The God of the Storm and the Stillness

July 26, 2019

Worship in WORD

Psalm 29                          A psalm of David. 29 Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. 11 The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. NIV (’84)

Psalm 29                              A psalm of David. 29 1 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. , New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved_.

Psalm 29                              A Psalm of David. 29 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. 7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. 8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. 10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. 11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. KJV

Psalm 29                   Ascribe to the Lord  Glory                                              A Psalm of David. 29 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. 11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! ESV

I. Splendor – vv. 1-2

II. Storm – vv. 3-9

III. Sovereignty – v. 10

IV. Stillness – v. 11

Storm

I can imagine David standing on the roof of his palace, and instead of looking down and seeing a woman bathing, he is looking out as dark clouds begin to form and he is awed by the gathering storm. He imagines a scene in heaven where the mighty are called to worship in the “splendor of holiness.” As the thunder rolls, it is as if the LORD is speaking from His throne calling nature and humanity to

Ascribe to the LORD

Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness

Seven times the voice of the LORD is heard. Each one demonstrating His power and glory, and declaring that He is Holy, Holy, Holy (corresponding to the 3 ascribes in verses 1-2). The number seven witnessing to the perfection of His words and works.

In the ensuing verses, I will try to paint a picture of what David is trying to convey to his readers. It will be one of terror but also tranquility. We will see His power, as well as His peace. His sovereignty and His supply.

Worship in Witness:

I am actually writing this before I begin writing down my observations and thoughts in the portion of my journal I entitle “Worship in the Word.” The reason for this is because something spectacular and special happened as I began to read verses 3-11 and made some mental notes and observations. As I read the psalm as well as various commentators, I began to hear a noise above the music I play while I am journaling. The funny thing about this is that God usually arrests my attention by something being said in a particular song that would be playing at that time. But this time it was a noise I began to hear over the music. At first, I thought it was my imagination. However, I heard it again and lowered the sound on my speakers. “Was that thunder I heard?”  I got up and decided to sit outside for a while and continue my study on a Bible App I have on my phone. Sure enough, there was lightning on the horizon, moving towards my direction. Numerous peals of thunder rumbled in the air, and a breeze began to tickle the windchimes. I sat outside for some time, looking up from my phone periodically as the storm drew nearer. Finally, something (or I believe Someone) told me to get up and go inside. I pulled my chair inside and sat down by the door I had just come in. A minute later, I heard a tapping sound coming from the chimney of my fireplace. I stood up, and sure enough, it was beginning to rain!

The storm is fading now. There is only the sound of distant thunder. For a brief time, I believe I experienced what David had observed in verses 3-12. Yet my storm was far tamer and transitory compared to the one David experienced. I wanted to bewail the fact that, while I was awed by the providential hand of God in the timing of this storm during my study, I had not experienced the depth of angst and awe David must have felt. I was more concerned about my safety than God’s sovereignty (now there is an irony for you). However, another thought came to mind as the storm quickly passed and proved to be nothing more than a “tempest in a teapot.” Perhaps my woes as significant and painful as they are to me, in the long run, are brief and benign in light of eternity.

As the Apostle Paul says:

¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Cor 4:17-18  NIV

I want to leave it there, but to do so might trivialize completely what I am going through. Yes, in the grand scheme of things, my problems are insignificant and ephemeral. Yet they do serve a purpose – to achieve an “eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Lord, please accomplish in me all that You want for me.

All this leads me to these final thoughts. Thoughts that may seem antithetical to what I have been saying, but I need to say them anyway. Lately, I have made much of my sorrows and robbed myself of the joy of my salvation. I have also let the various storms in my family whirling around me to sap me of my spiritual strength. So what do I do now? I know what I should do, yet I am too weak to share my concerns and fears in an open and meaningful way.  I’d rather suppress the whole thing and run from the tumults rather than to the God of the storms. Sometimes I’d rather wallow in pain than worship the Lord, something I said I would strive to never do. There are times I’d rather ignore the issues racking my soul than seek answers to them. Do I speak up or shut up? Do I give in to my fears or give it all up to the Lord? I will not tie up this meditation with any easy answers, or resolve to take a specific course of action. Right now, I will only commit to seeking the Lord, Who has the answers and securing the prayers whoever might read this.

It is still thundering... God is speaking... please help me to understand what You are saying

God of the storm and the stillness

Lord of the tumult and tranquilness

You’re sovereign over the good and evil

Over the blessing and the upheaval

So when all seems helter-skelter

Lord, I will run to You for my shelter.

- Amen

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Worship in Song:  Perfect Peace by Laura Story

Stay close by my side
Keep your eyes on me
Though this life is hard
I will give you perfect peace

In this time of trial
Pain that no one sees
Trust me when I say
I will give you perfect peace

And you'll never walk alone
And you'll never be in need
Though I may not calm the storms around you
You can hide in me

Burdens that you bear
Offer no relief
Let me bear your load
'Cause I will give you perfect peace

Stay close by my side
And you'll never walk alone
Keep your eyes on me
And you'll never be in need
Though this life is hard
Know that I will always give you perfect peace
I will give you perfect peace

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Laura-story-perfect-peace-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/7UpfatdyFtY