Psalm 18:7 - February 18, 2009

Ps.18:7-16 "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. 10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him — the dark rain clouds of the sky. 12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. 13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 14 He shot his arrows and scattered [the enemies], great bolts of lightning and routed them. 15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." NIV

David paints an awesome image in this passage of the glorious intervention of God in the midst of troubles. The images that are portrayed in this passage are so clear and vivid that I believe they must have originated in a mystical experience that David received during his time of trouble. God is faithful in the midst of our pain to unveil the invisible realms to those who will seek him and impart strength through a foretaste of those realities that are most often only perceived by eyes of faith. The prophet Elisha demonstrated this same principle in II Ki. 6 when he was on the mountain top with his servant, surrounded by an enemy army. His servant is beginning to crumble from stress and fear but Elisha is not moved. Instead Elisha speaks from a heart of faith and declares, “don’t be afraid… Those who are with us are more than those who are against us.” He then directs his faith to intercession for his servant: “Lord open his eyes that he might see!” Then in an act of divine intervention the servant is able to see that the hills are full of the army of the Lord there to deliver them.
“Oh, that we might live with open eyes! Lord let us see the vast supply that you have already released into our circumstances. Give us the revelation of your glorious intervention in our every need!” I believe that in David’s time of need God elevated his vision into the realms of glory so that he could find comfort from this image of God’s anger over the attacks that were coming against him. The powerful principle that is revealed in this passage is not just the acts of God to deliver David from injustice but the emotion of God as he expresses his concern over the mistreatment that is afflicting David in this circumstance. It is comforting to know that not only is God involved, working everything out for our good as Ro. 8:28 teaches us, God is also deeply concerned, even grieved over the trials that have touched us and the unjust treatment that comes our way at times. God is both perfectly just, and perfectly loving and these two attributes are manifest in perfect balance in his dealings with us.
This portion of scripture ends with a wonderful image of the comfort of God! “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters!” Do you feel at times that you are in deep waters and you are too tired to swim? Know that in your hour of need God is reaching down from on high to take hold of you. Consider this reality even now for a moment. Picture the hand of God reaching out to you and find comfort in the knowledge that God will draw you out of the deep waters of your stress and circumstances and will hold you fast to himself. Take the time to wait in his presence until the eyes of your faith have been opened and your heart is strengthened by the remembrance that all provision has already been made for every need you will ever face!