Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! (Psalm 98:7)
JMW Turner exhibited the painting at the Royal Academy in 1802 when the artist was 27 years old. The critic John Ruskin wrote that Turner had no peers in creating the drama of the sea in the history of art (Southampton City Gallery, 2003).
As moving as Turner’s seascape may be there is a deeper meaning yet.
The storm of the sea was calmed by Jesus Christ and with each bluster and gale we are reminded that its roar has become a bass note accompanying the tenor of the high winds to sing praises to The Lord of the Storms. Thus our own storms must yield to the Master’s voice and become instruments of ultimate good (though they are dangerous) doing His bidding to bless His saints. Often their work is to give us wind in our sails to push us towards home.
Jesus is Lord of the storms.