Listen

You, divine beings! Give to the Lord— give to the Lord glory and power! Give to the Lord the glory due his name! Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor! The Lord’s voice is over the waters; the glorious God thunders; the Lord is over the mighty waters. The Lord’s voice is strong; the Lord’s voice is majestic.

Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace!

Psalm 29:1-4, 11

Think

I love the ocean. I grew up in Los Angeles, and the Pacific Ocean has been a great source of joy in my life. My children play in the surf just as I did when I was a child. When I feel the sand beneath my feet, smell the salt water, and hear the waves crash, something is calmed deep in my soul.

I rarely worry about the dangers of the ocean. I am so comfortable on the shore — I feel like I know the ocean, and it could never harm me. But I am wrong. Water is not tame. It’s very dangerous. The massive Pacific Ocean could swallow me up in a second if it wanted to.

The writer of this psalm is very aware of the power of water. But the writer is even more aware of the power of God, the one who created such magnificent bodies of water. The beauty and rhythm of the waves upon the shore and the mysteries of darkest unknown crevices of the deep sea are but a drop in the hands of the one who created us all.

Amy Bost Henegar

Pray

Gracious and eternal God, when times are tough, remind me that you are Lord over the mighty waters. I pray for your strength and for your peace in my life and in our world. Help me today. Through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Go

There’s a living stream, with a crystal gleam:
From the throne of life now it flows;
While the waters roll let the weary soul
Hear the call that forth freely goes.

Will you come to the fountain free?
Will you come? ’Tis for you and me;
Thirsty soul, hear the welcome call:
’Tis a fountain opened for all.

from “There’s a Fountain Free” by Mary B. Slade (1876)