24th May 2024
The voice of the Lord
The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert…
Psalm 29:4-5, 7-8 (NIV)
A few years ago I lived west of the mile high city of Denver, in the Rocky Mountains. It was the most amazing place: breathtaking scenery, big skies and a ruggedness that is hard to put into words. During the summer we would get spectacular storms. From where I lived, near the top of a mountain, you could see storms approaching and they were both fascinating and frightening. And they were dangerous. Every year there were reports of people who had sadly lost their lives, usually from being caught by a lightning strike. You had to take the storms seriously and take precautions such as being indoors if possible, unplugging electrical items and making sure you were not on or in a body of water.
Not far from where we lived there were some huge Ponderosa pines soaring into the sky. I am not sure how old they were, but they looked like they had been around for quite some time. The day after a particularly bad storm with numerous lightning strikes and thunder that would make your teeth rattle, I saw that one of the pine trees had been hit by lightning and literally split in two. It was still standing but its trunk was scorched, and you could clearly see where the lightning bolt had hit and travelled down before plunging into the earth. The top of the tree had simply exploded as if it had been nothing and the gaping hole between what was left of each side of the trunk spoke of the sheer raw power in that lightning strike. With the lingering smell of scorched wood filling my nostrils, I found myself at a loss for words as I stood there looking at the remnants of the tree.
It is hard to imagine such power even when you see the evidence before your eyes. In a similar way, it is hard to imagine the power of God. Sometimes during a storm when the thunder rumbles I think of the ancient Israelites standing at the bottom of Mount Sinai trembling. Exodus 19:17-18 says, ‘…Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.’
I don’t blame them for being afraid. I think we all would be doing a fair bit of trembling ourselves had we been there. Yet for all God’s power, he chose to reveal himself to Elijah in that ‘gentle whisper’ (1 Kings 19:12-13). And here in Psalm 29, with all of his power and majesty, God chooses to bless his people with peace and strength. (Psalm 29:11). He treats us with gentleness and tenderness, even singing over us like a father rocking his child to sleep. It is all rather incredible and once more I find myself at a loss for words.
Prayer
Our heavenly Father, your voice has such power that it splits the trees, yet you speak to us lovingly in a gentle whisper. Attune our ears to you and let us follow your voice always. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Jackie Mill
About the writer:
Jackie Mill is a minister in Grace Communion International and Co-Regional Pastor for Scotland, Ireland, and Northern England.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Central Glasgow
Garnethill Room
Conference Suite
St Andrews West
260 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4JP
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:15 am
Local congregational contact:
Peter Mill
Email: edinburgh@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church