The Winds and Waves Obey Him

I watched a storm roll into my backyard this morning. Chaos ensued as the serene cluster of trees at the back edge of my property went from standing motionless to swaying and bending violently in every direction.

I’ve grown to love these trees over the years. It’s a privilege to live here and watch them grow. The tallest of the bunch—the sycamores—sprang up next to a creek that runs through narrow woods. The morning thunderclap was not this forest’s first rodeo. I’ve witnessed oaks, cedars, and sumac trees weather many storms. During one storm, the creek quickly rose several feet, completely immersing the entire forest floor with water! (My backyard was spared, praise God!)

The book of Psalms is full of reminders of how the Lord controls all the natural beauty in this world.

The entire earth—including every little nature sanctuary nearby that we can access—is a gift, and I’m grateful to live next to this slice of nature that the Lord made.

Heaven belongs to the Lord alone, but he gave the earth to us humans. (Psalm 115:16 )

As the designer of nature’s beauty, God is sovereign over the storms of life.

When a storm blows up our peaceful existence—we must ensure our roots are deeply embedded in God’s Word.

If you are in the midst of a storm, take heart! In the book of Psalms, we read how God controls nature and wants to deliver you from whatever scary disturbance you face.

His sovereignty over nature was fully displayed when He helped the Hebrews escape the clutches of slavery in Egypt.

The psalms illustrate God’s omnipotence over nature by reminding us of His incredible parting of the Red Sea.

When the people of Israel left Egypt, when Jacob's descendants left that foreign land, Judah became the Lord’s holy people, Israel became his own possession. The Red Sea looked and ran away; the Jordan River stopped flowing. The mountains skipped like goats; the hills jumped around like lambs. What happened, Sea, to make you run away? And you, O Jordan, why did you stop flowing? You mountains, why did you skip like goats? You hills, why did you jump around like lambs? Tremble, earth, at the Lord's coming, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who changes rocks into pools of water and solid cliffs into flowing springs. (Psalm 114)

Our Sovereign Lord can lead you out of harrowing situations by making the winds and waves obey Him!

The Red Sea is no small pond. It is not known exactly how long it took for the Israelites to walk across one side of that sea to the other.

If you are facing a crisis today—or feeling like you are sinking in quicksand, unable to reach your goals or escape whatever troubles are chasing you—be encouraged that the God who controls the elements of nature loves you and wants to help you find your “Promised Land.”

Jesus got into a boat, and his disciples went with him. Suddenly a fierce storm hit the lake, and the boat was in danger of sinking. But Jesus was asleep. The disciples went to him and woke him up. “Save us, Lord!” they said. “We are about to die!”

“Why are you so frightened?” Jesus answered. “What little faith you have!” Then he got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and there was a great calm.

Everyone was amazed. “What kind of man is this?” they said. “Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27)

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Scripture is quoted from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.