When God Shakes Heaven and Earth
Part 3: Wide Open Spaces - Psalm 18 Series
Psalm 18:7-15 (NLT) "Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger. Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him. He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds. Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused. Then at your command, O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare."
This isn't your gentle Sunday school Jesus showing up to pat David on the head and whisper, "There, there." This is the God of all creation, absolutely furious that His child is being tormented, literally reshaping reality to rescue him.
David had just cried out that "the grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path" (verse 5). He was desperate, trapped, feeling like death itself had him in a chokehold. And God's response?
The earth quakes.
Mountains tremble.
Smoke pours from His nostrils like a dragon breathing fire.
He mounts up on an angelic being and flies through storm clouds, shooting lightning arrows and scattering enemies.
Why does God's rescue look so intense? Because sometimes what's holding us captive is so deeply rooted, so powerfully entrenched, that it takes earth-shaking power to break us free.
Look at the progression here:
God gets angry (verse 7), then He literally descends from heaven (verse 9), then He goes to war (verses 13-14). This isn't measured response - this is divine fury unleashed on behalf of someone He loves. The foundations of mountains shake because God will not tolerate the enemy that is trying to destroy David.
And notice - God doesn't just send help. He doesn't delegate this rescue mission to angels or prophets. He personally "came down." The Creator of the universe looked at David's situation and said, "Not on my watch," then suited up for battle Himself.
The imagery is almost overwhelming: fierce flames from His mouth, glowing coals blazing forth, dark storm clouds beneath His feet, hail and burning coals raining down. This reads more like a scene from Revelation than a rescue story. But that's exactly the point - when God moves to save His children, it's not subtle. It's cosmic. (Thank you Carmen for that word.)
Here's what blows me away:
At the end, with just His breath - not His mighty arm, not His lightning arrows, just His breath - the bottom of the sea is exposed and the foundations of the earth are laid bare. What seemed impossible to move, what appeared permanent and immovable, is revealed for what it really is when God shows up: temporary and powerless.
My Grave Season
I know this kind of desperate rescue personally (though not quite like David’s). There was a morning in Ireland when I felt exactly like David - the grave had wrapped its ropes around me. My family was under attack from every direction. My ex-husband was drowning in depression from character assassination. My 7-year-old son, after facing relentless bullying, looked at me through tears at a McDonald's drive-thru and said, "If this is life, I don't want to live it." My own body was shutting down from toxic reactions from food that had me teetering on death's edge.
That morning, I woke up with thoughts I'd never had before - thoughts of driving my van straight off those winding cliffs in Greystones. The grave wasn't just calling; it was demanding. I was never one to think that way, ever, but that day the grave loomed over me with paralyzing fear.
But thank you, Jesus, I knew who to call on. I didn't come into His presence with strength and fight - I came trembling, hopeless, too weak to even form the right words. I opened my Bible to Psalm 23 and began reading with a shaking voice. And here's the miracle that we cannot forget that we have right in front of us - God's word is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword.
As I read "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" over and over (for over 2 hours), something shifted. Not gently, not gradually - it was like watching those foundations of the earth get exposed in David's psalm. Because "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) - I could literally feel the grip of the grave loosening. The more I read, the more strength and faith returned to my heart. The fight within me came back. The fog lifted.
God had shaken heaven and earth to pull me back from that cliff.
This is how our God operates. When His children are trapped, when death seems to have the upper hand, He moves mountains. He exposes what seemed permanent and powerful as temporary and defeated.
Your rescue might not look like earthquakes and lightning, but it will be just as real, just as powerful. Maybe it comes through His Word breaking chains in your mind. Maybe it's through circumstances suddenly shifting in ways that defy explanation. Maybe it's through people showing up at exactly the right moment with exactly what you need.
But here's the beautiful reality: when you're in that place where the grave feels real, where death's trap seems inescapable, don't be surprised if God's answer shakes everything up. Don't be afraid of the earthquake in your circumstances or the lightning that exposes hidden things.
That's not chaos - that's your rescue operation.
The same God who rode on the wings of the wind to save David, who parted darkness and scattered enemies with His arrows, who exposed the very foundations of the earth with just His breath - that same God is moving heaven and earth for you right now.
Your deliverance might look messy. It might feel overwhelming. But when the smoke clears and the thunder stops, you'll be standing free, looking back at what used to hold you captive, wondering how you ever thought it was stronger than the God who shakes mountains just to reach you.
The grave never stood a chance.
Thank you. Tracee. Just what I needed at this moment. Blessings 🙏