Bending the Sky

"He bent the sky and came down." - David

Anne Lamott suggested to her students that they write what they would like to come across. David wrote Psalm 18 to the Lord after the Lord "saved him from the hands of all his enemies and from the clutches of Saul." This is exactly what I wanted to come across today, so I will just pass it on:

"In my distress I called on the Lord,
  cried out to my God;
  in His temple He heard my voice;
  my cry to Him reached his ears.
Then the earth rocked and quaked;
  the foundations of the mountains shook,
  rocked by His indignation;
  smoke went up from His nostrils,
  from His mouth came devouring fire;
  live coals blazed forth from Him.
He bent the sky and came down...

"He reached down from on high, He took me;
  He drew me out of the mighty waters;
  He saved me from my fierce enemy,
  from foes too strong for me.

"With You, I can rush a barrier;
  with my God I can scale a wall;
  the way of God is perfect;
  the word of the Lord is pure;
  He is a shield to all who seek refuge in Him."

 - Psalm 18:7-10a, 17-18, 30-31

Last night at our small group, we talked about mundane things like our physical ailments, how to respect our spouses, the difficulties of participating in a large church, and the challenges of having children. Those things seem so insignificant compared to David's dramatic encounter with Saul, and yet they are still foes and they still threaten to overcome us.

It is so easy for us to be overcome by the mundane. For a struggling marriage to build bitterness and resentment that poisons other relationships. For a physical ailment to turn into mental and emotional apathy regarding the world around us. For a needy child to consume all of our time. For church difficulties to discourage us from receiving the gift of grace and joy found in the presence of God.

But when we call out to God, not only does he hear us, but he is willing to bend the sky, to move heaven and earth to save us. Sometimes he brings relief from physical difficulties or external circumstances, but he always brings the assurance that he is with us and that he is for us. He brings his strength to our weakness. He brings his love and peace to our hearts that are so easily turned inward upon themselves.

As we talked about our worries and fears, I think we found peace. We were surprised to hear that others had the same struggles. We were relieved to know we weren't alone. In our coming together asking for help, God bent the sky to come down and dwell in our midst.