“For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 107:25 Mean?
God commands the storm. He raises the wind. The waves lift because He told them to. The psalmist is describing sailors caught in a tempest (verses 23-30), and his theology is clear: the storm isn't random. God commanded it. He made the wind stand.
The word "commandeth" (amar) means He spoke — the same creative speech from Genesis 1. "Let there be light" and "let there be storm" come from the same voice. God creates weather the same way He creates worlds: by speaking.
"Raiseth the stormy wind" — literally, "makes to stand." The wind stands at God's command the way a soldier stands at attention. The storm is under orders. The waves aren't chaos — they're obedient. The most terrifying thing on the sea is following instructions from the one who made the sea.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does knowing that God commands storms change how you experience the chaos in your life?
- 2.What's the difference between a random storm and a commanded one — and which do you believe you're in?
- 3.How does Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4) connect to God raising it in this Psalm?
- 4.If your storm is under God's orders, what might its purpose be — and when might He speak it into silence?
Devotional
God commanded the storm. The wind is standing at attention. The waves are following orders.
This isn't how storms feel when you're in them. They feel random, chaotic, indifferent to your survival. But the psalmist — writing from the perspective of someone who has watched sailors go through the worst and come out alive (verse 30) — says: the storm was commanded. God spoke it into existence the same way He speaks everything into existence.
That's either the most terrifying or the most comforting thing you've heard today. Terrifying if you think God sends storms to punish. Comforting if you realize that a commanded storm is a controlled storm. It has a beginning, an end, and a purpose. It exists because God spoke — and the same voice that spoke it into existence can speak it into silence.
Jesus did exactly that. Standing in a boat on Galilee, He spoke to the wind and the waves and they obeyed. The disciples were astonished: "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41). The answer: the same one who commanded them in Psalm 107.
Your storm isn't out of control. It feels like it. But the wind is standing at attention. The waves are following orders. And the one who commanded them knows exactly when to say: peace, be still.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,.... As in a storm seafaring persons are used to do; so did Jonah's…
For he commandeth - Hebrew, “he says;” that is, He speaks the word, and it is done. The mere expression of his will…
The psalmist here calls upon those to give glory to God who are delivered from dangers at sea. Though the Israelites…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture