Articles . Volume 07 | Issue 14 . Warren Wiersbe

Psalm 18 (Part 2)

Not All Storms Are Bad
Psalm 18:7-15

Psalm 18:7-25 presents one of the greatest descriptions of a storm found anywhere in the Bible. It is a graphic picture of the way God works when He comes to the aid of His children. David was saying in verses 7-15 that God the Creator, God the deliverer, used everything in nature to come to his aid. The earth shook, down to its very foundations. Smoke came up. Fire came out. Coals were kindled. The heavens bowed down. The wind began to blow, for God was coming on the wings of the wind. We see darkness, dark waters, thick clouds, even hailstones and coals of fire. Thunder, arrows, lightning–the very breath of God was blowing across the fields. Oh, what a graphic picture this is of a storm!

Where’d the storm come from? It came from God. Why did it come? God was going to deliver His servant David. When the child of God is in the will of God, everything works for him in all of nature. When the child of God is out of the will of God, everything works against him. Remember Jonah? He ran away from God in disobedience, and what happened? A storm appeared. The wind and waves were violent. That little boat went up adn down on the ocean like a cork. Even the mariners were very, very worried. Jonah disobeyed God, and everything in nature worked against him. David obeyed God, and everything in nature worked for him.

Keep in mind that God can use the storms of life to fulfill His will. Is the wind blowing? God is flying on the wings of the wind. Are the clouds thick? God will bring showers of blessing out of them. Don’t be afraid of the storm. Storms can come from the hand of God and can be the means of blessing.

Are the storms of life working for you or against you? If they’re against you, do you need to repent of some sin? If you’re experiencing smooth sailing, what can you do to encourage others who are in the midst of a storm?


Come Out of Confinement
Psalm 18:16-19

For several years David has been forced to live in confined places as he fled from Saul. More than once David fled to a cave to save his life. Now God had brought David out of the caves and out of confinement, and He brought him into a large place. “He also brought me out into a broad place; He delievered me because He delighted in me” (v. 19). David was a man after God’s own heart. And God delighted in David. It reminds us of our Lord Jesus. God said of Him, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).

We often talk about our delighting in the Lord. That’s important. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). But what about God’s delighting in us? As parents and grandparents, we enjoy delighting in our children and grandchildren. In a similar way God wants to delight in us.

Because God delights in us, He delivers us. And He uses the difficult experiences of life to make us bigger. “He also brought me out into a braod place” (18:19). In verse 36 we read: “You enlarged my path under me.” When God puts you into a large place, He has to give you larger feet. You’re filling some big shoes. And so God enlarges your steps so that you can take advantage of the large place. But don’t stop there. Back in Psalm 4:1 David said, “You have relieved me.” God enlarges us so that He can enable us to take giant steps of faith for His glory. David had gone through several years of confinement and difficulty and persecution and sorrow. But at the end David was a bigger man because of it. Let the trials of life make you a giant, not a midget. Let God put you into a large place where you can take giant steps of faith for His glory.

Make a list of the reasons why you can thank God for the place where you are today, even though you may feel confined physically, mentally or emotionally. Remember, if you haven’t learned to trust God in the cave, you won’t be able to trust Him in the palace.