This short Psalm proclaims the might, sovereignty and trustworthiness of God.
“The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty! Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.” (v1-5)
The Psalmist compares God to the might of flood waters, saying He is “Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!” (v4) I have seen many videos of floods, and I have seen flood damage firsthand. Water is extremely powerful – it demolishes buildings and changes landscapes with the greatest of ease, and nothing man-made can rival its power. When water breaks loose all we can do is flee from its path, nothing can stop it until its course has been run.
Yet, the Lord our God is more powerful than the mightiest of waters, for He created them. God is sovereign over all of creation – Jesus simply speaks and the sea and sky obey: “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. And [Jesus] awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And [the disciples] were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ ” (Mk 4:37,39,41; see also Mk 4:35-41, Mt 8:23-27, Lk 8:22-25)
What does this mean for us today? Many times in life we encounter rough waters – mostly figuratively, though sometimes literally. We can become so inundated by circumstances beyond our control that we can easily feel overwhelmed (like being hit by waves). Sometimes it feels like we barely catch our breathe before the next wave breaks over our head. God wants us to remember Him in those difficult times, and have enough faith to trust that He can not only calm the waters, but more importantly that He is there to ride the waves with us.
I want to quote the broader context of a well-known verse: “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me -practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Php 4:5-9)
There are multiple verses that call Him the “God of peace” (incl. 2 in the passage above), so it must be true. For me, this means I have no need to be anxious or carry worry on me like a heavy burden, since God carries that for us. It can be “well in my soul”, and calm in my spirit, even if my circumstances are chaotic, as long as my trust and faith are in the God who calms the raging seas. I imagine it being like Noah’s ark – though the world is in total chaos, there was no possible way that ship was going to sink because Noah trusted God would keep His promise (unlike the Titanic whose creators defied God…).
In the account of Jesus’ calming of the storm, He asks the disciples ” ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ ” (Mk 4:40) Sometimes I have to ask myself that same question and do a trust check – am I rooted in the sovereign God who is mightier than the seas, or am I rooted in my own finite strength that can’t even curl 30lbs? It’s hard to trust and praise God when our world is spinning out of control – I know, I’ve tried – yet it is an amazing experience if we do manage to thank and praise Him in the middle of those rough waters.
Father God, Almighty Lord, creator and ruler of the universe, we come before You today in awe of who You are. We confess our weakness and utter lack of faith. Please teach us the faith to rely on You during the storms of life, and during the calm. Please teach us to be mindful of You in all circumstances – especially in the easy times so that we are more firmly rooted when the tough ones come. Father may we come to rely on You in all circumstances, so there would continual growth in our faith. Thank you for being with us in and through the storms of life, and never letting the waters completely overwhelm us when we’re rooted in You. All honor, praise and glory be to You Almighty God. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training