A Storm of Evil

Meaning in Psalm 18

Alfred D. Byrd

ONLY MY GOD can give me the strength
To face a world that's falling apart.
It seems to me that there's come a storm—
A storm of evil brewed up by sin—
Subjecting the land to a rain of shame
And drowning the good in a flood of grief.
If I had to rely on my strength alone,
I'd fail to survive; too soon, I'd drown.

I'll find no escape from floods of the earth
Unless I make its Maker my goal.
When I look on high, the heavens unfold,
Revealing my God upon a throne
Upheld by creatures of fire and of light
Whose wings are wide, whose eyes are many.
Chanting the praise of the One Whom they serve,
They mirror glory beyond description—
Glory that comes from the One Who is all!
My God is fire that burns without end,
Without a source, and without beginning.
No one who sees the King on the throne
Can ascribe to the One a peer, a rival.
Dazzled by God, I rejoice, but fear
To be beneath my Maker's notice.
Surely a worm can't attract the eye—

My God, enthroned, is coming to see me!
At the will of the One Who gave them their life,
The creatures of light and of fire have raised
A storm to drive the evil away.
With lightning and thunder, with wind and rain,
The One on the throne rips open the sky
And shakes the earth, a baby's rattle
Feeling its owner toss it in play.
I marvel at how my God can act,
But fear destruction of one too small
To matter against the might of the storm.

My fear is groundless. My life will be saved.
My Maker, reaching me, treats me gently.
Pulling the fearful and drowning to land,
And washing away the filth of the flood,
My Maker gives me the strength to stand
Against the winds of tempests to come.
Dispersing the clouds that brought on darkness,
My God restores the light to my eyes
And shows me a path to lead me to hope.

The King returns to the heights, but leaves me
Mercy on weakness, and strength for a fight
Against temptations to turn aside—
Against any foe who'd bar my steps—
From the path that takes me again to the King.
Because my God is a shield to me,
I have the faith, the One's gift, to say,
"Whatever problems may lie ahead,
I'll face and solve through the strength of my God;
And I'll reach the heights, the throne of the One,
Where I'll serve my Maker always with praise!"

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.