What does Psalm 18:17 mean?

David continues his testimony of the Lord's intervention on his behalf. He describes his enemy as strong and hateful. Further, he admits they were too mighty for him, but they were not too mighty for the Lord. He rescued David from his enemy. David had spent ten years as a fugitive in the wilderness when Saul sought to kill him, but the Lord brought those years to a happy conclusion (2 Samuel 22:1). After David became king he still fought enemies. Later in his reign that even included fleeing from his own son, Absalom, who had conspired to overthrow his father (2 Samuel 15—19; Psalm 3).

Regardless of how desperate our circumstances seem, we can wait patiently on the Lord and He will bring everything to a happy conclusion. Our enemy, the Devil, is too mighty for us, so we dare not try to defeat him in our own strength. The apostle Paul told Timothy to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1). And he told the Ephesians to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" (Ephesians 6:10). Further, he exhorted them to "put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). The apostle John assured us that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).