SCRIPTURE
Psalm 29 (NRSV)
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!
DEVOTION
Five years ago, I preached on this passage of scripture. The title of that message was "Glory Shout!"
Even today, the determination to live a "glory shout" kind of life drives me in all that I say and do.
I acknowledge that bad things happen: hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, oil spills, lay offs, illness, murders, etc., but I also acknowledge with every fiber of my being that God is good (all the time) and all the time (God is good).
The determination to live a glory shout life is not sticking your head in the sand; rather it is a made up mind which declares, "Glory!" even in the midst of trial, tribulation, or hardship.
I love what the psalmist says. Essentially, he says, "We shout glory because God is king forever and he gives strength and peace to his people."
I love all of the attributes ascribed to our good God in this psalm. It says that God is honor-worthy, glorious, strong, splendid, holy, thunderous, powerful, and majestic all of the time.
Living a "glory shout" life means keeping our eyes and thoughts on who GOD IS, rather than on who we are and what we're going through. It means remembering that our faith allows us to praise God in the storm, rather than just waiting for it to be over. And it means trusting that the same God who loved us enough to send Jesus to live, die, and rise again to forgive our sins and grant us eternal life, is the same God who will either rescue us out of our mess, or join us in it!
God will never leave us nor forsake us friends and God will never be dethroned. Since this is true, let everyone shout, "GLORY!!", on this day!
Let us pray:
God, I am determined to shout "GLORY!" no matter what my circumstances for you are always good, powerful, and in control. I love you and I know that you love me. Thank you for giving Jesus to die and rise again to atone for my sin and open Heaven's door to my eternal life. I cannot begin to repay you for such a precious gift, that is why I am so thankful that it is free! But, with all that I am and ever hope to be, I shout GLORY and I pledge to share our love with others, as your Spirit leads me....I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
