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This psalm is a doxology, meant to evoke praise. The worship
leader calls to the heavenly beings and to those in the temple and requires
them to say “glory.” This psalm is envisioned as a cheering moment
in a kind of cosmic contest to see which god is going to be glorified.1
The metaphor used to display the glory of God is a mighty thunderstorm,
which was believed in the surrounding religious culture to be controlled by
the pagan deity, Baal. The advantage to this kind of religious system was,
if worshippers of Baal can get the right incantation and say the right thing
and do the right dance, they can control Baal. Which also meant that they
could subsequently control the storm.2 Not so with Yahweh. His voice is depicted
as in the storm and He rides on it, but we are never given control of it through
Him.
There is evidence that this psalm was written in order to re-assign
or “ascribe” credit for the work of the storm to God. Throughout
the entire psalm it is the voice of God that is experienced in the storm.
The very last verse of the psalm is a call for the God who can achieve so
much to give strength to His people and to bless them with peace. The previous
10 verses seem to suggest this will happen through his voice.3
The beginning of the psalm seems to sound like thunder calling
all heaven to say “Glory!” and those in worship to say, “Glory!”
The psalm seems to come to a close like a summer storm with calming rhythm
of sprinkles as it says, “May the Lord bless his people with peace.”
There is a story in the New Testament that follows a similar
movement. It begins in thunder and danger; it ends in peace and awe. In Mark
4:34-41, Jesus manifests the ultimate peace in the storm. The same motion
of the boat and sound of the storm that are frightening to the disciples have
put the Savior completely to sleep. When they cannot stand it any more, they
wake Him and ask, “Don’t you care if we die?” At that moment,
Jesus speaks, above the storm, with the voice of God and says, “Peace,
be still.” The wind and the waves obey that voice. The thunderstruck
disciples are filled with awe.
The need is twofold. The need that the psalmist addresses early
is for God to receive credit for His power displayed in the storm. The last
verse is the need for strength and peace for people in the storm. Growing
up and now living in “tornado alley,” I have more than once been
confronted with the “credit” issue. It’s not just oaks that
whirl. It is often the rafters of people’s homes. Just this past winter,
several homes in a suburban subdivision, as well as thousands of acres of
rural farmland were burned. The cause? Grass fires sparked by lighting.
Storms are uncontrollable events that we merely have to ride
out. They can’t be tamed or turned or controlled in any way. Storms
can be meteorological, relational, occupational, physical and psychological
in nature. Through the means of meteorology, psychology, medical and social
science, we know more about storms than we ever have, but we still find ourselves
powerless to prevent them. They are unavoidable and uncontrollable. Despite
all of our scientific breakthroughs, insurance companies still call damage
due to such natural phenomenon an “act of God.”
As a pastor, I often wonder if I need to answer for God when
houses are blown away or burned down by a fire started by lightening. Does
God want us to ascribe to Him credit for every lick of damage that those natural
storms produce? This psalm seems to call our people to hear God’s voice
and see God’s power in such natural uncontrollable phenomenon. Why would
the writer ask us to hear the voice of God in the storm, and why would God,
through inspired scripture, want credit for speaking in the storm?
Could it be that God wants us to hear His voice in the storm
because we all have them? No matter who we are, where we come from, or what
our background there are situations that will be out of our control. From
literal storms, like the one that rocked the Gulf of Mexico, to sickness,
every living person has or will pass through situations out of their control.
“Into every life, a little rain must fall” and into every life,
God wants to speak.
He does that by being with us in the storms as Jesus was with
the disciples. Anyone who lives in an area prone to thunderstorms will tell
you, once you get over the initial shock, the boom and the thunder and the
lightening can actually help you sleep. It is almost as though the voice of
the storm sings a lullaby of peace.
When things get out of control, and the wind blows, and thunder
cracks, and the lightning strikes, we resist the temptation to blame God for
our uncontrollable situations. We also resist the temptation to try and control
the storms ourselves. We tune our ears to hear the voice of God in the storm.
We ask Him to speak (or sing) strength and peace, and when He does, we stand
in awe, worship, and we give Him credit for our peace and strength.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons”.)
Through the imagery of the storm, this sermon explores the uncontrollable
events of life. It works with the concept of Baal worship mentioned above
and parallels much of what pop Christian culture leads us toward in turbulent
times. It addresses our efforts or desires to control the storm, and our tendency
to blame God when the storm comes our way. It contrasts the response of the
disciples (awe), with a desire to know how to say or do the right things to
make the storm go away. It offers us the comforting voice of God, and thereby
His presence in the midst of the storm, and calls us to give Him credit for
the confidence we find there.
1. Walter Brueggemann, Theology of the Old Testament, (Minneapolis:
Fortress, 1997), 284-286.
2. Joseph Dongell, notes from Biblical Interpretation
for Life and Ministry. (Asbury Theological Seminary, January 2006).
3. James Luther Mays, Psalms: Interpretation (Louisville: John Knox, 1994), 135-139.