Day 3: The Lord Sits Enthroned Over The Flood

Devotional: Applying the Bible to my today.

Read: Psalm 29

By José Heredia

Since my wife and I had our daughter in August 2018, many people have come to visit us from different parts of the U.S. It also helps that we moved to San Francisco at that time! Most people come to see our daughter, very few to see my wife and me, but everyone wants to explore the city of San Francisco. Most people ask us for recommendations on restaurants, places and neighborhoods to explore, but there is one common thing everyone wants to see and that’s the Golden Gate Bridge.

When you stand next to it, it is one of the most impressive structures you will ever see. It is 1.7 miles long and about 750 feel tall and, to no one's surprise, it draws millions of tourists every year. Every time we take people to see the bridge for the first time, they are amazed. People will usually take a few pictures and after looking at it for a long while, they will be ready to move on to the next thing. Not far away from the bridge is a cliff that overlooks the ocean. So, we will usually take people there next. We’ll drive through some hills and windy roads, take a small hike and if you go there at the right time of the day, you will see the sun setting behind the Pacific Ocean. Although the bridge is impressive, the vastness of the ocean from the top of a cliff with the sun setting behind it, is simply breathtaking. This scene makes it impossible for a believer to not want to praise God for His power, His vastness, His strength and glory.

In Psalm 29, David found himself in the same shoes as I do when I see the sun setting over the West Coast. The only difference is that instead of seeing a peaceful sunset, David was standing before a devastating storm. Powerful thunder and lightning breaking down through the forest of majestic cedar trees, which are being brought down, were once towering over it. A truly frightening picture of nature. As he is watching this he says, “Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in holy array.” (v. 1,2) Through this extraordinary display in nature, David recognizes that God is sovereign, in control, and even more extraordinary. Through this storm, the call of David is to “Worship the Lord.”

I am not sure if David was going through trials while he was writing this, but his last statement is very timely for everyone who is uncertain about the current pandemic. He says, “The Lord sat as King of the flood; Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.”

Maybe right now we are not worried about a physical flood. But we can still relate to his fears and interpret this passage like this; “The Lord sat as King at the time of the pandemic”, “The Lord sat as King when we were worried and fearful,” or “The Lord sat as King at the times when we prayed for a miracle.” Whatever our storm might be, let us draw back to David’s call to worship the Lord through our circumstances, knowing that whatever has us amazed, fearful, worried and appalled is nothing compared to His power, strength and sovereignty. God is in control!

• What is one place or scene that helps you focus on and worship God?
• What are the things that you normally worry about?
• What is your response when you come across situations that are out of your control? Do you try to fix the problem? Do you simply worry about it? Do you worship God for the good and the bad and hand your worries over to Him?

Challenge: Find a place where you can be by yourself. A place where you can focus on God and worship Him for who He is.

Father, thank you for displaying just a little bit of your power, vastness and strength to us every single day. Help us to open our eyes to how you show Yourself to us. Even when we face storms in life, we worship You. “May the Lord give strength to His people! May the Lord bless His people with peace!” (Psalm 29:11 - ESV)

Josè Heredia is the Worship Minister of Bay City Church in San Francisco, CA. Find out more about Josè and Bay City Church at www.baycity.church.