Psalm 29 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 29 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Verse 2Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor.
Verse 3The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
Verse 4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
Verse 5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
Verse 6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
Verse 7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
Verse 8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
Verse 9The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
Verse 10The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
Verse 11May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Devotion
Hymn Reflection: ELW 632
Full disclosure: storms used to scare me. My mother always said reading the psalms helps in finding peace within life’s storms. The summer of 1989, I drove up to Alexandria, Minnesota, in a terrible thunder storm and I ran off the road into a ditch. With water rising into the car and no one stopping to give help, I was afraid. But in the midst of that storm and my fears I turned to the only One I could rely on and turned to prayer, hymns. and the psalms I could remember. This psalm reminds us, when caught up in life’s struggles, we can rely upon God’s promises. There will be storms throughout our lives, literally and figuratively, they will always be there, but so will the voice of the Lord which is stronger than any storm in overcoming any fear. God got me through that night through the care of a trucker who stopped to help me out.
Prayer
Holy God, in the midst of life’s storms you are with us, promising us that we are not alone. Help us to hear your voice speaking to us in so many ways, encouraging us to be at peace and trust in your presence here and now with us. In Christ’s name. Amen.