The Voice of the Lord

Psalm 29:1-9 describes the awesome voice of the Lord. It says, “Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ²Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in holy array. ³The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters. ⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful, the voice of the LORD is majestic.” 

1.       It destroys pride (:5)

“The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.” 

2.      It gives life (:6)

“He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.” 

3.      It melts hearts (:7)

“The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.” 

4.      It overturns everything (:8-9)

“The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve and strips the forests bare…” 

The best part about this chapter is the contrast found at the end of verse nine: God does all these wonderful things with His voice “…and in His temple everything says, ‘Glory!’” 

There is nothing left to say.

What a Mighty God

This morning’s post is similar to the one I posted a couple days ago:

Psalm 77:4-10 says, “My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; my voice rises to God, and He will hear me. 2In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; in the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; my soul refused to be comforted. 3When I remember God, then I am disturbed; when I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Selah. 4You have held my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5I have considered the days of old, the years of long ago. 6I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, and my spirit ponders: 7Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? 8Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever? 9Has God forgotten to be gracious, or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah. 10Then I said, ‘It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed’” (NASB).

Asaph is experiencing much grief and worry because he has trouble seeing God’s present work. So many times my life is like this. My relationship with God is stale and stagnant; I don’t always feel the presence and power of God; I don’t always believe He is watching and providing. Practically I know the truth, but my feelings and actions don’t always demonstrate what my head tells them. In the latter half of this psalm Asaph finds his cure: he looks to God’s power and past provision.

Psalm 77:11-20 says, “I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 12I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds. 13Your way, O God, is holy; what god is great like our God? 14You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. 15You have by Your power redeemed Your people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. 16The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were in anguish; The deeps also trembled. 17The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth a sound; Your arrows flashed here and there. 18The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook. 19Your way was in the sea and Your paths in the mighty waters, and Your footprints may not be known. 20You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” 

1.       He declares God’s holiness (:13)

God can’t allow anything to happen to me which is not ultimately for my own good. That doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen; in fact He promises they will in John 16:33. However, I can know that Romans 8:28 is absolutely true because my God is a holy God. 

2.      He declares God’s wondrous strength (:14)

My favorite part about this sentence is the phrase “among the peoples.” It’s not like God’s power is some mystical, hidden force. God makes Himself known to people through His power. My problem isn’t that I can’t see it; often I’m not watching expectantly. When I start to worry about the enormity of a problem I need to remember the greater enormity of His strength. 

3.      He declares God’s redemption of His people (:15)

This verse makes this whole passage more personal. God’s power isn’t limited to “the peoples.” Asaph writes of “Your people.” I guess this is similar to general and specific revelation; “the peoples” know of and see God’s power, but God’s people experience His power! This is really the essence of Romans 8:28…it if for us whom God works and provides. This is specific and reminds me that God isn’t just swaying around the earth flexing here and there; His power is filled with purpose and aimed at me. Wow. 

4.      He declares God’s sovereignty over the elements (:16-18)

Governments and kings have sovereignty over land and people, but they can’t control the elements. This week our town has been worried about flooding because the river is seven feet above flood stage. We have a levy and we can put out sandbags, but we can’t stop the rain. God doesn’t suffer that fear; the waters obey His voice…they tremble at it! How big can my problems really be with a God that big on my side? 

5.      He declares God’s unsearchable paths (:19)

I like this phrase: “Your footprints may not be known.” Even the traces of God’s presence are beyond comprehension. He goes where man cannot go and does what man cannot do. This only makes the personal redemption of His people more remarkable. Think about this analogy: God is so powerful He walks through the seas and the mighty waters as if they are nothing. How big is your problem again? 

6.      He declares God’s care for His people (:20)

This verse makes point number three even more personal because not only is God’s power aimed at helping His people, but He does it in a loving and gentle way. He is like a shepherd to sheep. It’s not like He only comes to us in our hour of need, but rather He is always leading and guiding us. We are not simply recipients of His power; we are His possession and under His constant care!

When I consider all these truths and live by them, it is more difficult to worry. My God won’t allow anything to happen to me which is not for my own good: He is holy, wonderfully strong, He has redeemed me for His purpose, His sovereignty knows no limits, He is beyond comprehension, and He cares for me! Wow…what a mighty God we serve!

Work in Rest

This last week I was introduced to a hymn called Jesus I am Resting, Resting, and it has been on my mind all week. Here are the lyrics: 

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole. 

Refrain

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart. 

O, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine. 

Refrain 

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed! 

Refrain 

Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace. 

Refrain 

There is something about these lyrics that I love. I spend so much energy trying to do what is right and to live for God, but don’t slow down often enough to just rest and find out the greatness of His heart, to see His beauty, and to enjoy the wonders of His love and His blessings. 

The reality is that I often fail while working hardest; it is while simply resting in Him that I walk in obedience most often. There is a real mystery in resting while working. Rest is not to be confused with laziness, but neither should activity be confused with obedience. Yes, there is warfare, but the battle is won. Yes, there is work, but the power is His. For the Christian “rest” is to go about his daily duties while allowing God’s power to flow through him, to keep him from sin, give him wisdom, and reveal ministry opportunities.  

“Rest” is to take in all of the beauty, grace, love, and power offered by Christ, and “work” is letting it all flow out to others. 

That is what makes this old hymn so very refreshing. 

By the way: go here to listen to a sample of the contemporary version of this song by Matthew Smith on his album All I Owe. He has done an outstanding job keeping the original lyrics and writing his own music.

A Lifetime of Wonder

Psalm 71:17 says, “O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds” (NASB). The context of the rest of the passage is God’s faithful protection of the Psalmist. Evidently things are kind of crazy in his life, so he looks back and remembers God’s past activity, and it gives him enough reason to declare God’s “wondrous deeds” even in the uncertain present. I find this freeing because sometimes God’s work in the present isn’t so obvious in my life. There are seasons of failure, seasons of drought, seasons of sin, and seasons of uncertainty. What can I do in these times?  Sometimes the key to present faith is looking to God’s past activities.  I wrecked my car and God gave me two in return, I needed guidance and received a timely answer, I needed money for school and God numerously and inexplicably provided, and there are so many more examples that I started a list I call “Blessings from God.” What if I referred to this list more often? I probably would never complain or worry. This verse brings up another thought: how could I possibly suffer boredom from walking with Him? “From my youth” I have seen the wondrous deeds of God, and today they are still talked about; what is boring about that? Every moment with Him is an adventure of faith! 

I think I can summarize this verse like this: The wonders of God last a lifetime!