God's Glory
I love the Psalms. I truly should say my love for the Psalms is ever-growing. In the Psalms, you get raw emotion, praise, sorrow, and everything in between. They are real, and we all can resonate with the different emotions the Psalms evoke. There are times when we are in awe of our Father, on top of the so-called spiritual mountain. Other times we are very much in the valley. The Psalms meet you in each place, and in each place point you to God. God is the source of all good and He is the rock we lean on and rest upon in our pain.
In Psalm 29 David is focused upon the glory of God. God’s glory is majestic and magnificent. It is only due Him. Whether you are on the mountaintop or in the valley today, read Psalm 29 and see the power, strength, and peace of the glory of God. We see it in three different places in this psalm.
God’s glory is on display in heaven. The heavenly beings are called to ascribe to The Lord the glory that He is due. The angels are called to bow down and worship Him, to ascribe to Him the glory due Him. This is what the angels were created to do – to worship and bring glory to God. The all-powerful God of the universe is praised in heaven as glorious and magnificent by the heavenly beings He has created.
God’s glory is displayed on earth. Verses 3-9 talk about the power of the voice of The Lord. Look at some of the language that David uses in this psalm: the God of glory thunders (v. 3); the voice of the Lord is powerful (v.4); the voice of the Lord is full of majesty (v.4); the voice of The Lord breaks the cedars (v.5); the voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire (v.7); The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh (v.8); The voice of The Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare (v.9). Verse 9 ends by saying, “and in his temple all cry Glory!”
The God of glory and majesty displays His glory to all the earth through the power of His voice. The same voice that created the world and spoke it into existence in Genesis 1 is the same voice that still speaks today in the world, declaring His glory to the whole world (from Lebanon to Kadesh, far north to deep south). Our God is all powerful, is praised in heaven and is in control of all things on earth, in the storm that breaks the cedars and in the temple that proclaims His glory.
This cry of glory from the temple shows the humility, joy, and understanding that even in the storm God is in control. The trials we face aren’t some random set of happenings that just come about, but rather God is working in and through them for His glory and our good, and in that we proclaim His glory and listen for His voice. C.S. Lewis once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures…but shouts in our pain.”
Lastly, God’s glory being seen in both judgment and salvation. In verse 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. The only other time in the Old Testament that this word for flood is used is in Genesis 6-11 and the worldwide flood. God’s power and glory are evident in judgment. He is in control of all things.
We also see His glory evident in salvation. This psalm ends with verse 11: “May The Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!”
Whether you are on the heavenly mountaintop right now, or in the midst of the storm, God’s glory is ever-present. The psalm opens with heaven’s praises, and closes with the Lord blessing His people with peace amidst the floods that come.
Rest in the hope of the glory of God today. It is a reminder of His goodness in the good days, and the only lasting and enduring hope in the midst of the storm.