1 The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!
5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore. (NRSV)
We discussed this psalm before the tragic earthquake in Asia showed how the earth could be moved and how floods could roar. I hope these reflections still have some value.

God is more powerful than any anything or anyone we are impressed with on earth. Whatever we think is powerful or unyielding on earth is nothing compared with God. Water is majestic in beauty and destructive power, but God is even more powerful. We may depend on the earth to be solid beneath our feet but God is where we find true steadfastness.

Natural disasters remind us how powerless humans are in geological forces and time. Why doesn’t God intervene to prevent these disasters if God is more powerful? We struggled with this age-old question without a definitive answer.

We were reminded not to forget the big picture. We may have trouble relating to this transcendent powerful God. The image of God as king was troubling, and even insulting to God because kings often act cruelly and selfishly. Though relating to God in a personal way is helpful, it can be easy to forget that God’s ways are not our ways. We must be humble in the knowledge of God’s power or we fool ourselves.

What is the nature of this power? When we see so many natural and human-made forces that seem powerful or unchangeable, we may despair but this psalm reminds us there is something beyond those forces. One of us mentioned a man who had been hit by a lightning bolt, one of the most destructive forces in nature. Millions of volts of electricity ripped through his body to members of family, tearing his clothes to shreds, paralyzing him for hours, leaving cauterized claw marks on his body. Yet the first thing he did when he regained consciousness on the ground, was fight to turn his head to see if his daughters were all right. In the midst of this powerful destructive force, love still ruled.

We had an interesting discussion about what decrees of God are sure and established. These decrees would have to transcend culture. There is evidence that killing and violence cause extreme psychological distress for the perpetrators, indicating that a decree against killing transcends culture and time. But we also have to be careful not to impose our notions of morality on other people and cultures as “God’s laws.” On the other hand, when we consider something cruel, a natural disaster or act of a human being, where does that spring from, if not from the Light Within, God’s perspective on the world?