8/5 Psalm 107:29-30

29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.


The psalmist is recounting the glorious deeds of God and attributing them to His steadfast love for us. He asks us to remember all the wonderful things that God has done for mankind. In the middle of the list of wonders is this passage about rescuing those tossed by a stormy sea. It could be about Noah's ark, but this is recounted in the midst of things done for the nation of Israel. It could be about Jonah, but it speaks of more than one person. Apparently we do not have a record of the account of which the writer speaks.

In the Gospels, we do have the account of Jesus with His disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41). Jesus was asleep while the disciples were fearful of drowning. When they woke Him, He rebuked the wind and the waves and there was a great calm. In another incident, the wind was against them and the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. When He got in the boat, the winds ceased and they were immediately at their destination (John 6:21; Matthew 14:32). These accounts sound exactly like our verse today though they were written centuries before they came to pass.

There are storms of trying times in all of our lives. It is the LORD alone that can still them and bring us to the destinations He has put in our hearts. We need to invite Him to be on board the ship of our lives, fix our eyes on Him, and trust Him to see us through. One word from Him and the waves will be calmed. His very presence causes the winds to cease.

Encouragement: Invite the LORD to be with you in the midst of your trial and you will see the wind cease. The desired haven is His presence.