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The Voice of the Lord
Andrea Lende • March 26, 2020
Psalm 29
The Voice of the Lord
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Daily Word:
Psalm 29
“Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon many (great) waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
The voice of the Lord splits and flashes forth forked lightning.
The voice of the Lord makes the wilderness tremble; the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
The Lord sat as King over the deluge; the Lord [still] sits as King [and] forever!
The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.”
As I read these verses my spirit was encouraged.
I needed to be reminded of God’s strength, power, and might.
At a time when I feel so very vulnerable, I must rely on God’s strength.
It is truly amazing to me how, day after day, the Lord brings me to the scriptures that remind me that He is Lord over all people and all things.
I am gently nudged in the direction that He desires me to be.
I need to be in a place of trust and faith that He is in control.
I do not have to figure everything out.
I can simply rely on Him.
As the day to day rules continue to change, I can look to Him for steadiness.
I need to look no further.
He is Lord of all and glory is due to Him.
I take comfort in reading the last verse again, “The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.”
Today I choose to lean into God’s Word and believe that He will give me strength and bless me with peace.
May you find that as You praise Him and look to Him for strength and peace that He will give you these things in abundance.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for being a God of power and might and strength. Thank You that I can look to You for steadiness. You are my Rock. You are the God of this universe and God of my heart. May You continue to impart strength to my spirit, mind, and soul as these days become even more and more uncertain. As strife tries to envelope this land, You bring peace to my soul and to those around me. You instill a willingness and a desire in our communities to help others. As we all find ourselves in unique situations, we find ourselves in the same situations. Employment and security have shifted greatly. And as they do, we are vulnerable to loss. Help me know that You are still in control. Your Word tells me that You are. May I continue to look to You and Your Word for comfort and strength. Fill me with Your wisdom so that I can be who You desire me to be. Keep me from temptation so that I do not hurt anyone, Lord. Keep me at Your feet and in Your presence, Father. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and will continue to be with you every moment of every day.
Response: Thank You, Almighty God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.