April 28: Waves Obey His Voice

by: Dr. Alicia Valasse-Polius

Odsan SDA Church; St. Lucia 

Key Text: “...the God of glory thundereth...the voice of the Lord is powerful...” Psalm 29: 3-4

I’ve learnt the sight, sounds and feel of the ocean, having lived near it for decades. In storms, waves thunder and unruly surf slams sandbars, seemingly obeying no one. In the calm, swashes rush up the shore, wind waves swamp campsites and ripples move idly, seemingly obeying no one.

Across polytheistic religions, man worshipped gods that presumably ruled over the elements of nature. Renowned in the Canaanite and Phoenician cultures, was Baal [Hadad], the storm and fertility god - a frequent adversary of the God of Israel (1 Kings 18; 1 Kings 16:30 – 33). In this context of brazen apostasy, David pens the “Psalm of the Storm”, a hymn of praise affirming God as one who commands nature’s inexorable power - Psalm 29.

The apostate world presented Baal [Hadad] as lord over nature’s elements, the giver of rain, necessary for food and life. Hailed as the “rider on the clouds”, the lightning bolt-carrying god would incite human sacrifice and self-injury. But David presents an illustration of divine power

as a force called ‘The Voice of the Lord”. This majestic, omnipotent force is ‘upon the waters”. It breaks ‘the cedars of Lebanon”, noted for its

durability (Psalm 29: 5). “The Voice of the Lord” divides the ‘flames of fire”, shakes ‘the wilderness of Kadesh”, strips the woodlands and causes the deer to bring forth young (Psalm 29: 6-9). Contrastingly, an epic confrontation among Elijah and the prophets of Baal would reveal Baal as a “defunct” god, who does nothing, moves nothing, can birth nothing and shakes nothing:

“…there was neither voice, nor any to answer...” (1Kings 18: 29) Across scripture ‘the Voice of the Lord” is prominent as a power that dominates, a power that wills everything into submission. The Gospels tell of an excursion on a lake where the disciples encounter a “storm of wind” that threatened their lives (Luke 8: 22-25; Mark 4: 35-41; Matthew 8: 23- 27). A sleeping saviour is awakened and ‘rebukes” the wind and the anger of the waters. He invites calm and questions their faith. Standing in awe of this power, the disciples exclaim:

“What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and

water, and they obey him.”

Nature’s elements acknowledge every directive from ‘the Voice of the Lord”. Waves, water and every type of wind proclaim his majesty with their obedience. They understand that this is the Voice who willed the light out of darkness and brought Lazarus back to life (Genesis 1; John 11). They know that this is the Voice that dominates every element.

I imagine reader that you may be facing some elements that are

beyond mere human capabilities at this time. Rogue Waves. Some of you may have encountered the Depression Rogue Wave. Some are battling the Financial Rogue Wave, the Persecution Rogue Wave, the Cancer Rogue Wave, the I’ve-had-enough Rogue Wave. Every thought is of surrender to this foreign element. Lest you forget reader, ‘the God of glory thundereth, the Lord is powerful” and rules over every element (Psalm 29). He can will something out of nothing - he commands and everything obeys (Psalm 33:9). He upholds the universe by the power of his Word (Hebrews 1:3).

Nothing is too hard for him (Jeremiah 32:17). His Voice remedies chemical imbalances, tames unruly cells, fortifies a weakened spiritual backbone and balances budgets. His Voice carries the Christian through the Deserts of Persecution and Marginalisation. He wills forgiveness in unimaginable pain. “No purpose of his can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

So reader… ”what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him”? He is the ‘only sovereign” (1Timothy 6:15). He is creator of the Universe, sustainer (Genesis 1: 1; Colossians 1: 16-17; Isaiah 40:28). So, you “who are weary and heavy-laden”, prostrate yourself at his feet, for He is God. “All those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”, prostrate yourself at his feet, for He is God (Matthew 5:6; John 7:37). All those who are oppressed, dismayed, weakened by circumstances and chained by internal battles, prostrate yourself at his feet… for He is God.

He is God alone. Worship Him.