Psalm 29 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 29 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Verse 2Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor.
Verse 3The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
Verse 4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
Verse 5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
Verse 6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
Verse 7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
Verse 8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
Verse 9The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
Verse 10The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
Verse 11May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Devotion
I haven’t lived or traveled much in Arizona or Texas. In my parish, however, we are surrounded by Somalis, Oromos and Ethiopians – immigrants who have come through harrowing desert experiences. Once my confirmation class listened to a 70-year-old man tell of being in a desert refugee camp for five years. He was a former supreme court justice from Mogadishu, Somalia. Then a 15-year-old girl talked about the roving gangs that would have kidnapped, raped and killed her had she not had five brothers and her dad to protect her.
In today’s Psalm, a voice proclaims a God who prevails over the dangers of the wilderness. Years later, gospel writers would recycle these ideas in John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness. As we listen to these voices, they point us to God’s presence.
Prayer
O God, help us hear. Amen.