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"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11).

We have seasons of storms according to the National Weather Service. We are entering tornado season followed by hurricane season. Then there is winter with snow and ice storms. Many of these storms are destructive and with television we see the results in prime time. Lives and property are lost and we marvel (if that is the right word) at the damage done in such a brief period. Interviews with people often reveal a number of things. "I’m thankful that we are alive but we have lost everything." "I don’t know what I’m going to do." "Why did this happen?" Or one who lost nothing in the midst of the destruction looking around and saying, "I don’t know why I was spared." Some refer to faith saying that they will trust God. Churches come in with food and clothes as do other organizations. A few might blame God for the losses. And of course there is always the one pointed question: "Where was God?"

Psalm 29 gives us a glimpse into a storm God produced. Let’s take a look at it. According to The Jewish Study Bible (JSB), this Psalm is "a hymn celebrating God’s awesome power over nature" (p. 1312). It begins with a gathering of heavenly beings who worship God. That same God is seen on earth in a powerful thunder and lightning storm that becomes more powerful as it moves from the Mediterranean over Lebanon and south into Judah. The thunder is described as "the voice of the Lord." There is thunder, majesty and power in His voice. So powerful, it "breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon" (vs. 5, NIV), causes land to skip, or better shake, and "convulses the wilderness" (vs. 8, JSB). The storm is so powerful that it "twists the oaks" (vs. 9, NIV) or causes deer to give birth (JSB, KJV) and "strips the forest bare." Such a storm would cause a shepherd in the field looking for cover to ask either where God was or what He was doing.

We have all been in some strong storms. A few years ago we watch Houston flood when it rained on and off for a week and in a brief period of time during that week some thirty plus inches fell. And again, when an earthquake, a tornado or hurricane hit, television brings us pictures of its destructiveness. How would we respond to a storm like that of Psalm 29? How do we respond to the storms we remember? David gives us an answer. "The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever" (vs. 10). No flood is mentioned before this in the text. The flood here would be that of Noah’s day. David recognizes that God ruled over that flood and He rules over the storm he just described. And we should recognize that He rules over the storms of our life, both in nature and in our lives.

Jim McGuiggan states it well:

"And if the flood was an expression of his sovereignty, if he was enthroned at the flood does

that not put wars and natural disasters into perspective? If Noah’s flood was the work of

God reigning in and through it all should we then be unhinged if nations clash and areas of

the world are in an uproar like waves that crash against each other (see Isaiah 17:12-13)?

If he was reigning then he’s reigning now! And since he orchestrated the flood to redeem

the world and give us another chance should we not live in assurance during anxious times?"

(The God Who Commands ‘the Impossible’, p. 123).

Storms come into our lives, more than we really care to live through. We have all heard of the term "tornado alley," a portion of the country where tornadoes are most active. Many live in dread when storm clouds gather. I remember the first earth termor I felt when I was stationed in Japan. The barracks began to shake. Then I heard a door slam, the yell "earthquake!", and another door slam. Why? That person had been through a really bad earthquake a couple of years before and just the shaking struck fear. But there are other storms in our lives. They come in family crises, work related stress and anxieties, pressures at school, and many different relationship struggles. "Why is this happening?" is an often asked question. How can we survive and how should we view the storm or storms we face?

That brings us back to David as he looks at the storm he wrote about. "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace" (vs. 11). In the midst of struggle, in the midst of storms and suffering and pain, God gives us strength and blesses us with peace. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). I don’t have answers to the "why" questions. I can give you examples from scripture of various storms and the reasons for them. But not for all storms. We can simply say, as many do, that it is just the way nature works. Many will not look at it like David does; that it was God’s storm. The question then is why not see God in the storm, any storm, natural or personal? Will we only see the negative, death and destruction, and fear an accusation against God like "it is all His fault?" Or do we lack faith as Jesus said in a storm or two when He said to His disciples; "O you of little faith." When everything is falling down around us, can we still find strength and peace in Christ? Isn’t there something about seeking first His kingdom and casting all our cares on Him? It is easy to praise God when things are going "our way" but when the storms come, what then?

God is sovereign, Ruler of the universe. And He is our loving Father who seeks our best, not what we want to be best like everything going my way all the time, but what we really need for our relationship with Him. When the storms of life come, maybe there is something we need to see, something to learn, something to reconsider or repent of, someone else to focus on. David had that focus and we need to consider his example, don’t you think?

George B. Mearns