Psalm 18:6 “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.”

[And when He heard David’s cry, He moved to answer:]

Psa 18:7 “The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.”

[You, Lord God, are a person of passion: when you are aroused, there is no stopping you. You act in justice, you act in love, you act in conviction, you act in power! Praise be to you for your love so displayed.]

Psa 18:8 “Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.”

[You anger is righteous and will not be quenched until there is justice done and wrongs righted. The heat of your anger leads to the rescue of your children in the right way and at the right time. You act in power and swiftness, as this next section so graphically illustrates:]

Psalm 18:9 “He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

Psalm 18:10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

Psalm 18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Psalm 18:12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

Psalm 18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

Psalm 18:14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.

Psalm 18:15 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.”

[What a display of powerful, righteous and compassionate anger! Bigger than any star wars episode! You, Lord God, Breather of the stars, bent the elements to your will and acted in passion, bringing a storm at the right time to protect your own.

You are the God of wisdom and power, passion and might, mercy and action.

As David said in the beginning of this Psalm, you are our Rock, our Fortress and our Deliverer. In you we can trust, no matter how terrible things look. You have a plan to rescue us, you will work it out at the right time and carry us along with you.

Help us to demonstrate our belief in you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all, in turning to you first in our needs and to praise you for your answers before they come.]