Tag: reassurance

The Thundering Voice of the Lord (Psalm 29)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
    worship the Lord in holy splendor.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl
    and strips the forest bare,
    and in his temple all say, “Glory!”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace! (New Revised Standard Version)

I grew up in rural middle America, on the land, and working the land. All of that outdoor work of the farmer makes one very attuned to the weather. In fact, my dad could often predict a coming thunderstorm with an almost precise accuracy.

There is something of a weather report from the psalmist in today’s lesson. He describes a powerful storm forming and moving its way inland from over the sea. It does its damage as a result of high winds, incredible lightning, and of course, the loud rumble of thunder. It is this thunderous display of strength that is the voice of the Lord.

Seven times in Psalm 29 the psalmist repeats the phrase, “the voice of the Lord.” There’s a lot more going on than a meteorological thunderstorm; behind the storm is theological Being who controls all things. The Lord God almighty is not your run-of-the-mill ordinary local deity.

Israel did not have multiple gods of thunder, lightning, clouds, and rain; they worshiped Yahweh, one God, who was Lord of the entire storm, as well as the whole world. The point of the psalmist is that no one, no other god, can compete with this awesome God of Israel.

Yet, despite the theological reality of Israel and their God, there was an entire panoply of gods that the Canaanites worshiped in ancient Palestine. The Canaanite god Baal is mentioned many times in the Old Testament. Baal was the lord of the storm, the god who hung out in the clouds and brought needed rain for the crops to grow.

What’s more, ancient Israel was continually tempted toward the worship of Baal. There were even those who gave the ancient god credit for the harvest of crops. But the psalmist will have none of that business. The real lord of the storm, the actual power behind everything in the universe, is Yahweh.

This is why there is the invitation to praise the Lord. And it isn’t just people who are invited; the heavenly beings are called upon to praise. It’s likely that the psalmist is putting those pagan gods in their place by encouraging them to recognize who is really in charge and in control of all things.

Whatever is going on with the psalmist’s intention, there is clearly a universal and cosmic call to acknowledge the majesty and sovereignty of Yahweh and offer appropriate praise for the One who is over everything.

The description of the powerful thunderstorm is presented as evidence of Yahweh’s power, glory, and sovereignty. It’s as if the entire earth is a temple, with every creature on earth called upon to offer up their praise and honor. Beings in both heaven and earth join together in a great universal choir of praise to the God who makes all things possible.

Even when the rains turn into a flood and brings chaos, God is over those chaotic waters, as well. It is the Lord who brings order from chaos, and who tames the mighty waters. In the New Testament, Jesus demonstrated this godly power in front of the fearful disciples:

A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:37-41, NRSV)

God, as absolute Sovereign, is able to provide peace and well-being from fearful hearts and anxious minds. And this is something to celebrate, to offer gratitude to God for such absolute authority.

People today may not be tempted to worship Baal; but in the middle of our fear and anxiety of life’s many storms, we might search for help and deliverance from the stock market, technology companies, a capitalist economy, social networking, or our own hard work and ingenuity.

Those things may easily become the gods we worship – offering our time, commitment, money, and emotional energy to them – and leaving God in the dugout of our lives to be available, just in case, as a pinch-hitter. But this approach never accounts for the inevitable game being rained out – perhaps permanently.

Just as the wise person saves their money for the inevitable rainy day, so the spiritual person who is aware of God’s authority and power will wisely invest their time and energies into discovering this God. They will engage in spiritual practices designed for relatable connection.

The believer realizes that, although today might be bright and sunny, there will be a damaging thunderstorm in the future for which preparations must be made now.

The voice of the Lord can be a reassuring presence and a healing balm; or it can be a fearful and devastating experience. How you see it and prepare for it makes a big difference.

Glorious God, I worship and praise you in response to your voice. I join with all the voices of the earth, together with all the voices of the heavens, to praise your glorious name; and to bow down in awe before your mighty power. Amen.

A Warning and a Reassurance (Isaiah 32:9-20)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Prophet Isaiah, by Sefira Lightstone

You women who are so complacent,
    rise up and listen to me;
you daughters who feel secure,
    hear what I have to say!
In little more than a year
    you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,
    and the harvest of fruit will not come.
Tremble, you complacent women;
    shudder, you daughters who feel secure!
Strip off your fine clothes
    and wrap yourselves in rags.
Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vines
and for the land of my people,
    a land overgrown with thorns and briers—
yes, mourn for all houses of merriment
    and for this city of revelry.
The fortress will be abandoned,
    the noisy city deserted;
citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,
    the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
    and the desert becomes a fertile field,
    and the fertile field seems like a forest.
The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,
    his righteousness live in the fertile field.
The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
    its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
    in secure homes,
    in undisturbed places of rest.
Though hail flattens the forest
    and the city is leveled completely,
how blessed you will be,
    sowing your seed by every stream,
    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free. (New International Version)

The biblical prophets spoke their prophecies for a reason, usually because there was some sort of injustice happening. And typically they addressed those with power, authority, and influence within society – who were doing something wrong, or were simply unaware of what was happening around them. In other words, the people ought to know better.

A Warning Against Complacency

The prophet Isaiah was specifically addressing particular folks, in our Old Testament lesson for today. Isaiah was calling out those who were complacent and living a life of ease. There was a chunk of society in Isaiah’s day who were safe, secure, affluent, comfortable, and rested on their laurels and their resources. Such persons didn’t ever think the thought that their lifestyle was temporary.

The warning of Isaiah was directed specifically to the well-off women in society. Concerning the rich and powerful, the biblical prophets had a tendency to address the women, e.g. the prophet Amos went after the women, calling them “the cows of Bashan.” (Amos 4:1)

The tone of Isaiah’s warning here is much more toward preparing the rich for a time when they won’t be able to rely on their wealth and affluence – they will be stripped of what they have. The women, Isaiah warned, need to prepare themselves for a time of grief.

In other words, they need to face up to what is about to occur, and not idle their lives away merrily as if nothing will ever happen to change their way of life.

Realize, Isaiah says, that the land will be emptied of life, and that resources will become scarce. You women will be reduced to near poverty. The once pride and joy of your nice house will quickly become, in no time at all, a turn of pride and joy in at least having a donkey to sit on.

The happy world they presently know will soon become nothing but a memory.

That is, until a new spirit takes over…

A Reassurance of Newness

Lamenting a loss will not happen forever. The grief shall eventually break. Not everything will be doom and gloom, as if it is some sort of new normal. Positive hope is also on the horizon. A spirit will be given, Isaiah insists, that will generate a wonderful restorative newness.

From a New Testament perspective, the spirit which is given is the Comforter. The Holy Spirit of God moves us through our grief and helps us realize a new lease on life.

“But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.”

Jesus (John 15:26, MEV)

The Spirit is the very force of God in the world, given to help us live into grace and truth – thus, turning injustice to justice, fear to faith, complacency to action, foolishness to wisdom. The desert is transformed into a garden, the dry land becomes lush and fruitful. All things are restored to vitality; people flourish and thrive again.

People’s needs, along with their great need for peaceful relational connections, will take their rightful place. Throughout the land there shall be human well-being. In other words, there is real peace – wholesomeness and integrity, with settled trust and rest in the plans and purposes of God.

In this present contemporary world of political instability for so many, instead of running about like Chicken Little believing that the sky is falling, people of faith can exhibit a peaceful confidence and a settled trust that grace and mercy will have the day.

We don’t need to live in fear, continually and anxiously vigilant to the bad thing around the corner. And when something good happens, we don’t have to wonder when the other shoe will drop. A good God has good purposes in store for humanity.

At the same time, those who are complacent and either cannot or will not see beyond the end of their nose, are served a merciful notice: They can become aware of how things really are – and do something about it.

Cycles of violence, pain, and injustice can and will be broken. Yet we must all do our part to become self-aware, acknowledge the arrogance within society, and determine that in faith we will trust in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth; and that we will work for a better society and a more fruitful culture.

We are truly not far from the kingdom of God.

Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification, give me grace to put away the leaven of malice and evil – so that I may always serve you in purity of heart and truthfulness of mind; through Jesus Christ your Son, my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.