
“The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because He was angry” (Psalm 18:7). David’s Psalm is full of vibrant imagery describing God’s anger and wrath: trembling, quaking and shaking, smoke, fire, darkness and rain, hailstones, and bolts of lightning coming like arrows. It is very clear – something is not pleasing to Him and He is responding in righteous judgment. This is a frightening scene, one that makes us want to find a safe place to hide. Unless we understand the reason behind the storm.
Just before the earth begins to tremble in verse 7 David says, “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” (v. 6). David is in grave danger, “The cords of death entangled me, the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me” (V. 4). God is angry because His beloved is being threatened. He is coming to the rescue. The wrath of God – the storm and the shaking – is not directed at David, but at David’s enemies. In verse 16 the king said, the Lord “reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters . . . He rescued me.”
Sometimes it is hard for us to understand what God is doing. We see the lightning, we hear the thunder, we feel the ground shaking and we are afraid. It is a natural reaction to God’s extreme response. But He is not fighting against you, He is fighting for you. As a child of God, you can be at peace in the storm because the God of the storm is coming to your rescue (v. 19). The fearsome things you see and hear and feel are not directed at you, they are directed at whatever – or more aptly, whomever – threatens you. I know this is true, I’m in that storm right now. I am soaked to the skin by the rain but I still have peace because I trust my heavenly Father. I know He will never harm His daughter. I know He is coming to my rescue. It can be very frightening to witness God’s wrath unless you know that the Lord is on your side. Don’t fear the storm Beloved; just trust in the One who “parts the heavens and comes down” to rescue you (v. 9).