7 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 enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, 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.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me. NIV
This section of Psalm 18 is sometimes called a
“Theophany”, a time when God showed up in a very real way (i.e. “manifested”).
As you read Psalm 18:7-19 imagine the scene described by David.
Go back through each line of each verse. Ponder
what each visual is trying to portray about who God is.
In verse 16-19, David pulls himself into the
middle of the Theophany. Considering all of the grand descriptions prior to
this moment, what is shocking about how David is handled by God?
:::::
EQUIPPING CHALLENGE :::::
Psalm 18 is David’s testimony to how God saved
him from his enemies throughout his life. Consider writing your own creative
version of how God showed up in your life. How would you paint the picture of
God’s activity through your life so far? At what point to do you come into the
scene and how does God handle you?