A Few Devotional Thoughts From Psalm 18:5–17
Psalm 18:5–17
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about:
The snares of death prevented me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried unto my God:
He heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations also of the hills moved
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured:
Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down:
And darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:
Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place;
His pavilion round about him
Were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,
Hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Highest gave his voice;
Hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
And he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen,
And the foundations of the world were discovered
At thy rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
And from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
As I read this wonderful passage a vivid childhood memory came to mind.
I was playing a fairly long ways from our house. I had been told to stay within eye sight of my parents. I could barely see Pop working on something in the distance and my mom planting something in her garden. As I played, I saw what I thought to be a piece of rebar under a tree. I was sure that something special could be made for my fort with such a treasure.
I reached down to grab the rod and a forked tongue came out. It was not a rod of rebar but a copperhead snake!
Anyone who knows me well knows there are two things that terrify me, snakes and mayonnaise! One of the two was inches from my fingertips. I jumped back and screamed for help. Within seconds my dad was at my side and the threat was gone!
I didn’t even know Pop could move that fast! I guess there is just something about the desperate cry of your child that fuels a parent!
I will never forget that day my father came to my cries!
If today I called for him, I know Pop would do it again. He would come running to my side. He would get there a little slower perhaps, but he would come if I cry. He has proven himself!
David recognized that his deliverance from Saul and his enemies had not been the result of military prowess but of answered prayer. Look at the word picture the psalmist paints of how all of this happened.
David’s situation was very bleak in verse 5 so he cries to God who hears in verse 6 and then begins to move.
Psalm 18:6
In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried unto my God:
He heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry came before him, even into his ears.
The vivid picture David paints involves earthquakes, smoke and fire from the nostrils of God.
David is telling us that God is angry at the mistreatment of his people. Can’t you relate? When someone that you love is mistreated doesn’t it stir a passion inside of you to defend them? It makes sense that our Lord would be stirred by the the desperate pleas for help from his children.
Then God does the most wonderful thing, he comes down to earth! David tells us that God flew upon the wings of the wind and came down.
Psalm 18:9-10
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down:
And darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:
Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
I want you to know that when God’s children cry, he still hears!
God still answers prayers and moves in response to their cries. God is still angered at the mistreatment of his children and has warned that it would be better for those that hurt them to swim with a big old millstone necklace than to face his judgement. (Matt 18:6)
And he came down for you. His people cried out for deliverance and he came to earth to provide it.
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
God loves you, he listens to your cries, he cares so much that he came down already in Bethlehem.
The Heavenly Father has proven himself, he will come to your cries! Neither his capabilities nor his care have diminished.
Why don’t you call on him today?
By the way, if you think my screams at the sight of a snake are something you should see my reaction to mayonnaise.
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