Lessons in Psalms
The words of the psalmist are so remarkable, for they allow us to see the heart of David. One can write historical narratives or present intellectual reasons for some aspect of truth without his soul being involved. However, the very nature of writing psalms and other songs demands that the author opened his heart and the words and music come from the depths of his soul.
The oceans are mighty and they are His.
Remember that David’s heart was like God’s heart. In the psalms, David removes all pretense, and we are able to see his heart by looking at his words. Now, take this a step further and it becomes apparent that if the words of David become our words, then our heart can also be like God’s heart.
Even the short phrases in the psalms are filled with meaning which can change our heart. Look at this short phrase from Psalm 95:5. “The sea is His, for He made it.” It takes just seconds to read these eight words, but they can become a source of spiritual strength if we take time to meditate on them.
The sea is His. The next time you stand on the beach, look at all that is around you. There is the grandeur of the beauty of His creation, for it shows the handiwork of God (Psa. 19:2). There is the evidence of the Almighty, for every man is helpless before its mighty waves and is driven to his knees when tropical storms devastate the earth. There is His compassion and concern for all of His creation, as the psalmist said, “This great and wide sea, in which are innumerable teeming things, living things both small and great…These all wait for You that You may give them their food in due season…You open your hand, they are filled with good” (Psa. 104:25-28). So much of the nature of God is seen in the sea. It is His, for He made it and gave it to us!
“The sea is His, for He made it.” As you literally stand by the sea or stand there right now in your imagination, think about what these words mean to us. He owns the sea for He made it. What about us? Did He not also make us? Because He did (evolution just cannot happen), we belong to Him.
Paul showed that He did not just purchase our souls, He purchased our bodies! He then said, “Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). He made us and gave us dominion over all of His creation. He made us, and we are His! All that He asks is that we return the honor that is due him for all that He has done. In John’s vision, He saw “…every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and such as are in the sea” praising God (Rev. 5:13). If you are not praising Him, you stand alone among all His creation. He made you and ____ ___ ___ (fill in the blanks).