Project 119: Psalm 29 & Psalm 30
| Project 119 | Amy Hirsch
Morning: Psalm 29
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!
Lord,
I praise You today for Your greatness. You are mighty and majestic, and worthy of our worship. I join the angels as I bow before You in adoration. I give credit where credit is due: Your strength, Your glory, and Your power are reminders of Your great sovereignty.
I see Your greatness in the summer storms that rise up on hot days. Te psalmist pictures a storm suddenly forming north of Israel over Lebanon. Although Baal worshippers claim Baal as the storm god, I know that You alone, Lord, are sovereign over all of the earth, even the storms! All other gods are powerless before You.
I see Your majesty in the boom of Your voice thundering in the storms, fashing like forked lightning across the skies, shaking the land like an earthquake. And I see Your strength as the winds die down, for You are also the same God who calms the storm. Even the winds and the waves obey You.
I also see Your power in judgment. You are the God who sits enthroned over the food, who once sent great waters to judge the whole world in Genesis. Although the winds and the waves obey You, often we do not. I confess my sin to You, to a God who is holy and lifted up, and who must be worshipped in the splendor of holiness. I am not holy. I sin and continually fall short of Your glory. Like the Baal worshippers, I lift my eyes and my worship to false gods, rather than acknowledging You for who You have revealed Yourself to be. I am in need of Your forgiveness.
Yet I also praise You for Your grace, for You are a God who shows mercy. You took on the storm of judgment I deserved by sending Christ to die for me on the cross for us. You promise that, if I trust in Christ for salvation, I am made right with God the Father, who sits enthroned as king forever!
And You promise that You give Your strength to Your people. In the midst of persecution and pain, in trial and in grief, Your power is made perfect in my weakness. Help me to believe in Your power, despite my doubts! The same
God who has control over every bit of the cosmos, including the storms, is also sovereign over every detail of my life. You are the all-powerful God who can give His people peace in the calm and in the storm, the same God whose voice will one day thunder in final judgment over sin, death, and the grave, and the same God who will one day welcome His people home, where we will worship Him in His splendor and majesty. Amen.
Evening: Psalm 30
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!