We post-modern over-enlightened humans often view the horrors of nature as being part of our dangerous world. Add a little bit of Christianity to this formula, and we view these same events as being part of the curse of sin, a world out of balance, if you will. Hurricane Florence and its aftermath being fresh on out minds seems to be proof of this. What else shows sin's curse more fully than a destructive “uninvited brute”, to quote Governor Roy Cooper, and the loss of property, life and the money spent attaining those things.
Or, maybe we don't view this as a part of sin's curse at all. Maybe it's all just weather, climate change or the myriad of other explanations we give for our very dangerous planet.
When we think of God and storms like these, we like to comfort ourselves with Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee, calming the storm and sea. Sometimes we choose to bitterly ask God why He couldn't have done the same thing this time.
But Psalm 29 teaches us something very different.
In Psalm 29 we find David praising God through what must have been a very violent storm. He says that the glory of God is seen in the storm. David even calls on the angels of heaven to praise God for His glory and strength. Then he calls on all humans to honor and worship God for the glory of His Name that can be heard in thunder, and seen in the raging of the sea. David says that if we take the time to look we can see God's power and majesty when lightning strikes the cedar trees and shatters it. Even in earthquakes, tornadoes and floods God's power, glory, strength and peace are revealed to us, and for that we should praise His Name.
It's hard for us to see God's power and glory in events such as these. We think of this as the chaos of sin's curse in action. God, speaking through David, tells us to be quiet and listen, be still and watch. My grandma used to tell me that you should be still and quiet during thunderstorms because God was at work. I used to think that was a weird statement to make, and probably some old folk tale, but really, isn't that what David is teaching us?
God's glory is also revealed in how His people react to these awesome displays of His power. His glory is revealed when believers do what they can to help others in these times of disaster. Despite the storms and floods, the Lord gives His people strength and He blesses them with His peace.
Psalm 29 (NLT)
Honor the LORD, you heavenly beings; honor the LORD for his glory and strength.
Honor the LORD for the glory of his name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The LORD thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon's mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD makes the barren wilderness quake; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
The LORD rules over the floodwaters. The LORD reigns as king forever.
The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.
- Ray Perdue, Men's Ministry Director
