Psalm 29: Praise for God’s Power

​Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, 
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 
2    Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; 
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. 
3    The voice of the Lord is over the waters; 
the God of glory thunders, 
the Lord, over many waters. 
4    The voice of the Lord is powerful; 
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 
5    The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; 
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 
6    He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, 
and Sirion like a young wild ox. 
7    The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 
8    The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; 
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 
9    The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth 
and strips the forests bare, 
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 
10    The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; 
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. 
11    May the Lord give strength to his people! 
May the Lord bless his people with peace! 
 
 
Meditation
The Lord’s power fuels praise from His people.
 
The disciples were afraid when stuck in a storm, Jesus sleeping in the boat with them. Jesus awoke and with His voice calmed the storm and sea, inviting His disciples to have faith and believe (Matthew 8:23-27). 
 
David summons the hosts of Heaven to join in this hymn of praise, worshipping the Lord for His strength and glory (1-2). The strength of the Lord is portrayed as a storm, God’s voice (3, 5, 7, 8, 9) thundering violently. Glory frames the theophany (3, 9) as God’s power to break the pride of Lebanon and Kadesh is revealed, territory traditionally attributed to Baal’s authority. The Canaanite god of storms cannot withstand the storm of the Lord! The glory of the Lord overpowers all false gods.
 
The voice of the Lord thunders over the waters with power and majesty (3-4), destroying and bringing life (5-6) and blazing strongholds of false gods (7-8). The voice of the Lord calls forth life and strips life bear (9), and the Lord’s people are invited to join in worship through this psalm of praise and trust.
 
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood (10), above the storm, offering strength and peace to His people. Jesus took the full judgement for sin on the cross, enduring the storm of the Father’s wrath so believers can have peace promised in this psalm (11). Jesus is king forever! And His voice still has absolute authority in our stormy world. The power of Jesus must fuel praise from His people.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s psalm, especially the power of the Lord (strength framing the psalm- 1, 11) and the promises coming from praising God for His power?
 
-Where do you struggle to see the Lord’s power and authority? How does the revelation of this Psalm give you security and fuel strength?
 
-How does Jesus enduring the stormy wrath of the Father against sin deepen the authenticity of the offer of peace? And what part of your life do you need to appropriate this truth?
 
Key Verses
10    The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. 
11    May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!