Psalm 29: 1Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. 3The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. 4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirionb like a young wild ox. 7The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. 8The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9The voice of the Lord twists the oaksc and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 10The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. 11The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Today’s Three Pearls
- Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; – v.1-3: There is a popular book that ascribes to give its readers “The Secret”. I have not read it but it seems to have been helpful to a lot of people. But here I daresay, is The Secret to a fruitful spiritual journey. God is The Alpha and The Omega; all things come from Him as the Source and all things must end with Him taking the glory. He gives and takes away life, He gives intellect and strength, among other things; how bemused He must be to see the humans He created quickly claim the glory and strength that belongs to Him? God wants His rightful dues, He does not joke around with this singular request. We cannot fully comply with this request for ‘Due Glory’ while on earth, but we would do well to aim for it as a way of life.“I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols” – Isaiah 42:8
- The voice of the Lord is powerful; …majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; …The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; …. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” – v.4-9 paraphrased: An ode to God’s voice – Shaking the desert up and empowering barren lands and peoples, turning them into fruitful fields and messengers by His Spirit and Word. God’s voice-striking with flashes of lightning while His Word cuts, sharper than a two-edged sword, penetrating, melting, engulfing and inflaming the hearts of men. His voice, His Word, make wise men cry out ‘glory’ in His temple – v.9
- The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace – v.11 The power displayed in the terrible storm is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and the same power that becomes the strength of God’s elect. After we plug in to this unvanquished source of power for our battles, we are blessed with peace. Our peace, like all other spiritual blessings endowed by the Holy Spirit, is given to us as a seed that must be cared for in order to bloom into full function. When in full function, it is now recognized as a fruit of the Spirit. The rates of germination and ripening differ in different people depending on how we care for and what we throw at the seeds.
Ref: Treasury of David
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 