To him that excelleth. A Psalme of Dauid the seruant of the Lord, which spake unto the Lord the wordes of this song (in the day that the Lord delivered him for the hande of all this enemies, and form the and of saul) and sayd, I will loue thee dearely, O Lord my strength.
Psalms 18:1 To him that excelleth. A Psalme of Dauid the seruant of the Lord, which spake unto the Lord the wordes of this song (in the day that the Lord delivered him for the hande of all this enemies, and form the and of saul) and sayd, I will loue thee dearely, O Lord my strength.
Psalms 18:2 The Lord is my rocke, and my fortresse, and he that deliuereth me, my God and my strength: in him will I trust, my shield, the horne also of my saluation, and my refuge.
Psalms 18:3 I will call vpon the Lord, which is worthie to be praysed: so shall I be safe from mine enemies.
The verse centers on "excelleth", "psalme", "dauid", "seruant", "lord", "spake", and "wordes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "excelleth" and "psalme", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The next verse adds "The Lord is my rocke and my...", so "excelleth" and "psalme" should be read forward into that movement. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "excelleth" and "psalme" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.