Good Morning Friends,
Today we meditate on Psalm 29 and 133. And I am not sure if I would find comfort and assurance in a thunderstorm like the Hebrew writers of today’s text. Nor that I would rejoice in the unity of all things as Paul demonstrates though both words and actions. Maybe David being a Shepherd knew the benefits of the storms for the ecosystems of the area and had seen the glory of God in them and in the trees of Lebanon to the north that would be used in the building of boats, the Temple and perhaps even a cross on which Jesus died. The celebrating here requires context and an imagination believing that the stones of Israel will shout out the Gospel when words do not suffice. Undoubtedly, David had seen the storms of Mount Sion, also known as Mount Hermon. Virtually all of Israel could see the Mountain and a storm there would certainly have been something magnificent. Originally, I think that Psalm 29 was sung on the last day…the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles in the early Fall but also in time was linked to a tradition related to Pentecost in the late Spring. So, I imagine that some sang today’s Psalm as part of those feasts with the accompaniment of the lightning and thunder. But there is something more going on here that reminds me of why Jesus the Word Made Flesh… The Bread of Life walked on the water in a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and the disciples first worshipped him in this context. There is something more going on here related to the Transfiguration that occurred in this area and a place called the Gates of Hell in its foothill that might rock the perspective we have about loving God. Here we might just learn something about the divine and more importantly to answer this question: How Are We To Worship God In Life’s Storms?
Scripture: Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty 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; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Psalm 29 (NRSV)
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
Hebrews 1:6b (NRSV)
How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
Psalm 133 (NRSV)
Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11 (NRSV)
(the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir),
Deuteronomy 3:9 (NRSV)
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18 (NRSV)
Message: We mortals struggle to worship. It is not that we lack an idea of what we should do to worship, it is that we are uncertain what God expects of worshippers. Consequently, we tend to focus on what we experience, how we feel. Perhaps this should not be surprising. When we attempt to define “love,” we also always focus on what we feel rather than what we do. In short, the natural tendency of all mankind is to place self at the center of life. If we will honor God, worshipping as we should, it would be wise to examine those beings who actually live in the presence of the Living God. So today we look at worship as worship is practiced by the angels.
Today’s Psalm 29 begins as a call to worship by urging the angels, addressed as heavenly beings, to ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His Name and to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. The Psalmist understood that the angels of God worshipped Him, focusing especially on His glory and His strength, glory and strength that are revealed through holiness. But we know little of holiness…. being separate, especially being separate from sin, separate from anything that defiles. The thing is that the angels worship God for the very reason that God is pure, undefiled, full of goodness and righteousness. The angels worship God because God is Holy. Notice that there is no statement of how the angels feel, or of what they experience. Worship is not about the angels. Worship among the heavenly beings ascribes to God glory because of Who He is. We will do well to worship God because God is God and we are not. That is why the incarnation of God is our only hope in worshipping properly. That is the miracle of Jesus calming us in our life’s storms in a way that allows us to become part of the story.
And So, today’s Psalm speaks of God’s rule over the storm, pointing to peace that comes from worshipping Him. It is said that among the early Christians, this Psalm was read to children and even entire congregations during times of storm, a practice commended to Christians in this day during the storms of life which threaten the peace and security of God’s people. When we are beset by trials, when the wicked appear to be in ascendency and the righteous are displaced, when evil seems to stride through the land silencing the good and the godly, this Psalm is for us. Here God not only rules over the storm but brings peace that comes when the storm has passed. The imagery is a storm over water, crossing the mountains, and finishing up in the desert. But the imagery for me is also of Jesus walking on water, and a Jesus coming again in the clouds. The worship here is beneath the black wing of tempest and the glare of lighting and the dubious dusk which heralds the war of elements. It rows on the Sea of Galilee to the tune of thunderbolts in a world where God is truly everywhere, and all the earth is ultimately hushed by the majesty of Jesus walking on the water. Maybe we are to regain the sense of trembling before the Lord. How we need to learn the passion of the biblical saints who feared the Lord. We need to understand that it is only such a God of power who can give strength and peace. Let nature’s storms raise your eyes to the greatness of your God; if you see wrath in the storm, let it display to you the wrath of God against wickedness, against your wickedness and sin; and contemplate how it was that Jesus Christ came between you and that wrath; and what you are left with is the peace that follows the storm.
Pray we acknowledge God in our lives and in the world. Pray in worship we become aware of God’s grace in our lives. Pray the Holy Spirit quickens us to an awareness of the created world that God uses to help us to know and to praise our Creator. Pray we worship joyfully in our common life. Pray we respond to God as a Community living out the New Covenant of Christ. Pray we worship with the intent of hearing the Word, receiving the Word, discovering the Word in the world and being sent to follow the Word into the world to glorify God. Pray our symbolic actions of worship are translated into ways of serving God. Pray we focus on God and not ourselves. Pray our worship is beyond time and place. Pray we realize that storms will come and that we need to heed the warnings before they come. Pray we prepare for worship as we might prepare for a storm realizing where we can find refuge. Pray we realize that the enemy comes like a flood, but that God is over the water. Pray we realize that after the storm life comes back and if we focus on Jesus it comes back with an abundance and holiness worthy of worship. Pray we realize that God is the God over all creation. Pray we ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name and worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 