Daily Devotion – May 28, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

Psalm 29
29:1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor.
29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters.
29:4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
29:5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
29:6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
29:7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
29:8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
29:9 The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
29:10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
29:11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

The Lord’s voice is so big!

The very sound of the Lord’s voice causes thunder, breaks cedar trees, flashes flames, shakes the wilderness, and starts tornadoes.

Most of us are pretty happy to domesticate God and fit God pretty much into Sunday morning. We pray, we believe. But we don’t spend too much time where the psalmist spent time, thinking of the largeness of God and the loudness and power of God’s voice. We post-modern North Americans are comfortable ignoring the largeness and the tremendous power of the Lord. We pay attention to almost anything else in our world more than we pay to God. But the psalmist here is trying to get believers’ attention and say, “Notice how huge our God is!”

And then in the final verse, the psalmist asks this large and loud God for only two things:

May the Lord give strength to his people. May the Lord bless his people with peace.

No matter what you are going through, the psalmist asks God to give you strength and peace. This powerful God who causes tornadoes and fire is asked simply to give strength and peace. The God of the universe becomes the God of the small, the weak, and those who long for peace.

So when we pray, let’s always remember the size and scope and magnitude of the One we pray to, and never fail to ask this big and powerful God for strength and peace.

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for helping us, through the words of this psalmist, that you are always willing to grant us strength and peace. Thank you for caring for your people and promising to bless us. Help us to remember to ask.   Amen