December 27, 2022 - Psalm 29
David and Israel often were found praising God. This is the first fruit of conversion, i.e., the new born Christian naturally and instinctively desires to worship the Lord who has saved him. Now, that’s a first fruit but many will grow lukewarm, even cold, in their love toward God. What to do? Dig deeply into the riches of his nature and character! And this psalm is a good place to start. Consider the voice of the Lord. It thunders over many waters. It is powerful and full of majesty. It is full of judgment and warning. It is illuminating. It is sovereign, and it demands honor.
W. S. Plumer reflected on this psalm and, among other lessons, he offered this: “A man with a right and good heart will find reasons to praise God in all the aspects of nature. God is everywhere. His wonders are everywhere.” I remember a family outing in South Carolina to Caesar’s Head State Park and Pisgah National Forest. I asked our children and reflected with them, “Who made those mountains? Look at those colors. Who could have thought to make them so beautiful? Listen to the stream. You can almost hear the Lord walking in his creation!”
Furthermore, Plumer noted, “If a man has a heart to learn, he can never be in want of a teacher. All nature has lessons for him. Some are startling, more are quiet and gentle. But all around is evidence of God and his greatness. This is the great accusation hurled against the pagan – ‘For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened’” (Romans 1:20,21). But we, well, we have every reason to praise God!
O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend! -- Robert Grant (1833)