In Psalm 29, David does an amazing job of connecting the strength and power of a storm to the voice of God. This is a song of praise to the Lord for His splendor and holiness.
The first two verses begin with David addressing heaven and calling for all heavenly beings to Honor the LORD for the glory of His Name, a Name that is repeated eighteen times in these eleven verses. Friends, throughout scripture we are called to glorify God in all that we do, not just in worship and in service, but in every aspect of who we are and what God calls us to do.
In verses three through nine David uses imagery of a thunderstorm to reveal to us the glory and power of the God we serve. The fact that His voice is loud like thunder shouldn’t scare those who know His voice and are living a life of faithful obedience to His call. “For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted. He will cut down the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the might oaks of Bashan.” (Isaiah 2:12-13) We serve a God Who is sovereign and there is no other God except Him, so all who falsely stand in His place over His Creation will eventually be shattered.
In verses ten and eleven David reveals how God has made his glory known to us, not through His loud thunderous voice in judgment, but rather through the Prince of Peace Who by baptismal water and Spirit we are given the opportunity to be saved. Friends, one day we will each stand to be judged. I envision this moment will be between just me and Jesus, and I won’t be able to refer to anyone who He has blessed my physical life with along the way. As it is just us, and I stand in judgement of my walking life, my prayer is that my Master (Creator, Jesus), will say: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25:23).
Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1 Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings;
honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
2 Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
10 The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
11 The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.
Prayer: Jesus, please forgive me for my sins. I need the Holy Spirit to help guide me every day, so I am becoming more and more obedient to Your Word in my daily life. I want to be walking with You and walking out the plan You have prepared for me. I know this will prepare me for when You call me Home and when I stand before You in judgement. On that day, I long to hear You say, “well done”. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.