinances were before me and His Statutes I did
not put away from me. I was blameless before Him and I kept myself from guilt. Therefore the
Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my
hands in His sight. With the loyal You show Yourself loyal; With the blameless You show
Yourself blameless; With the pure You show Yourself pure and with the crooked You show
Yourself perverse. For You deliver a humble people but the haughty eyes You bring down. It is
You who light my lamp; The Lord, My God lights up my darkness. By You I can crush a troop
and by My God I can leap over a wall. This God — His way is perfect! The promise of the Lord
proves true; He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God except the Lord? Who
is a rock besides our God? — The God who girded me with strength and made my way safe. He
made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for
war so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the Shield of Your
Salvation and Your right hand has supported me; Your help has made me great. You gave me a
wide place for my steps under me and my feet did not slip. I pursued my enemies and overtook
them and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down, so that they were
not able to rise, they fell under my feet. For You girded me with strength for the battle, You
made my assailants sink under me. You made my enemies turn their backs to me and those
who hated me I destroyed. They cried for help but there was no one to save them; They cried to
the Lord but He did not answer them. I beat them fine, like dust before the wind. I cast them
out like the mire of the streets. You delivered me from strife with the peoples; You made me
head of the nations; People whom I had not known served me; Foreigners came cringing to me.
Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their strongholds. The Lord lives! Blessed be
My Rock and exalted be the God of My Salvation! The God who gave me vengeance and subdued
peoples under me; Who delivered me from my enemies; Indeed, You exalted me above my
adversaries; You delivered me from the violent. For this I will extol You, O Lord, among the
nations and sing praises to Your name. Great triumphs He gives to His king and shows
steadfast love to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever! –Psalm 18:1-50
Related: For Today’s Holy Scripture Readings and More, Visit: -USCCB
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