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Reflections

A Summer Stroll Through the Psalms

This month, we are strolling with the psalmists through the Psalms, reflecting on their portrayal of the Sovereign Lord. We gazed into the heavens and saw God’s majesty. We paused to take in the panoramic view of the earth, affirming God’s creative authority. Today we join the psalmist as he sees God’s splendor in a storm.

 

Sitting Out a Storm

Who has not had vacation plans put on hold by a storm? Lightning clears swimming pools immediately. Rain showers send horses back to the stables, while golfers park their carts. Wind storms loosen tent ropes, forcing campers to douse their bonfires.

When the storm came, the faith of the psalmist was undaunted. He simply watched the storm as a revelation of the majestic power of God who is King, even of the storm. Understanding his faith will help us when we are faced with the inevitable storms of life.

Psalm 29 beautifully expresses the psalmist’s faith after a storm. He opens and closes the psalm with praise to the Lord for His gift of strength and peace to His people. He was able to do this because he saw the Lord as more powerful than the storm:

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood, The Lord is enthroned as King forever” (Psalm 29:10, NIV).

The storm the psalmist describes apparently moved in from the Mediterranean as he depicts it as being “over the waters.” It moved to Lebanon where it broke the cedars, the powerful trees for which Lebanon was known. It moved across Mt. Hermon and down to the Kadesh Desert, leaving desolation in its wake. If this was a literal storm the psalmist describes, it covered much of the land of Israel.

Seven times in this graphic description the psalmist hears the thunderous “voice of the Lord.” That God’s Word could bring destruction through a storm sounds inconsistent with His creative Word in Genesis which brought the world into existence. The statements seem contradictory but they represent the full dimension of God’s dominion.

Some people have difficulty accepting this concept. The friends of Job could not see it, but Job understood. He recognized the sovereignty of a God who is bigger than circumstance with purposes we may not understand. He said:

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21, NIV).

The psalmist meant the same thing when he said God was “enthroned over the flood.”

He saw both God’s sovereignty and His eternal existence. God is not only over the present flood but He is “enthroned forever.” God sees beyond the present circumstances to His own eternal plan.

Both the psalmist and Job understood that storms come to believers but God will bring us through them. George McDonald, the novelist who influenced C. S. Lewis, wrote in The Seaboard Parish a passage which expresses this concept well:

“Troubles will come in life which look as if they will never pass away, just as the   night and the storm look as if they would last forever. But the calm and the morning cannot be stayed, and the storm in its very nature is transient.

“The effort of Nature, as that of the human heart, ever is to return to its repose, for God is peace.”

The psalmist concluded his meditation with this same manner of thinking. After acknowledging that the Lord is King of the storm, he concluded that strength and peace will come to God’s people.

Sitting out a storm—whether physical, financial, relational or a literal storm—challenges our faith in God’s goodness and love. Yet I have known many people who joined the psalmist in praising God through the storms of life.

The secret seems to lie in the last verse of the psalm:

“The Lord gives strength to his people, The Lord blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, NIV).

We do not go through storms alone. God gives us strength for whatever comes and His peace rests upon us. This is the peace that “passes understanding” Paul wrote about (Philippians 4:7, NIV). That’s why we can join the song of praise which the psalmist describes in verse 9:

“And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’”

If a storm arises as you saunter through the summer, do not panic. Look to the God of the storm for strength and peace. You might even feel like shouting “Glory!”

Points to Ponder:

Have you known people who praised God through a storm? How has this encouraged your faith? In what other passages of Scripture did people praise God through difficulty? What can you say to people who might tell you storms come because of a lack of faith? Have you experienced the peace that comes in a storm? Share that testimony with someone.

PEGGY MUSGROVE is a licensed Assemblies of God minister. She is also a speaker, freelance writer, author and prayer group leader. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.. You can visit her at www.musgroveville.com.

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