“The Lord Reigns, He is robed in Majesty;

the Lord is robed in Majesty and is armed with strength.”

There is no one as strong as you Lord,

and to you we run to take refuge

and for defence when we are in danger.

Danger from enemies,

from friends,

even from ourselves.

Danger from things that are happening outside of us

that we cannot control,

and things that are happening inside of us

that we cannot control.

In you, the world is firmly established and it cannot be moved.

And yet the world around us,

in our own lives,

in our families,

our nation and throughout the world,

nothing seems very established.

The earth shakes,

the storms rage,

wars flare up,

poverty is rampant,

atheism and idolatry abound.

In our own nation we see more and more people,

companies,

and even our government,

building themselves on shifting sand.

Lord, Your throne was established long ago;

you are from all eternity.

You see all of this, and you rule over it all.

The seas have lifted up, O Lord,

the seas have lifted up their voice;

the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

God we are grieving the loss of stability in you.

We are over our heads in trouble,

we are overwhelmed by the waves.

Our relationships crumble.

Our faith is weak.

Our finances fail.

Our bodies are fragile

and our health is falling away.

The ones we love have hurt us.

There is so much trouble in this world, Lord, that it feels like a tidal wave is coming over us.

But you remind us in your word:

Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea

—the Lord on High is Mighty.

You, Lord Jesus are the one who calms the storms

with a word,

who can tell the wind and the waves to

be still.

You have given us free will and the ability to love,

to rule this world,

and to make the decision to follow you

and live in peace,

or follow ourselves and live in confusion

and disorder.

Help us to be established in you.

Our individual souls,

the souls of our loved ones,

our marriages,

our sons and daughters,

our grandchildren…

establish them in you

and keep them on the solid ground of your Word

and your Son Jesus Christ.

Your statues stand firm;

holiness adorns your house for endless days.

Help us to stand firm in you,

to adorn our house with your holiness,

and to be with you for endless days.

In you there is peace and strength.

(Inspired by Psalm 93)