He Stills the Roaring of the Seas

“...who stills the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

the tumult of the peoples...” (Psalm 65:7)

The roaring, restless sea is a Biblical image of the wickedness of man and the unrest this causes in the world. The world is compared to the waves of the sea. The world seems to constantly be in trouble and in turmoil, always hovering on the very edge of chaos and even destruction! The nations of the world fight and struggle against each other. In spite of all of the efforts of diplomacy and treaties, the world has never been without at least the threat of war. In the last century the world was plunged into war on a global scale, not just once, but twice! Soon after the Second World War ended, the world entered that fearful period called the Cold War which included the threat of nuclear war. There is no world war today, but there are constant conflict and uprising in various pockets around the globe. But war is just the eruption on a large scale of what is constantly bubbling beneath the surface of the world. The world is a place of conflict and competition between people who struggle against one another. People want power, wealth, comfort, and as there are usually not enough of these things for everyone to share, or so they fear to be the case, they fight with one another to get as much as they can! This is the human condition, which the Bible calls sin, and pictures as a restless, troubled sea.

Living in the world is like sailing on the sea with its unpredictable storms and fearful waves. There are times of peace and calm in life, but these times seldom last very long and then another storm comes along! Not all of these troubles are caused by man. We live in a world that is subject to corruption and death. Sometimes the storms and trouble of life come in the form of sickness or disease. We might be fine today, but health can be taken from us very quickly and without prior warning, coming up just like a squall on the sea. Most of us know that this is true, but we choose not to think about much. If we are sailing in calm waters, we tend to think that they will always be calm and that nothing will change. We might see things happening to other people around us, but we expect smooth sailing for ourselves. When the storms do hit, we are often unprepared. Recently weather patterns all over the world have become more unpredictable. There are places that have experienced storms that have never been seen in that particular region of the world. The Creation itself sometimes seems to be unstable and unpredictable.

Believers should never expect their time in the world to be entirely peaceful and calm. Everyone in the world is searching for that perfect, peaceful life away from trouble and pain. Some people expect religion to provide them with a way to avoid trouble and escape adversity. Does God not care for His children and protect them from danger and from harm? In an ultimate sense, God does deliver His people. But it is foolish to think that we will never pass through some kind of storm while in the world. Believers are not immune to trouble. The doctrine of Health & Wealth, promising a perfect life to those who have enough faith, is really just an idol that will break the hearts of its worshipers. In this world we will have trouble because this world is not yet redeemed. The world is raging against the living God in its sin and rebellion. The hatred of the world for God and His Christ also is expressed toward the people of God. A soldier who is going to war, and about to enter enemy-held territory would not be expecting an easy time! The world is still, in a sense, held by the Enemy. Jesus has overcome the world, but the final victory has been delayed for a time.

The comfort that we have is that the Lord is with us in the storms of life in the world. This is perfectly illustrated for us when the disciples, along with Jesus, got into a boat to sail across the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is known for its unpredictable weather. And so we read that

"there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:24-27)

Many of God’s people have felt exactly like the disciples! The storms of life seem to be overcoming us, and yet the Lord seems to be sleeping and unaware, or even unconcerned, about our peril. The problem with the disciples, and with us during these times, is our lack of faith. The disciples were with Jesus and they should have known that a boat carrying the Lord, even if he was asleep, would not sink! Jesus can calm the storm. But Jesus may not always do so. But He will always be in the boat with us during the storm.

There will be a time when there will be no more sea (Rev. 21.1) and we will be at rest forever. Eventually the Lord will judge this world and bring the tumult of the nations to an end. Jesus is reigning over the nations now, even as they rage against God and His authority, creating all of the unrest that we see in our world today (See Psalm 2). Actually, the nations have always been roaring and raging like a troubled sea, and God has always been seated on His Throne in heaven. Nothing is out of control. From our vantage-point things often look dark, dangerous, and troubled. But we need a higher perspective. If we look up toward heaven, we see a different picture. When John the Apostle looked into heaven he saw a Throne (Rev. 4-5). Christ is there now, seated with God on His Throne, ruling over the nations of the world. John also saw around this Throne something like a sea of glass, which is a picture of a perfectly calm sea. Things are stormy on earth, but not in heaven! And all the Lord has to do is speak a word and the seas that are raging will become a sea of glass.