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

3 The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

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

The story behind this Psalm was that David had watched a storm move across the land.  The power of the storm that David witnessed turned his thoughts towards God.  Many of us have witnessed firsthand the results of severe weather.  At such a time it is easy to think of the power of God.

The storm that David witnessed must have made him think of God speaking, for seven times we are told about the ‘voice of the Lord’.  The voice of the Lord echoes; is powerful; is majestic; splits the mighty cedars; it strikes with bolts of lightning; it makes the wilderness quake; it twists mighty oaks and strips the forest bare.  Wow!  Who could ever miss the voice of the Lord?

Well, I think we all miss the voice of the Lord at times.  I find it interesting that this Psalm, which at first glance seems to be all about hearing the voice of the Lord, begins with three calls to honor the Lord, and one call to worship the Lord.  Could there be a connection between our honoring and worshipping the Lord, and our ability to experience the voice of the Lord?  Yes, most certainly!

I’m sure that we would all love to hear from God.  When we have decisions to make, hearing from God would be great.  When life confronts us with what appears to be a dilemma, hearing from God would be welcomed.  Let’s strive to honor God with our lives.  Let’s worship God as we are able.  Let’s do this, and then let’s listen for the voice of God.

Posted by Ramón Torres