1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
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What stands out for me today in this psalm is its depiction of the Lord reigning in might despite the thundering waves.
No doubt the raging storms of the sea are a metaphor for the opposition to the Lord’s rule and reign. Throughout the Scriptures, the storming chaotic sea is representative of evil or opposition to God. In the beginning, the chaotic sea is there before God utters His creative “Let there be Light.” Jesus speaks to the storm in a voice of authority and it is stilled (Mark 4:35-41). In the highly symbolic rendering of the new creation in Revelation 21:1, there is no sea at all.
But the Lord is mightier than the sea and its pounding waves. And the Lord is mightier than the waves and storms that rise up in my life and threaten to swamp me. The storms may come and go, but the Lord’s throne is established from eternity.
I am praying today for those who are feeling the storms today – whether the storms of relationship trouble, health, grief, depression, or whatever. I am praying that they find their strength in the Lord who rules over the waves.
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