Hearing The Voice Of The LORD In A Crisis

Psalm 29
1 Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The LORD is 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,
Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD divides the 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 everyone says, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the LORD sits as King forever.
11 The LORD will give strength to His people;
The LORD will bless His people with peace.

This wonderful psalm was composed by David. He was praising and worshipping God in the beauty of His holiness, glory and majesty during some difficult times of great troubles, trials and tribulations!
The psalm describes poetically how majestic the LORD is! No storms, no floods, no earthquakes, no tsunamis, no problems, no pandemics, no wars and no crises can match the power and strength of the LORD!

This psalm has only 11 verses but the name of the LORD is mentioned 18 times! The phrase "the voice of the LORD” is used 7 times! The psalmist was praising and worshipping the LORD in the midst of very adverse circumstances and unpleasant surroundings! Yes, he was able to do so because his eyes were focusing on the LORD instead of what was happening around him. He was able to lift his voice to praise God above the storms!

Remembering Daniel, he was exiled in Babylon but he knew who His God was. And He did exceedingly great things for the LORD while he was there!

Daniel 11:32
Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

While others were hanging their harps on the willow trees by the rivers of Babylon, and were incapable to sing the songs of the LORD in a foreign land, Daniel was able to pray and intercede for the people of God.

Psalm 137:1-4
1 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps
Upon the willows in the midst of it.
3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
And those who plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song
In a foreign land?

The same sun that causes heat waves and kills people is essential for the good health and existence of all living creatures (mankind, animals, birds, fishes, insects, etc.), grasses, plants and trees. The same rain that causes floods and mudslides is needed to provide times of refreshing and drinking water for all.

In this psalm, David was presently witnessing a great storm. He was not hiding away from it. He saw the floodwaters rising and lightnings flashing, and he heard the rolling thunders. But the psalmist also saw God! Being in awesome wonder, he stood before the LORD, considering all the works His hands had made. With shouts of acclamation and adoration, he bowed in humble admiration and appreciation as God revealed and displayed His power and strength throughout the universe! His soul began to sing how great the LORD was!

Looking at Psalm 29, it simply:

1. Exhorts everyone to give glory to God as He is great and mighty (Psalm 29:1-2)
2. Describes the voice of the LORD (Psalm 29:3-9)
3. Encourages the people of God to look unto the LORD as He strengthens their hearts (Psalm 29:10-11)

The mighty ones in verse 1 may refer to angelic beings with power and might. They can also refer to people with massive wealth and power who may think that there is no God or they do not need God. But the psalmist exhorts all of us, including these mighty ones, to humble ourselves to give glory and strength to the LORD.

We are called to give unto the LORD the glory due to His name, and to worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. We should exalt and enthrone the LORD above all our circumstances and crises! Our God is stronger, and our God is greater! His name is more powerful and glorious, full of majesty and strength!

Despite of what is going on in life, the psalmist tells us to worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. The world around us may look grim and gloomy, but we are exhorted to come and bow down, and worship the LORD! In humbling ourselves, we will look into His holiness, behold His glory and see His loveliness.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

As we give the LORD glory and reverence in the temple of the Holy Spirit, the glory of His presence will fill our hearts and homes! As God is blessed by our praise and worship, we will be blessed, and are able to be a blessing to bless others!

The psalmist then proceeds to describe the awesome voice of the LORD. The voice of the LORD is heard over many flood waters! The glorious God thunders, and His voice echoes over the oceans and seas. The voice of the LORD is heard in all its might and majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, even the cedars of Lebanon. He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump like calves, and makes Mount Hermon leap like a young bull. The voice of the LORD makes the lightning flash. His voice makes the desert shake. He even shakes the desert of Kadesh. The LORD's voice shakes the oaks, and strips the leaves from the trees. Everyone in His Temple will shout, “Glory to God!”

The people in ancient Israel were not a seafaring people. Many of them were fearful of the sea waters as they considered them to be dangerous and scary. But the psalmist told them that the LORD reigned above all the waters, seas and oceans!

From some scientific studies, we learn that most lightning bolts carry electric currents varying from 5 kA to 200 kA, and voltages varying from 40 kV to 120 kV. Taking averages, say 100 kA and 100 kV, a single lightning bolt can carry a power of about 10,000 mega watts or 10 billion watts of energy. This is equivalent to the power of a 20-kiloton nuclear warhead. But the voice of LORD is more powerful than that! We must always remember that in Genesis 1, He spoke, and the whole universe came into existence! That's the strength and power of His voice! Thanks be to God that the strength of His power is not frequently exercised fully to create total chaos, catastrophes and calamities! Herein we witness His love, mercy and grace!

The LORD is exalted and enthroned over the flood waters, and He rules and reigns as King forever. And the LORD is still our Shepherd. He will give strength to His people. He will bless us with His perfect peace and rest in the midst of the storms.

In the New Testament, we can see the power of His voice as it calms the winds and waves in a great storm.

Mark 4:37-41
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

All the disciples of Jesus were afraid in a boat when a sudden and strong wind blew! The waves began to spill over into the boat, filling it up with water. Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with His head on a pillow. The disciples woke Him up and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?”

The Lord stood up and commanded the winds, “Be quiet!” and He said to the waves, “Be still!” The winds died down, the waves became still, and there was a great calm.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?” But they were terribly afraid and began to say to one another, “Who is this Man? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!”

Like the disciples of Jesus, we often become frightened, worried and anxious when scary and upsetting things happen in our life! At times, we simply do not know whether there is another tomorrow as we cannot see a future past today.

We need to hear the voice of the LORD! We need to be still and know that He is God! As we cry out for His help, He will strengthen our hearts, and we will be safe. Even if we fall into the waters, He will hold our hands, and raise us up to walk on stormy seas. We will be strong when we are on His shoulders. And we will be able to stand on solid foundations again!

Through the storms and through the nights, we should stop worrying about our tomorrows. When will the troubles stop? Where will our food come from? Are our jobs secure? Are there any hopes? Are there any good answers to all these problems? These are the things most unbelievers are concerned about. But we are told to consider the things of God above everything else, and with what He requires of us. He will provide us with all these things necessary for daily living. Therefore let us not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We need to daily cast our burdens and fears upon the LORD, knowing that He cares for us! He will carry us through the storms and floods of life!

How do we hear the voice of the LORD, and not be fearful and discouraged?

Joshua 1:7-9
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

When our hearts are determined to trust and obey the LORD according to His Word, we will become strong and confident in Him! We should not neglect any part of it. We should not twist His Word a little to the right or the left. And we should not add or subtract some verses here and there. When we do according to His Word, we will succeed wherever we go. We must read His Word daily, studying it day and night, and obeying everything written therein. Then we will be prosperous and successful. For the LORD has commanded us to be strong and very courageous in Him. We should not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD our God is with us wherever we go.

When we have His Word in our hearts, we will not sin against the LORD, and we will also be able to hear His voice in troubled times. Very often, God delights to speak to us gently in a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:11-13
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

I would rather hear the whispering still small voice of the LORD than the mighty roars of thunders. Yes, under the shadows of His wings, and in the inner courts of the LORD!

The LORD is still speaking, are we hearing His voice?

If interested, please view: How Great Thou Art

Written on: 25 July 2021