THE PRAYER THAT shook the earth

We are so small within the vast cosmos, it’s easy to believe our tiny little voices will never make it to heaven’s throne.

Perhaps that’s why David was inspired to write Psalm 18, describing a prayer he once prayed and the mighty way God answered it. In his distress, David had cried out to God—a lone voice in the infinite universe. Yet, “From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

Much of the rest of the Psalm is a magnificent description of God moving in response to this one prayer. The earth trembles, mountains shake, and fire and smoke come from heaven as God parts the clouds and comes to aid His child.

Yes, this psalm is poetic, not literal. But it is there to help us see the unseeable; to pull back the curtain from the heavenly realms for us to glimpse how God responds to the prayers of His people. One cry is enough to move Him.

You may think your prayers are tiny and insignificant. Dwell on David’s retelling of his own prayer and you’ll soon realise that every word you speak shakes the world around you, for the Lord hears, responds and moves on your behalf.