The first casualties of upheaval can be love, kindness, and patience. But crisis is also a moment when love for God & one another can spring up. For 150 days, starting on 17th March 2020, I will write 300 words based on one of the 150 psalms in the bible. How can I find and give love in the midst of coronavirus?
If you’ve been on a ship in a storm – you know how powerful the sea is, and how powerless we are. Our mast broke in high winds whilst sailing off the south coast of England – we felt at the mercy of the weather and tide. We still use the language of the stormy seas – and no-more so than in this pandemic. “There has been a surge in infections”, “Can we turn the tide of the epidemic?”.
In the world of the Bible (Ancient Near East) the sea was seen as uncontrollable, powerful and the place where evil spiritual forces live. No-one could control the stormy sea.
Hear the words of Psalm 29:
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. 11 The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
What shows that God is powerful? One thing – that His voice is more powerful than the “mighty waters” – because no-one can control the sea. Where does God sit? His throne is over the flood – He is King over the waters of a flood.
The world is experincing a flood, a storm that we cannot control. You may be experiencing floods that you can’t control. The world is working together to change the direction of this flood. You may be working to get control of your floods. But, and it’s a big but, there is one thing guaranteed to be more powerful – the voice of the Lord. This is what we need. This is what we need to listen to. Pray for the sound of God’s voice in our world, and in your life. The promise of this Psalm is that God gives strength to His people and blesses them with peace. We need this.
Have a blessed day. Love in Him, Matt