Hot Summer Day

Imagine with me a blistery, hot summer day in Georgia.  The air is still and you feel as though you can't breathe.  As the day continues, the heat only magnifies.  The sun beats down and you try to find shelter away from the high temperatures.  Finally, clouds begin to form in the sky relieving the intensity of the scorching heat.  Before you know it there's a gentle drizzle from the clouds.  As I read Psalm 18:6-16, these scriptures remind of a day like this.  Starting in verse 6, David is crying out to God in his distress for help.  We also face things in our lives that can be painful and cause us to need help.  We get caught up in the fiery trials and heartaches we face.  These hurts can be like a hot day in the summer, we sweat, feel the air grow thicker around us, and struggle as our throats begin to close up stealing our breath.  When life gets too hot, we like David must cry out to God for relief.  He hears our prayers and is eager for us to come before Him.  In verse 7-9, "the earth trembled  and quaked and the foundations of the mountain shook, they trembled because he was angry.  Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.  He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet."  In these verses, God has heard David's plea for help.  He steps in.  I love the next verse in the text, where God soars onto the scene on the wings of wind.  As I read this I smile, I'm reminded of a few days back when my sister and I were sitting outside talking in the hot sun.  As we sat and shared our hearts, we knew only God could rescue us from this season in our lives.  Suddenly a sweet breeze from the mountain air brought us comfort.  It was as if it was a kiss from God - a simple pleasure.  We both smiled and then felt a peace. 

The verses to follow speak of how God uses darkness and the clouds as his covering and canopy.  His brightness reveals itself in the clouds, hailstones & bolts of lightning. His voice is thundered from heaven - the voice of the most high. (verses 11-13).  When we are struggling, our Lord wants to help us.  He is waiting to step into our crisis and bring a cooling rain.  David takes it one final step when he reminds us how God does this.  In verse 14 he promises us that he will scatter our enemies.  Enemies come in all shapes and sizes...fear, doubt, guilt, etc.  Remember when God steps in the fervor of our trials can be extinguished.  Just as David's cry came before the Lord, so can ours.  God is our strength, our rock, our fortress, our deliver in whom we take refuge.