Psalm 29 – Day 1
“Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings,acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power!" – Psalm 29:1 NET
How do you honor someone you can't see? How do you recognize and rejoice in the greatness of a God that is invisible? That has always been a problem for the people of God. Abraham had private conversations with God. So did Moses. He even caught glimpses of God's glory in the burning bush and was allowed to see God's back as he passed by him on the mountain. A handful of God's people have had supernatural glimpses of God's glory. For the rest of us, we are left with the task of trying to honor and adequately ascribe to God the glory He so richly deserves. For David, it was quite simple. He saw God all around him. When he looked into the night sky and saw all the stars and planets, he saw the hand of God. They were a reflection of God's glory. After his anointing as God's choice as the next king of Israel, he spent years running from King Saul and hiding in the wilderness. While sitting in the mouth of a cave in the middle of the rugged mountain landscape, he saw more than his fair share of storms. As he witnessed the lightning flash across the night sky and occasionally strike a tree, shattering it in two; and as he listened to the thunder echo off the canyon walls, shaking the ground beneath his feet, David couldn't help but think of God. To him, the thunder was the very voice of God. It was a reminder of God's incomparable power. The very voice of God was enough to cause David to stand in awe. Seven times in this passage David refers to God's voice. He knew that God had spoken the world into existence. He recognized that God's words carried weight and the sound of His voice was more powerful than the strongest lightning and capable of bringing great destruction or incredible blessing.
David was a king. He understood the concept of power. He knew that the king's word was law. But he also knew that his power was limited and his voice only carried so much weight. But God's voice was limitless in power. God deserved glory and a recognition on the part of both angels and men that He alone is worthy of worship. David begins this Psalm by encouraging us to give to God honor for His glory and strength. He reminds us to recognize God for who He is and worship Him accordingly. He alone is King. His voice is powerful and He is worthy of our worship and praise. But then David ends His Psalm with a comforting thought. This same great, glorious, powerful, majestic God gives His people strength and blesses them with security. David knew that it wasn't he and his mighty men who protected the people of Israel – it was God. God gave them strength to face their enemies. God gave them strength to withstand adversity. And it was God who blessed them with peace– shalom – not just an absence of conflict, but a sense of completeness, an awareness of well-being and security in the midst of adversity.
The next time a storm rolls into town and you find yourself woken up by the sound of thunder, think about God. When you look out the window and watch the lightning flash across the sky, think about God. You are getting a little glimpse of the incredible power of God. Let it remind you of just how great He is. Let it cause you to give Him the glory He so richly deserves. "Honor the Lord for the glory is his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness" (Psalm 29:2 NLT).
Father, Your power is all around us, but we fail to recognize it. We just see nature, but we don't see the God behind it. Give me the eyes of David. Help me to see You all around me. Let me recognize Your presence in all of life. I want to worship You and honor You for who You are. I want to grow in my awareness of Your power and glory. Open my eyes so that I might see You more clearly each day. Amen