Call to Worship

Psalm 29

“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength” (Psalm 29:1). The opening words of Psalm 29—one of our evening readings for today––are a call to worship pronounced within the realms of heaven, an invitation to praise and glorify the name of the living God. But it may seem odd that right after this call to worship we read of a storm moving off of the Mediterranean Sea and crashing violently inland, a storm that breaks cedars and oaks, shakes the wilderness and strips the forest bare. It flashes with lightening like fire, and makes the mountains and hills skip like calves. It is a terrible display of the force of nature.

But does this storm, as terrible and awesome as it is, deserve a call to worship? Isn’t that a little like playing a prelude before an earthquake, taking up an offering during a tornado, or pronouncing a benediction after a hurricane? How is this at all appropriate? One answer comes when we reflect on God’s presence in all the circumstances of life, the ordinary and simple as well as the mighty and terrible. God is not confined to buildings made for prayer; God is both transcendent and imminent, both above creation and at work within it and we should be willing to worship and to praise God when and where we encounter the divine presence. We should be in a constant posture of worship and praise for the Creator because at all times God is our hope, our refuge. When our lives becomes difficult God remains steadfast.

So a call to worship before a storm, a call to praise God in the midst of crisis and chaos, glorying God in joy as well as grief, are all appropriate because all of life belongs to God.

Prayer: Lord God, we praise you in the quiet moments of life when things are good, but also in the moments of distress when we are rocked by storms. Hear our prayers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

When the Storms Come Crashing In

Psalm 57

The summer after my freshman year in college was event, in part because of the hurricane that came crashing toward our home in south Texas. We lived about 60 or 75 miles inland, which is no considerable distance when you consider the fearsome power of a hurricane, and we watched and we waited to see what the storm would do, how it would affect us. I’ll never forget the sense of loneliness we experienced as the television station we were watching got knocked off the air, leaving us with no eyes to the outside world, leaving us to listen to the howling sounds of wind and rain in relative isolation. The storm eventually passed leaving us with no serious damage, but obviously it is something I still remember vividly.

Based on his words, the psalmist must have had a similar experience. “In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by” (Psalm 57:1b). Of course the storms that the psalmist refers to may not have been weather related. Life presents us with all sorts of storms: home and family can be disturbed by stormy relationships, our jobs sometimes are beset with clouds that can obscure our paths, the sudden rumbling of tragedy can interfere with our day to day lives, and illness or disease can crash on us like bolts of lightening.

The psalmist found comfort in the shadow of God’s wings, and waited attentively for God to respond, because as the psalmist knew there is no storm, literal or figurative, that falls outside the divine power to comfort or protect. Wherever the storms rage, God is there. Whenever we fell overcome or helpless, God is there as well. Events may not turn out the way we would wish, but we know beyond a doubt that God will be gracious and God’s purpose will be accomplished. That is why the psalmist can also say, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth” (v. 11).

Prayer: Lord, we praise you this day for your care and protection when the storms of our lives overwhelm us. Amen.