thehypocrite

Psalm 89:9
“You rule over the raging of the sea; when its waves surge, you calm them.”

Want to know the power of free will?

Psalm 89:9 is devastatingly salient. “Raging sea” and “when the waves surge” are profound in their simplicity. E = 1/8 pgH^2 describes the amount of energy a wave can produce. I’m not smart enough to understand much in that equation except the “E =.” There are a wide range of answers to how much energy a single wave holds when you ask the great world wide intellect. From experience, I can say that even a small wave crashing on the beach has enough power to knock a fairly robust 230-pound man flat on his back, leaving him powerless to do anything but claw his way coughing up the shore. And that wave is more likely in the 100kJ range—very small. We are not yet talking about the 'raging sea.'

But when it comes to the Creator, even very, very large waves, surging with millions of joules of energy, are calmed at His whim. No effort, no danger—just His force of will. Think of the kind of waves in the film A Perfect Storm. Just like Jesus, when on earth, calmed the raging Sea of Galilee with a simple command. As the boat was about to swamp, He said, “Hush! Be quiet” (Mark 4:39).

But, have you ever had your heart surging? Raging against the night so that you can’t sleep or find peace? You turn to prayer—there are no atheists in a foxhole, after all—and beg Him to calm the tempest bellowing in your soul. But there’s no instant relief. Why? Why doesn’t God just give us a little Tinkerbell touch, a ping, and make us calm?

Free will.

We feel and think with the power of self-governance. The ability, to make decisions and think for ourselves. We are not robots programmed to follow a set of instructions. Even if He wants to massage that figurative vessel, He refuses to do so. We have to do the work ourselves.

There’s a trick to prayer. The Bible says if we ask God for relief, if we “supplicate” ourselves (repeatedly plead with Him), then “the peace of God that excels all thought” will be ours. But wait—did I not just say He does not just reach in and put us at ease? Yes. The process of prayer begins to align our thinking with His, our will with His, our desires with His. This is what people refer to as “spirituality.” When we develop that trust, our thinking and emotions are deeply affected.

Prayer takes time. Supplication isn’t about intensity; it’s about repetition and persistence. We ask over and over and over. It feels like something is being done to us, but in reality, we’re doing the work. So, Philippians 4:6-7 isn’t a secret code—it’s a workout routine. Like hitting the gym five times a week: You will get fit.

Is it taking too long? A clever “force-multiplier” is Bible reading. Yes, prayer is how we talk to God, but Bible reading is how we let Him talk to us—through the personal letter He wrote to each of us. But it’s not just a hurried walk to the mailbox; we need to linger with the Bible. Think about what we’re reading: What’s the context? Who is speaking to whom? What does this teach me about God? How does this influence my relationship with Him?

Now we’re accelerating toward a deeper spirituality. Side effect? That peace of God just happens. But we must be willing to do the work. The Creator never does for us what we can do ourselves.

So, the next time you want some torrent ripped out of your soul, remember that God has FAR too much love and respect for you to start pulling parts of you away. However, He will encourage you to make those changes, and the love you show for Him will endear you to His heart, ensuring a friendship that will last all your days.