The Most Terrible Storm of All

One little boat, one sleeping Lord, one very big storm, and twelve worried disciples. I think most of us are familiar with this story. Jesus finished teaching the crowds, and then He told the disciples to cross to the other side of the sea. And so they did. Jesus, exhausted from His ministry, fell asleep on a pillow in the stern, in the back of the boat.

But not long after, it started to get windy; and then came the waves. And the wind and the waves got stronger. The gospels tell us that the waves were large enough to cover the boat, and it was starting to fill up with water. The disciples were in serious trouble. That was a real storm.

Most of you know what happened next. The disciples are desperate. They wake Jesus up. And He says, “Peace, be still.” And there was a great calm.

Like I said, that was a literal storm that Jesus literally calmed.

But a lot of us can relate to times like that. We go through our own storms in this life. Times of fear. Times of desperation. Times of uncertainty.

We all go through that. It’s part of living in this life, between the corruption brought by Adam, and the consummation brought by Christ. The storms of life have some individual characteristics and details, but at their heart it’s the same experience.

First Corinthians 10:13 says everything we face is “common to man,” and it also reminds us that “God is faithful.”

That’s the lesson David wants us to understand in Psalm 18. In our last message we looked at verses 1-3, and saw that this was a song written by David as he looked back and meditated on all the times God had faithfully preserved his life.

And he invites all of God’s people—whether they are currently in a storm or have already come through it—David invites us to respond like him: with love and praise and confidence in Almighty God. He is the One who protects us. He is the One who saves us. He is all we need in times of trouble.

Remember, David, on multiple occasions, was running for his life. He was hiding in the cold and in the darkness. His life was massively interrupted.

Let’s continue our study of Psalm 18 and look at verses 4 and 5. This is David describing his situation. The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

Picture that. Picture a man being wrapped by ropes or chains. They’re circling him. They’re tightening their grip on him. And these ropes, David says, are death. Death is coming after him. Death is at his door. There is no way out. There is no escape, humanly speaking.

So, how does David respond? Verse 6. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.

That’s the right response. And what happened? From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 

The Lord listens when His people call to Him. In the opening verses of this Psalm, David described God as his rock, his fortress, his refuge. Those were defensive terms. Those are things you have to run toward for safety.

But now, we’re going to get a different side of God. Now, God is going to go on the offensive. God is going to act.

And let me tell you, we serve a terrible God. We serve a terrible God. Doesn’t that sound weird to say? How is God terrible. Well, we mainly use the word “terrible” to talk about things that are bad or poor or repulsive. But Merriam-Webster tells us that the word “terrible” can be used another way. They say it can also mean “formidable in nature; awesome.” Google’s dictionary has this secondary definition “causing or likely to cause terror.”

To say something is terrible means it’s impressive and intimidating. It strikes fear. Our God is frightening. Our God is frightening.

Now, how in the world is that helpful? It’s helpful because to that truth, we need to add this truth: Our God is on our side. Our God is on our side. Like David says, He hears our cries.

God’s power and God’s wrath and God’s sovereignty are, for those who oppose Him, a cause of great terror. But for those who belong to Him, they are the greatest comfort.

What David is about to describe is awful. They are terrifying images. But David isn’t terrified. Because he knows that this powerful, terrible God is not fighting against him. He’s fighting for him.

I’m not exactly sure what David has in mind, or what he expected his readers to have in mind, but listen to his description of God in verses 7 and 8.

Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.

This is the image of a beast large enough to shake the heart of the earth, and fire comes out of his mouth.

We live in a world dominated by Hollywood. We are flooded with imaginary stories from an early age. And what I think that does is dull our senses to what is truly terrifying.

Verses 7 and 8 could easily be used to describe Godzilla. And once we think that, it gets moved over into the realm of fantasy. Into the realm of what’s cool and impressive on a screen.

But, whether you pictured a fire-breathing dragon or a Godzilla, take a moment to think about what a real-life response would be to that. This is a power that can bring instant death and instant destruction. That’s our God. And He is on our side.

Think about this: God is not only with us in the storms of life. God is the greatest storm. God is the greatest storm.

David was a man of battle. And no matter how impressive or how small an army is, the battle can change with a single storm.

There’s a story in 1 Samuel 14 about Jonathan and his armor-bearer going up alone against a garrison of Philistines. And as God begins to grant them victory, He also sends a great earthquake. And the Philistines were terrified. That’s God’s power seen in the acts of nature.

A lot of you know RJ, he’s living in Tennessee right now. He’s travelled quite a bit because of the army, but before enlisting, he also worked as a trucker. And he would drive across the country. And more than once, he has said to me, “You guys in California, you don’t know what a storm is.” You don’t know what a storm is.

A powerful thunderstorm is no longer cool. It’s terrifying. And this is how David describes his God. Look at verses 9-16. I’ll just read them.

9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

 God is a storm unlike any of us has ever seen. God is more terrifying. In fact, in the story of Jesus and the disciples, once Jesus calms the storm, we’d expect it to say they were relieved. Instead, it says the disciples were filled with great fear. They came face-to-face with the Lord of creation.

But remember,  the point of this psalm is to say: That storm is on my side. That storm is here to rescue me.

Let’s read verses 16-18.

16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me,  for they were too mighty for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

David compares his enemies to a flood and to a strong army. And that is a scary thing to come against.

Our youth group has taken several trips now to Zion National Park. That’s in Utah. And there in Zion there is one particular hike that leads to a place known as Angel’s Landing. The Youth don’t do that hike. We had a smaller group do it once on their own, and just a day or two after, I believe, someone died because they fell. You see, the path to Angel’s Landing goes up a steep, narrow ridge.

And it’s so dangerous, that the park has added support chains anchored in the ground. And you’re supposed to use those chains to hold yourself.

Imagine what it would be like to have to make that hike without the chains. Slippery, narrow rock, and death on either side. Some of you, especially if you’re scare of heights, cringe just thinking about it.

That’s how David felt when his enemies were chasing after him. Death was near. One slip up and he would be gone.

But notice verse 19, and we’re end our study in this psalm here.

19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

God brought David to a broad place, a safe place. No more panic. No more fear. Safely grounded because God had rescued him.

This is why David loves God. This is why David praises God. David understands that God rescued him, not simply out of duty or obligation. Not because God is some cosmic genie who has to do whatever we ask. God rescued him, as the end of verse 19 says, “because He delighted in me.” God takes pleasure in saving His people from their enemies.

As the people of God who are our greatest enemies?

Ephesians 6:12 says we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the demonic forces who seek to steal our love for God. This is Satan’s army who would prefer us be condemned for our sin, just like they will be.

But Jesus triumphed over all that by His death on the cross and by His resurrection. We are completely forgiven. Every sin has been dealt with if we are repenting of sin, trusting in Christ, and continuing in the faith.

Speaking of the forgiveness and the victory we have I Christ, Colossians 2 says God has “forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

In Christ, we have an eternal victory over our enemies. If you haven’t surrendered your life to Christ, do it today. And rather than face a terrifying God in judgment one day, this God will fight for you. And if you already have, let’s respond to Him with love and praise.

Let’s pray.