Life is hard but God's passion for His people explodes in magnificence when we need Him.

Sometimes when life is hard and disappointing, it’s hard to understand where God is in the mix — it’s hard to put the spiritual into the physical.

But then along comes King David in the Psalms.

He gives me the tangible reality of God’s presence and the explosive passion for His child in need, especially when life is hard.

And that blesses my soul.

Sometimes Life is Hard

This morning, like David, I cried out to the Lord. About everything. About the war in Ukraine. About COVID. About my husband’s dementia. About so many friends smothering beneath overwhelm … the relentless darkness oozing across the earth.

God’s people are hurting … you may be hurting too.

The following is David’s reflection on how the Lord heard his cry and delivered him from the hands of the enemy.

Life is hard but God's passion for His people explodes in magnificence when we need Him.

Psalm 18:6-24

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.

God responds to the cry of David’s heart with boldness and power.

Slow down and imagine the following picture of God’s strength, and of His fury when His child is in harm’s way.

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.


10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
He flew upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His secret place;
His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness before Him,
His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

Life is hard but God's passion for His people explodes in magnificence when we need Him.

13 The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe,
Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

15 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.

God Rescues Us When We Cry Out to Him

Can you see it? Can you feel the uproar of God? And then God reaches His child, and with the faithful love of a Father, He rescues the one who cried out to Him in their distress.

16 He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
19 He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

Life is hard but God's passion for His people explodes in magnificence when we need Him.

All because of His passionate love for us and His tender watchcare.

I love the way The Message describes verses 16-19:

16-19 But me He caught—reached all the way
    from sky to sea; He pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
    the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
    but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
    I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

Surprised to be loved …

God Pulls Us Out of the Enemy Chaos When Life is Hard

Have you felt that way lately? I have on occasion. I cannot fathom the depth of God’s love for us. His passion for His people explodes in magnificence to help us in our time of need. We are not left to our own defenses. Almighty God is our shield. He goes before us into battle, leading us beneath His banner of love. He is our refuge, our fortress — He is our strength when we are too weary to walk on.

This morning, after crying out to the Lord in my distress, He reached all the way from sky to sea to pull me out of the enemy chaos. Enemy chaos. That’s a perfect way to describe when life is hard, isn’t it?

I’m so thankful He did.

I’m asking Him to do the same for you.

Selah

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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.

Sweet blessings to you,