When I was a child I had the opportunity to go see Niagara Falls, a spectacular and majestic waterfalls that straddles the border between the U.S. and Canada in western New York State. Even though that was at least 55 years ago or more, I still remember that sight. We went on the Maid of the Mist boat cruise, which goes right up to the rapids beneath the falls. The water there is quite powerful. Another powerful display of water are the mighty waves that crash against the ocean coasts. I don’t live anywhere near an ocean, but have seen some rather significant waves crashing in Lake Michigan during and after storms. As mighty as the powerful waves and waterfalls are, they are nothing compared to the majesty, power, and might of the Lord God, which our psalm today speaks of.
Psalm 93 is a short psalm, and in the five brief verses it pictures the Lord God as a great and majestic King in all of His glory. As the Scripture opens, we read how Yahweh is clothed as a great King (vs. 1). The first thing that the psalmist indicated that the Lord was clothed with is majesty. This pictures Him with great dignity, awesomeness, and regal manner. This is appropriate, as He is the King and Ruler of all of creation. The psalmist continues by saying Yahweh is also clothed with strength. Any great king would need to be a powerful one. He would have to be able to defend his realm against all enemies, and maintain control. Yahweh is more powerful and has more strength than any person or creature, as he created all. There is no fake god greater than He, and He even has all power over Satan and his minions. Yahweh is the sovereign Lord of all that exists. He has the power and wisdom to make everything happen as He desires. Nothing can change that.
We continue to read that the Lord’s throne is from of old, and that He is everlasting (vs. 2). Yahweh has always existed, and will always exist. He had no beginning and will have no end. He is not a created being. There was not something before that created Him. Rather, He is the One Who created everything. We read in the Book of Revelation where Jesus called Himself the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13). He is the beginning, the end, the start, the finish, and everything in between.
The psalmist then compares the Lord’s power and might to that of the mighty waves and powers of water (vs. 3-4). This is where I picture the powerful waves of oceans and great lakes of the world during storms, crashing upon the coastline. Many people who have ignored or not respected the power of the oceans or other great bodies of water have lost their lives. How many boats have been tossed about like nothing, being flipped completely over by angry waves when a storm rages? Many times every year Chicago issues beach warnings because of dangerous waves, as they can easily sweep a person out into the water to their death. And there have been a number of people who have lost their lives because they did not heed the warning as they approached waterfalls, such as Niagara Falls, in their boats. Once they reached a certain point, it was too late, and the power of the falls as they went over took their lives. Power as great as this is nothing compared to the power of the Lord God!
The sound of mighty waves and waterfalls is awesome, too. Niagara Falls can be heard at a distance of forty miles away. If God were to shout out, His Voice would be heard clear across the universe with no problem! If we can’t outshout Niagara Falls, what makes us think we can shout louder than God? Yet so many people sadly think they can. Looking around the world today, there are so many angry voices raised against God. They don’t want Him or His Word, the Bible, inhibiting what they want to do with their lives. They don’t want Jesus telling them how to live, as they angrily scream for believers to get God out of here.
As our psalm ends, we are reminded of how holy Yahweh is (vs. 5). The key to God’s eternal reign is His holiness. His glory is seen, not only in His strength and majesty, but also in His perfect moral character. God will never do anything that is not morally perfect, and He also calls us to be holy, as well (I Peter 1:15-16).
In closing, we see just one example and comparison with how mighty and powerful the Lord God is. Just as it is foolish to underestimate how powerful waves and waterfalls are, so too it is foolish to think one can come against the Lord. Do you know the Lord Jesus as Savior? If so, His mighty power is there to help and sustain you. He is always greater than all of our troubles. No matter how high the floods or waves of trouble in our life is, the Lord remains greater than them all!
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