◄ What Does Psalm 29:3 Mean? ►

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters.

Psalm 29:3(NASB)

Verse of the Day

In this short psalm of reverent worship, mighty men of the earth are duty-bound to give honour and praise to the great God of the universe. To Him alone is ascribed glory, for He is the One that sets men up in their place to carry out His eternal plans. He is the One that removes men from their thrones, for He is the Almighty God of Glory. His sovereignty is over all the earth and He is the One that: "Rules over the kingdom of men," for no-one could draw another breath without his sovereign permission. His glory is exhibited throughout the heavens.

David authored this majestic Psalm, calling on mighty men of the earth and great heavenly beings, to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and ascribe to Him the honour and glory He is due.

From his early years as a shepherd-boy, this man was an out-doors kinda-guy and must have witnessed many thunderstorms and other natural phenomena. But on this occasion, David was caused to contemplate His great Creator, as he watched the mighty flashes of lightning and listened to the great thunderclaps as they declared the glory of God, for the vast expanse of the natural universe shows forth the work of His mighty hands.

While his pagan neighbours gave credit to the mute idols of silver and lifeless images of gold, David praised the awesome majesty and great power of the true and living God, Who was and is and is to come, the Almighty: "The voice of the Lord is upon the waters," was His ecstatic shout of worshipful praise, to the God in Whom he trusted: "The God of glory thunders. The Lord is over many waters."

The Lord brought the earth, and all created things, into being by the Word of His mouth, and the majestic display of a thunderstorm with its flashes of lightning and great reverberating thunderclaps, brought this man-after-God's-own-heart to his knees, in humble worship of God's astonishing greatness.

Maybe David was remembering the account in the book of Job, where we read: "God shall thunder marvellously with His voice, and does great things, which we cannot comprehend." Or maybe he recalled: "The thunder declares the presence of the Lord."

The One Who sits in the heavens, makes the clouds His chariot, and walks on the wings of the wind, is the same Almighty God Who displays His power in the midst of the thunderstorm. The sound of His voice is as many waters and the noise of His speech thunders throughout creation, and David recognised that behind the displays of nature, in all its beauty and wild fury, there is the Almighty Creator of all, Who is King of heaven and Lord of All.

Should we not ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, and give to the Lord the honour due to his name? Should we not honour the Lord in thought, word, and deed, and adore Him in spirit and in truth? Should we not worship the Lord in the beauty of His perfect holiness, knowing that He alone is worthy of our worship and praise?

Should not we who are His children, made in His image, and born of the Spirit, humble our hearts before Him and bow our ear to listen to the whisper of His still small voice, as He speaks to us His Words of comfort and guidance?

My Prayer

Loving Father, there are so many examples of Your great glory and majesty, and yet You are interested in me, Your child. Help me to attune my ear to hear Your voice, as I learn to live humbly and walk wisely before You in spirit and truth. In Jesus' name, AMEN.