In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

Have you ever had a child falsely accused by a classmate or teacher? Did you charge into the school with fire and smoke issuing from your nostrils? Now there were those times when little Johnny was actually guilty, but that is not what is coming to mind here. Now read this section again as an angry parent defending a precious child.

This is the LORD, God, the Almighty coming to the defense of a beloved child. What a picture! I may have felt like I was expelling hailstones and coals of fire, but no, only wisps of smoke coming from dead ashes in comparison. What a picture.

We have a member of the Fellowship of Ailbe whose profession involves the creation of images to illustrate lectures and conferences. His gift is what is needed here to translate this section of Psalm 18 from words to a graphic interpretation. David has taken the written word to its limits.

This is the LORD, responding to an accusation regarding one of His children. Yes, but not a spoiled brat, but one of His saints who comes to Him in a spirit of adoration and praise; someone who is calling out to His Glory; recognizing that He is Master of All Things, the One who speaks and It is.