Our All-Powerful God
Horror struck us as the massive peal of thunder rattled and shook our house. “Which tree did it hit?” I wondered in suspense. The lightning and thunder hit at the exact same time; surely it was one of ours. After a fitful night’s rest, the morning light revealed a neighbor’s massive tree, burnt and broken, lying on their roof. That was a harrowing experience, but it was a momentary fright compared to God’s dreadful power over evil.
In Psalm 18, David tells of his great need and God’s rescue. Psalm 18:6–9 (ESV) describes God’s terrifying rescue following his cry for help.
In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. . .
In David’s battle, God pulled out his heavy artillery: David’s shield and the horn of his salvation (v. 2); earthquakes (v. 6); smoke, devouring fire, and glowing coals (vv. 7–8); and hailstones and coals of fire (vs 13). Don’t forget his powerful voice!
We too are in a battle, but ours is against the powers of darkness that want to destroy Christ’s church. As he was in David’s time, God is clearly up to the battle. These formidable images from Psalm 18 bring to mind that now, in the face of the enemy’s might in the spiritual realm, our call is to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [To] put on the whole armor of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10–12).
Our spiritual enemies are terrifying! But God is even more terrifying in the battle against the enemy, and he is our shield and strength. So, as we send out our field workers deep into the powers of darkness, we are called to storm the very gates of hell, armed with the full armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God). We are to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18). We must never underestimate the power of our prayers when they are directed to the God of all power and might—the God who came to David’s rescue in Psalm 18!
David’s rescue was complete. Toward the end of this psalm, David speaks of God’s rescue: “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who rescued me from my enemies; yes, [he] exalted me above those who rose against me. [God] rescued me from the man of violence” (Psalm 18:46–48, ESV).
There’s so much more, but does this sound familiar? This psalm is about David, but it also looks forward to Christ, who underwent trials way beyond David’s (and certainly ours), who paid the price for our sin, and who was exalted above all. And now we who were once Christ’s enemies, are conquered—convicted of sin and called to repentance and new life, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We are strengthened and equipped by God the Holy Spirit to engage in Christ’s continuing battle against the forces of evil in this dark age, a victory that is secured in Christ. And we are called to be Christ’s ambassadors in this world as he gathers people out of bondage to sin into his kingdom of life.
Some of the thoughts in this blog have been inspired by Christopher Ash in The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary, vol 2. In it he proclaims that “properly understood, the powerful victories of Christ (18:31–45, followed by 18:49) should stir us to a fresh commitment to the worldwide gospel mission of the church, declaring among the nations that God the Father has vindicated Christ as King, Messiah, and Lord, and calling men and women to bow the knee to him in the obedience of faith” (Ash, page 210).
In the coming months, we are sending off workers to Thailand to engage in spiritual battle there. Likely it will be a fierce battle, and we need to walk with them in deep prayer to our all-powerful God. As David prayed when faced with the “cords of death” and the “torrents of destruction,” and as Moses prayed as Israel faced the Red Sea with the Egyptians on their heels, we go to work in prayer with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit that the spiritual walls of idolatry will be brought down one day. Indeed, we pray for our field workers around the globe, looking toward that day when all nations, tribes, and tongues will praise and exalt Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords!