The Voice Of The Lord And Its Mighty Power

The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. Psalm 29:9

I have never heard the voice of the Lord speak audibly to me. He has, however, stirred my heart and mind, which I knew without a doubt came from Him.

God has a way of communicating to His creation in ways we can’t explain. Genesis records how He spoke all of creation into existence. The heavenly beings recognize the power of His voice.

Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:1-2

In Revelation, John recorded heavenly beings worshiping the Lord. He said they daily give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne.

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Revelation 4:8

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As I write this devotion, I sit in a beach house looking over the seemingly endless Atlantic Ocean. I can’t imagine all the valleys and mountains under its vast amount of water.

Who would hear me if I went to the water’s edge and shouted at the top of my lungs? No one. The sound of its waves would drown out my infinite voice, but not God’s voice.

The Voice of the Lord . . .

The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. Psalms 29:3

Our verse for today says the voice of the Lord is powerful and majestic. He created the seas by speaking them into existence; therefore, His voice could easily thunder over them.

The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. Psalm 29:5-6

The cedars of Lebanon could grow as tall as 60 feet and were known for their resilience. The voice of the Lord, however, could shatter them into toothpicks if He desired.

David said the voice of the Lord could make Mount Hermon, the region’s highest mountain, skip like a calf. Jesus said by having faith in God, we could also move mountains.

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. Mark 11:23-23

Elijah experienced the voice of the Lord but not in the power of an earthquake. Nor did he hear it in the fury of a fire. What he heard came as the sound of a gentle whisper.

God doesn’t limit Himself in how He speaks to us or His creation. When David wrote this Psalm, he wanted his readers to understand the power of God’s voice, so he continued.

The Voice of the Lord . . .

The voice of the Lord strikes with bolts of lightning. Psalm 29:7

Do you know a typical lightning flash strikes at about 300 million volts? Compare that to the 120 volts in an American home. The fear of lightning strikes has cleared outdoor stadiums.

I cringe when I hear people talking about God in a blasphemous way. We serve a God of love but also of justice. Those entering eternity without Christ will experience His majestic power.

The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. Psalm 29:8

The wilderness of Kadesh was precisely that, a wilderness. One might think of it as the middle of nowhere. If the ground shook there, one would think the end of the world had finally come.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in the middle of the wilderness. We don’t know how we got there or how we can get out. The Lord might use His voice to wake us up by shaking our world.

The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” Psalm 29:9

Beside the church I pastor, stood an enormous oak tree. If you looked at the church on Google Maps, it resembled a large broccoli.

One Sunday morning, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we got to the church. We found that oak tree, with a diameter of nine feet, lying on the ground. We don’t know how or why.

According to David, God could level a forest in the same way. I like everyone’s response in the Temple or, in our case, the church. They did the only thing they could do: shout glory.

David could have used verse four as the chorus when writing this Psalm.

It’s Powerful . . .

The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. Psalm 29:4

We often read right over words like them by giving no thought to what they really say. The next time you see a lightning bolt flash across the sky, let it remind you of God’s power.

What do you think of when you witness a rainbow or a breathtaking sunset? Or when you see the tapestry of Autumn leaves or colors of Spring flowers? Let them remind you of God’s majesty.

This Psalm concluded with a reminder of the power and majesty of God. But it also laid out the love and compassion of the Lord behind that voice.

The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever. And the Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. Psalm 29:10-11

Lord, we acknowledge and honor you for your glory and strength. Thank you for the blessing of peace. We join with the others by shouting “glory.”

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