Pause

Water is powerful – a necessity for life and also a threat to life when it surges out of control.

There is One who is always in the midst of the waters, bringing life every day and sustaining life when it is threatened. This same Spirit is with you now.

Feel and know the Spirit's presence.

Listen

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, β€œGlory!” The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Psalm 29:7-11

Think

A year or so ago, a powerful windstorm ripped through the city where I live. I sat the entire night huddled in the safest corner of my apartment, listening to shingles fall and waiting for the winds to calm enough for sleep. Trees that were hundreds of years old were uprooted in the storm. The image in this psalm reminds me of that storm β€” and yet the message isn’t that God is destructive. The message is that God is greater than even those things that are powerful enough to cause destruction and can work through even such fearful events.

When our strongest trees fall, when the fires of life burn, or when flood waters rise, we can have peace, knowing that God is still on the throne β€” still in control β€” and stronger than any of these things. God gives us strength, too.

What are the things that trouble you? Will you worship the God who is in control even when things are out of control? The God who wants to give you peace and strength?

Laura Rector

Pray

Lord, thank you that you are in control even when the world seems out of control. Be with me when the fires burn and the floods rise, giving me your peace and strength. Amen.

Go

Beside the healing stream,
Drink in the Spirit's power.
In the midst of the whelming flood,
Know the Spirit's care.

Let the Spirit carry you
As the river carries a vessel
To its destination,
To its home.