Everyone has something they are afraid of. For some, spiders are a source of dread. Open spaces, closed spaces, the dark, snakes, and germs are all things that are completely benign to some but are terrifying for others. For the ancient world, the sea was a mysterious void with monsters and dark forces swirling about it. Seafaring people (like the Philistines) were seen as even more powerful. Fishermen were often considered crazy for their desire to throw nets into the monsters' lair. Jesus calming the sea was an unexpected victory for the disciples. "Who is this that even the waves obey him?"
Yet here we are in the psalms, and God is the one who reigns over the sea. Not only that, but the monsters and the scary stuff out there praise God. The idea that the seas would be an auditorium for God's praise is so important, the psalmist repeats it twice. If the seas praise God, and the earth is full of God's glory, indeed God reigns from everlasting to everlasting. There is nothing to truly be afraid of- fear is under the loving reign of God. Let God's perfect love drive out your fear today.
I am enjoying your comments, Andy, and I am thinking that fear, not hate, is the opposite of love.
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Where do we go when we are troubled or need to retreat? We go to the waters, there is something in that roar in the waves that stirs within us to commune w/all of this to find peace and be rid of the fear that sometimes tries to consume us. I love where I live I like I am minutes from that powerful, frighting yet peace giving Lake. Amen Hallelujah Amen
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