ocean

We tend to think of this world as something God wound up and set in order but that He does not involve Himself directly in everything that happens. Often we say this to “protect” God from being accused of being evil or unjust when a natural disaster strikes. That wasn’t God – that was just the earth being the earth. You will not find this language in the Bible and would be hard pressed even to tease out that kind of implication from Scripture. God is not afraid to claim direct involvement in the routine things of this earth.

Isaiah 51: “I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that it’s waves roar – the Lord of hosts is his name.

This is one of thousands of places where to the casual observer it appears ordinary, but God declares he is doing it. And he declares that in this text to remind his people that he is powerful. So if we take away God’s sovereignty and control over all things – even the “natural” we lose a source of comfort that God intends us to have.

Here are the verses leading up to the one above.

“I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy?”

Amazing – Knowledge of God’s control of the waves of the sea is meant to strengthen and comfort his people when they are being persecuted and slain by the wrath of the oppressor.

God is not passive or hands off in your suffering – He is sovereign over it all – Trust Him in your darkness and He will be your glorious light!

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