I sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in towards the sand, a never-ending mass of water rising and falling, over and over. As I watch, the waves build, climbing higher and higher before breaking in white foam as they charge in towards the beach. The sea water is turquoise green, and the whiteness accentuates the movement of the waves. They reach towards the golden sand, making it solid and flat, perfect for a long walk on bare feet.
Psalm 93 (NIV)
1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
As I walk along the beach the sun starts to set and colours in the sky begin to change. The sweeping clouds turn from white to pearl to silver to burnt orange to pink. The colours of the sunset are like those of a royal robe, shimmering and beautiful as it enrobes the beach around me.How much more majestic is the majesty of the Lord! He is King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16). The scale of his reign spans both space and time. He is above all the earth and rules over all the earth. He has been from all eternity and will be for all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
The waves continue their onslaught in. Rolling. Breaking. Crashing. Tumbling. Saltwater sprays through the air and foam falls down the waves. They roll in towards the shore and swirl around my ankles. The waves are mighty, their constant force propels them forward. I've never swum at this beach, the strength and power of the waves here are too much for me. I watch some surfers try to swim through them, but they can't move forward, the water pummels them back again and again. The roaring and crashing of the waves drowns out the other sounds around me.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty.
To be mighty is to be powerful and strong. The psalmist uses imagery of something we know and see to praise God. It helps us understand our mighty God and praise him. Going to a beach always reminds me of the power of God and how beautiful he created the world and the sea (Genesis 1:9-10). The vastness of the ocean, the power of the waves, the countless tiny grains of sand that come together so we can walk on them. The sun, the sky, the clouds and the sunsets. God's power is so much greater than the most powerful mass of water, greater than a raging river or a devastating flood or a fierce storm. During the exodus he parted the sea, turning it into dry land with a wall of water on each side (Exodus 14:21-22 and 29-30). He stopped the flow of the Jordan River as the priests carrying the ark of the covenant entered it, and he started it again as they left (Joshua 3:14 – 4:18). Jesus rebuked the wind and waves, calming the storm (Matthew 8:23-27), and when the disciple's boat was buffeted by waves, he walked on the water to reach them (Matthew 14:22-32).
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
Sometimes I need to be reminded of how big God is, how powerful, how strong and how mighty. That he reigns and he rules. The statues of the Lord stand firm, and so does this world he established. The beauty, strength, power and might of the sea help us remember that our God who made it is mightier still. The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
God bless,
Selina Fyfe.
