Psalm 29:1-2 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.
A Psalm of David.
29 Ascribe to the Lord, O [a]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory [b]due to His name;
Worship the Lord in [c]holy array.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
One of the most powerful ways to till the soil of the heart is through worship.
Authentic worship is a powerful exchange of God pouring his love out on us and us giving him our hearts in return.
In worshiping through music, our hearts naturally become soft and receptive to God’s presence and love as we encounter his goodness and engage in a reverent adoration of the only One who is completely, utterly, worthy of our affections.
God created music with an innate ability to affect us at our core.
Psalms, Music, have the power to fill us with peace, joy, and anger; it can cause tears to well up in our eyes and even make the most mundane events beautiful.
Martin Luther said, “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”
By consistently engaging in worship through beautiful music, we each provide a framework for the Holy Spirit both to till the soil of our hearts and to fill us with the seeds of God’s presence and perfect character.
The Bible is brimming with admonishment to worship through song.
Paul tells us in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Hebrews 12:28 says, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”
Scripture is so clear about the importance of worship because God longs for us to be a people marked by consistent reminders of his unconditional love.
He longs for us to live in response to his presence and his greater plans, rather than mightily struggling through life by placing our trust in the world over him.
God longs to reveal his heart to you in worship.
He longs to show up, meet us in our rooms, our prayer closets, cars, workplace, in the outdoors as we walk and bike and hike in creation, and houses of worship.
We were created to encounter all the fullness of God and engage in the cyclical act of giving and receiving love throughout our days.
When we worship here on earth, we posture our whole heart towards eternity.
Making the willful choice listen for the voice of God, to give your affections to the One you will spend eternity with, you also discover your purpose for which you were made: to live in unhindered communion with your heavenly Father.
If you feel like the soil of your heart is more rock hard than tillable, your life isn’t marked by the fruit of the Spirit or you can’t escape from a temptation—simply take some time and pick up the Word of God, encounter God in worship.
God’s presence is wholly available to you today.
His love and grace are steadfast towards you.
May your time in guided prayer be marked by the awareness of, nearness of, and power of the Holy Spirit as you encounter the unconditional love of God.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on what Scripture says about worship through music and reflect on how beautiful music moves your heart.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5
“And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.” 1 Samuel 16:23
2.Engage in worship in whatever way moves your heart.
Receive the presence and love of your heavenly Father and give him your heart in response. Remember the importance of giving and receiving love in worship.
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!” Psalm 57:7
“I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13:6
3. Journal about the effects worship has on your heart.
Reflecting on and writing down the things God is doing in our lives helps us to actualize that which is often left internal and forgotten.
Psalm 104:33 says, “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.”
Until your life is devoted to worshipping God, you will never find total rest.
When we give ourselves to the things of this world it repays us with stress, burden, and cares rather than unconditional love.
It’s only in devoting yourself to God alone that you will find satisfaction and reciprocation for your love.
Live today in full devotion to God.
Do everything as an act of worship.
And find that God repays your adoration ten fold by pouring out his wealth of affection over you.
May today be filled with the presence, power of God as you give, receive, love.
Psalm 29 The Message
29 1-2 Bravo, God, bravo!
Gods and all angels shout, “Encore!”
In awe before the glory,
in awe before God’s visible power.
Stand at attention!
Dress your best to honor him!
3 God thunders across the waters,
Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness—
God, across the flood waters.
4 God’s thunder tympanic,
God’s thunder symphonic.
5 God’s thunder smashes cedars,
God topples the northern cedars.
6 The mountain ranges skip like spring colts,
The high ridges jump like wild kid goats.
7-8 God’s thunder spits fire.
God thunders, the wilderness quakes;
He makes the desert of Kadesh shake.
9 God’s thunder sets the oak trees dancing
A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches.
We fall to our knees—we call out, “Glory!”
10 Above the floodwaters is God’s throne
from which his power flows,
from which he rules the world.
11 God makes his people strong.
God gives his people peace.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 