Psalm 29
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
Object:
Riding out a storm can be an amazing experience. As some of our brothers and sisters in the Gulf Coast can attest, it can also be a time of terror. When the skies thunder and the mighty waters surge, cities disappear. When wildfires devastate huge areas of land, consuming villages and towns; when tornadoes swoop down and erase homes and lives, hope can take a beating.
The psalm, of course, attributes such disasters to the "voice of the Lord." In our circumstances, however, such finger pointing might be better aimed at human negligence. The care of levies and dams, the development of fire-prone areas, and the suppression of natural forest fires are instances that might bear examination before we level an accusatory finger at the almighty.
No matter who we blame, it seems that the storms do come. And with them, the testing of our hope and faith. Hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes, hunger, injustice, and war all wash over us in waves of devastation, leaving the people crying out for the "blessing of peace" (v. 11b).
Even describing such things leaves the soul weary. It's hard to hope when one is tired. It's hard to reach for a blessing when weariness has robbed us of the strength even to lift up our arms.
Here is where the shallow faith of transaction meets its doom. The brittle barters of belief in exchange for protection are here exposed for the fraud that they are. Our faith, it turns out, is deeper than a curbside trade. Our faith requires more than minimum monthly payments. Our faith, it turns out, is not for the faint of heart.
It is at times like these, when hearts are battered and our spirits worn, that God's voice truly offers strength. It is in moments such as these, that hope's death finds resurrection in the voice of the holy, and it is in the wreckage of our dreams that hope is born again.
Riding out a storm is never easy. We may find ourselves as refugees in foreign lands or prostrate on ravaged ground where once our lives were lived. We may awaken to unimaginable devastation or wander about in numbness and confusion. Whatever the damage, or wherever we may find ourselves, we know one thing is certain: The voice of the holy will always seek us. The voice of the holy can always revive us. The voice of the holy will give us peace.
The psalm, of course, attributes such disasters to the "voice of the Lord." In our circumstances, however, such finger pointing might be better aimed at human negligence. The care of levies and dams, the development of fire-prone areas, and the suppression of natural forest fires are instances that might bear examination before we level an accusatory finger at the almighty.
No matter who we blame, it seems that the storms do come. And with them, the testing of our hope and faith. Hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes, hunger, injustice, and war all wash over us in waves of devastation, leaving the people crying out for the "blessing of peace" (v. 11b).
Even describing such things leaves the soul weary. It's hard to hope when one is tired. It's hard to reach for a blessing when weariness has robbed us of the strength even to lift up our arms.
Here is where the shallow faith of transaction meets its doom. The brittle barters of belief in exchange for protection are here exposed for the fraud that they are. Our faith, it turns out, is deeper than a curbside trade. Our faith requires more than minimum monthly payments. Our faith, it turns out, is not for the faint of heart.
It is at times like these, when hearts are battered and our spirits worn, that God's voice truly offers strength. It is in moments such as these, that hope's death finds resurrection in the voice of the holy, and it is in the wreckage of our dreams that hope is born again.
Riding out a storm is never easy. We may find ourselves as refugees in foreign lands or prostrate on ravaged ground where once our lives were lived. We may awaken to unimaginable devastation or wander about in numbness and confusion. Whatever the damage, or wherever we may find ourselves, we know one thing is certain: The voice of the holy will always seek us. The voice of the holy can always revive us. The voice of the holy will give us peace.
