The Lord Blesses His People With Peace (Psalm 29)

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you 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 his^[a] holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion^[b] like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists the oaks^[c]
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.

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 What is striking in this Psalm is the last verse about the Lord blessing His people with peace.  It’s striking and almost unexpected in the flow of the rest of this Psalm.  David is extolling the power and glory of the Lord and especially the might and power of His voice.  Nothing in creation can stand before His voice; all is subject to His power.

It’s a rather frightening picture especially if you try to visualize what is being described.  Earthquakes.  Tornadoes. Thunderstorms.  God seems to come off looking a bit like Zeus – but much more powerful.

That’s why the last verse is so striking.  What does God do with all of this power?  What does He speak with this irrepressible voice?  He speaks peace for His people.  He blesses them, strengthens and renews them in the peace of a relationship with Him.

God is almighty and omnipotent to be sure.  But above all He is loving.  All of that power and might is for the sake of the people that He loves, that He has redeemed.

So my prayer today is that I give ear to His majestic voice and take to heart His blessing of peace.  I pray that the peace of the Lord would fill me and lead me today. I also pray for those I know who especially need this blessing of peace.  I pray that they would hear the voice of the Lord today, and so be blessed with His strength and peace.

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