Duke Divinity Call & Response Blog

Nathan Kirkpatrick: Psalm 18

By Nathan Kirkpatrick

This drawing was created by a Scottish Presbyterian pastor and artist presently living in Knoxville, Tennessee, as part of a series of drawings for stained glass windows for his congregation based on the Psalms. You can see more of his drawings here.

Our Psalm is Psalm 18…

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.…

28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

Nathan Kirkpatrick is a managing director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.