‘The Lord gives strength to His people, the Lord blesses His people with peace…’ (Psalm 29:11)
Read Psalm 29
On the 31st of July 1979, at the tender age of 18, I joined my first ship, MV Fort Victoria, in Ube, a port at the South of Japan, and we set sail for Sydney in Australia, arriving at our destination around 12 days later. The day after we arrived there we were witness to a spectacular thunderstorm. Looking over Sydney Harbour Bridge at times it seemed as if the sky was ablaze with lightning and the air boomed and echoed with the noise of thunder. This went on for about 15 to 20 minutes and as I say, for me it was amazing to witness, and even today I still enjoy looking out of an open window during a thunderstorm
Many people are of course frightened by thunderstorms, especially so if they happen to be caught in the middle of one, which is perfectly understandable, but not it would seem, our Psalmist. In our Psalm today the Psalmist appears to be describing the course of a thunderstorm and he does not seem intimidated by it at all, rather he perhaps sees it as the majestic manifestation of the glory of God. He speaks of the voice of God, the breath of God, even the hand and fingers of God and all these are effectively figures of speech for the immanent activity of God in the world. However there is more to this Psalm than poetic descriptions of the beauty of nature or indeed the power of God.
.The Psalm, from beginning to end, speaks of the sovereignty, the greatness and the goodness of God. This God of thunder, the God of Israel, is Lord of all creation, sovereign over all the elements of creation and over all the affairs of human beings. Yet for all His power, might and majesty, for all that He could do, still, ‘The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.’ The Psalm begins with an exhortation for all Heavenly beings to ascribe greatness to God and to worship His Holy name, going on to exclaim why such glory should be given to God. Yet it ends with the statement that God will bless His people here on earth.
Just pause for a moment to consider the reality of what is being said here and how great the love of God for us must be. And then give thanks and seek to share these blessings with others wherever and whenever you can that they too may come to know the love of the Lord in their lives.
Lord, there is so little we can say that would be worthy of the thanks that we owe You for all the blessings You pour upon us day by day. Yet we do thank You, with all of our hearts, for the strength and the peace that we find in You, our Sovereign Lord. Amen.
Question Of The Day: Which of Joseph’s brother’s was held in Egypt till Benjamin arrived?