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The Lord on High is mightier –
It begins with an acknowledgement of the majestic sovereignty of the Lord Almighty; and it ends by acknowledging the faithfulness of God. But in the middle of it all, it is not all quietness and peace! This is how the ninety third psalm plays out, teaching you and I valuable lessons, on how to grapple with the storms of life that erupt so suddenly – The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters; than the mighty waves of the sea. [Psalms 93:3,4]
Voice of the flood and noise of the waters:
It is not the report of the weatherman that is described here! Rather, it is the uproar of nations which can be seen even now; the civil wars that rage in many countries, and even within families!
The noise of many waters is also the pressure of circumstances, and the arrogant antagonism of people. It is the unjust domination of the one who is in power and authority, over the weak and the vulnerable, who have no other recourse but to submit.
It is the voice of terror and violence, both sides of it – of the oppressor, and the one who is being oppressed. But even in the midst of noisy confusion and chaos, you can have the hope that you will overcome it all. It is by fixing your eyes on the God who is mightier; on who He is.
God’s sovereignty and God’s faithfulness –
God is always in control of all that is happening in and around you, however noisy and chaotic it may seem to be. And when you feel that things have gone beyond your control, you need not be dismayed and give up on it, for it is now in God’s control. You are safer and stronger, for what you do not know, He knows; and what you cannot do, He can do. He is the God who causes all things to work together for good, in the lives of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. [Romans 8:28]
And the moment you start trusting and believing in God’s sovereign control, you will start controlling people less and less. It will see your relationships improve, for trying to control people will only lead to rebellion.
God is always on the throne:
It was when King Uzziah died, when the earthly throne seemed empty, with none to exercise authority over the land, that the prophet Isaiah had a glorious vision. He saw the Lord, high and lifted up, seated on His throne, with His train filling the temple of God. He is always on the throne.
Therefore, your focus, even as Isaiah’s was, needs to be on the Lord God.
For His testimonies are fully confirmed. [Psalms 93:9]
Even in the midst of turbulence and chaos, His promises to you remain unchanged. They are fully confirmed. It is the assurance that you have. And it is in the truth of His word that you need to focus your whole attention, rather than on the relentless pounding of the waves that come against you.
Wave after wave –
Sometimes this can happen in any person’s life – the problems can come crashing upon you one after another, wave after wave, with no relief in sight. The word ‘circumstance’ has aptly been described as your ‘stance’ in the middle of the problems that form a circle around you!
Dealing with the waves –
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and the waters be carried into the middle of the sea. Though it’s waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling. [Psalms 46:1-3]
The writer of this psalm had seen it all – been through the roaring waters, and the mountains that were shaken. And he declares the beginning of the solution, when he says ‘but, we will not fear’. You and I though, the truth be told, do experience fear at times. Bad memories, wicked people, fear of the future, are but a few of the reasons that can make us fearful and anxious. It is the sobering fact of life, and the Bible is never in denial mode.
But when the Lord says to you, ‘Do not fear’, He not only understands your fear, but also gives you the strength to overcome it. So, even when fear comes, you do not have to be under it. For, you will always be above and not below is His promise of blessing to you. And you will overcome, for greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world.And basically, in order to deal with fear, worry and anxious care, you need to learn to deal with your emotions. When you have the right insight into it, you will not be overcome by fear and other troubling emotions.
The Lord’s word in the contrary wind –
But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. [Matthew 14:24]
The disciples were struggling in the middle of the sea, for the wind was ‘contrary’; it was against them, blowing in the wrong direction. Contradictions can happen in life too, when things happen in your life, against all your expectations. It can make you fearful, even as the disciples were. But it was then that they experienced a glorious miracle, as the Lord intervened to save them.
For the Lord on seeing their struggle came walking on the stormy waters toward them. And He is not the Savior who will pass you by. The disciples thinking that He was a ghost, cried out in fear. And Jesus addressed their fear- But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer; it is I, do not be afraid”. [Matthew 14:27]
His words seem simplistic, but they are not. For His spoken word is also His empowering. Even as you read His word, the Lord will speak to you, in revelation through His Spirit. You will hear something very significant from Him that directly addresses your problem, the contrary wind that is blowing in your life.
And in order to rise above the waves that threaten to drown you, it is primarily fear that needs to be dealt with rightly and overcome. It is a lesson most valuable that Jesus taught the disciples that day, through the exuberant act of Peter; a lesson equally valid for you and I today.
‘It is I – come’ :
And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water’. So He said, ‘Come’. And when Peter had come out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. [Matthew 14:28,29] Peter heard the Lord’s word, calling him and then stepped out to walk on the water. For, if the Lord’s word bids you not to come, you will stand in your place to see the salvation of the Lord.
Faith is never a leap in the dark. It is with enlightened understanding hearing the voice of God through His word, to act upon it. Faith is never presumption.
Not the waves, but fear –
The troubled waves were there even when he began walking. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink he cried out saying, ‘Lord, save me’. [vs 30] Peter was no stranger to the sea, the wind and the waves, for fishing had been his vocation for many years. But now, when he saw the waves he became afraid. And it was the fear that was making him sink in the waters, not the waves. When you are going through a problem, if you become filled with fear, the fear itself will make you sink, go under, not your circumstance.
But, the Lord was there –
The Lord who called out to Peter was still there in front of him, as he became afraid, and started to sink. In the midst of your seemingly insurmountable problem that is making you afraid, the Lord is still there, speaking His word to you. And He is higher and mightier than the highest wave – there is no problem that is too difficult for Him. It is in your hand to make the choice though – to fix your eyes on the Lord who is exalted as King over all. The hungry eye will see far! Yes, the problem cannot be denied. You cannot close your eyes to it. But your focus needs to be on the problem solver.
Fixing your eyes on the Lord –
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O ye of little faith; why did you doubt?’ [vs 31] The Lord immediately drew Peter out of the waters, and then pointed out what made him sink. He will draw you out of your problem first, and then teach you. He is a loving Savior!
Doubt and little faith –
Peter began well; he was walking on the waters with his eyes fixed on the Lord. But his faith began to be weakened by doubt. Doubt is being double – minded, which is the work of the devil and it always destabilizes you. But God is always there with you, and His word to you, in your problem, always establishes you. ‘One thing I do…’, is the prayer of the psalmist. In the midst of your problem it is keeping your eyes fixed on the Lord and His word that will strengthen you, giving you revelation knowledge. You will receive insight that will be your foresight for the future.
The God who provides, will also protect you –
The disciples had not received insight from what had happened earlier. The gospel writer Mark, in describing the same incident, mentions it – For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. [Mark 6:52] It was why they were astonished to see the wind and the waves obeying Jesus. But the Lord in pointing out that their faith was little, makes the connection with the earlier miracle, and teaches them the truth that – the God who miraculously provides will also miraculously protect.
It is the invaluable insight that comes to you today, in whatever your need may be. God meets all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. The God who is in full control in the land, to feed the five thousand supernaturally, is also in full control in the water. If God can meet any need, He will surely meet every need in your life. God has not given you a spirit of fear. He has given you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. So you can deal with fear rightly, to prevent it from gaining any ground in your life.
Fear can now be overcome –
a) Fear can come in you when you are physically or mentally weak; but God’s power, His understanding and strength is available to you, for you to remain strong and give no room to fear.
b) When you feel insecure, fear can try and gain ground in you; but it can be cast aside in the knowledge of God’s love for you; that nothing can ever separate you from His love for you.
c) A confused mind is always a sign that the devil is at work, and fear is lurking behind somewhere. But God has given you a spirit of power, love and sound mind. A calm, collected and disciplined mind is now yours. Therefore, you may not be able to control the random, wrong thoughts that pass through your mind, but you can prevent them from staying, lingering on to influence you wrongly.
It is how you overcome the waves that rise up against you in life. You cannot close your eyes to the problem. And fear comes by what you see with your natural eyes. But it is overcome by the faith that comes in you as the eyes of your heart are enlightened. You will then see and receive His promises to you in His word.
And you will keep your eyes open in the midst of your problem, instead of closing them in fear, knowing that God will surely come through. You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. For – A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes you will look and see the reward of the wicked. [Psalms 91:7,8]
The waves will not overcome you. Your eyes will be open, only to see the Savior in the midst of your problem.
Paul’s voyage in the Storm –
Paul faced many challenges in his missionary journeys, as he obeyed the call of God upon his life. And he encountered the waves of the stormy sea in his voyage to Rome. There were 276 persons in the ship who faced the same dangerous situation that progressively became worse, to reach a point where no one had any hope of survival. [Acts 27:13-20] They were not in control of the ship in the middle of the stormy sea, and were driven along in whatever direction the wind blew. [vs 21] This can be the quality of the lives of some people too, as they are just carried along, unable or not allowed to make any decisions for themselves. And after many days in the ship, with no sign of the sun or land, everyone in the ship had given up all hope of being saved.
The breakthrough in the bleakness –
In the absence of all hope, Paul stood up to declare hope. ‘Take courage’ he said to the others with him, though the situation was still bleak and appeared hopeless. And it was the word that signaled the beginning of their deliverance from the mighty waves, by the God who is mightier. It was the word that came to him as a seed from God. God always begins with a seed; and the seed has the potential to bear innumerable fruits in it; the potential within it to increase and multiply. It was not just Paul, but all those in the ship were going to saved together with him.
‘God has granted you all those with you’
There stood by me the Angel of the Lord –
Saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul, you must be brought before Caesar, and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you’. [Acts 27:24]
The opening words of the Angel of the Lord indicate quite clearly that Paul must have been afraid. Yes, fear comes to all, but the grace to overcome it too is available to all. Paul became a channel of God’s blessing in the ship, as God granted the safe passage of all those who sailed with him too. ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your household will be saved’, is the promise of God. And God wants you to be the ‘one’, whose faith sees your entire household saved.
Peter and Paul – the contrast :
The difference in their reactions shows the power of the infilling of the Spirit, that is available even to you, after the day of Pentecost. Peter saw Jesus in front of him physically, but still started to sink in the waves. Paul did not see Jesus physically, only heard His word through the Angel of God, but stood firm in faith and understanding, even though the storm was still raging. And he kept encouraging the others who were with him, with his positive confession.
By your confession of God’s promise to you, you are not compelling Him to give; rather, you are building up your confidence to receive from Him. You are confirming your inheritance, for all that you ever need in life has already been done on Calvary. Stand in your circumstance, therefore, through the Body and Blood of the Lord- His Body that was broken, so that your problems may be broken. And by His Blood all your sins are cleansed, that you may overcome the devil by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. You shall overcome.
Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. [Deuteronomy 8:3]
Giving thanks –
And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food … I urge you all to take food; this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you. And when he had said these things, he broke bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. [Acts 27:33-36] Paul gave thanks unto the Lord, proclaiming to their stormy situation, that they had already started receiving deliverance from the Lord. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land. [verse 44]
And God wants you to be the ‘one’ man to stand in the stormy weather, and declare the glory of God.
Guided to their desired haven –
Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. [Psalms 107:28]
It is what the people did, and what God did in response. He will never let you sink in the waves. He will do much more. He calms the storm, so that it’s waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven. [vs 30] He will do the same in your life too. Start thanking Him even now, for your problem that is broken. He will surely come through. Stand in your circumstance, for He is changing it. He is mighty and exalted in your situation, however noisy the waters may seem to you. The Lord on High is mightier. And the Lord who can meet any need, will meet every need in your life.
May your eyes be enlightened by His Spirit, mind renewed by His word, that you may experience a life which is transformed, all for His glory. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
