The Voice of the Lord – Psalm 29

A text – Psalm 29

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf and Sirion like a young wild ox.

⁷ The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹ The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl and strips the forest bare, and in his temple all say, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
¹¹ May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!

A reflection:

This week our gospel text tells the story of Jesus’s baptism, when the voice of God was heard from the heavens as God declared Jesus to be God’s beloved son, in whom God was well pleased. Our psalm this week also focuses on the voice of God, its power, and what it can do.

Hear David, in this psalm describe the power of the voice of God. It thunders, it breaks cedars, it makes Lebanon skip like a calf. It flashes forth flames of fire, it shakes the wilderness, it causes oaks to whirl.

Can we imagine this powerful voice of God with its thunderous sound saying something tender, like “you are my beloved child”? David writes this psalm to unify his people in worshiping the Lord and the Lord’s power over everything in the universe. At Jesus’s baptism, that same Lord God speaks from heaven to claim Jesus as beloved Son. “I am well pleased with you.” Even, I am proud of you. Even, I love you. So that Jesus knew it. So that God knew it had been said for the universe to hear.

This is God, on earth, in human form, claimed and beloved of the Creator of the universe. This is quite a moment to notice and to savor and to ponder long afterward. This is the kind of God we have, who loves us and gave himself to bring us to himself. God embraces Jesus, and Jesus embraces us. Think of that!

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for the psalms of David that describe your power and majesty in unforgettable ways. Help us to remember that you spoke to Jesus as he began his ministry, just as you showed your great power and love to David. Help us to experience your great power and great love in our lives too, so that we might show that same love to others.  Amen.