Psalm 29

Ever since the first century, many Christians have read the psalms when they prayed.  Here is a simple and profound psalm of praise to the power and presence of God, reminding us of who he is.

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Praise the Lord, you heavenly beings;
    praise his glory and power.

Praise the Lord’s glorious name;
    bow down before the Holy One when he appears.

The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas;
    the glorious God thunders,
    and his voice echoes over the ocean.

The voice of the Lord is heard
    in all its might and majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
    even the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump like calves
    and makes Mount Hermon leap like a young bull.

The voice of the Lord makes the lightning flash.

His voice makes the desert shake;
    he shakes the desert of Kadesh.

The Lord’s voice shakes the oaks
    and strips the leaves from the trees
    while everyone in his Temple shouts, “Glory to God!”

The Lord rules over the deep waters;
    he rules as king forever.

The Lord gives strength to his people
    and blesses them with peace.

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When Jalen was youth minister at Canvas, he would always begin his prayers with something like, “Thank you God for who you are and who you made us to be.”  A reminder that there is a God, that he created us, and that he made us to be someone particular.  That changes everything.

The history of the Israelites and God’s dealing with his people is centered on one thing: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God!”  And that history lead to that God becoming human in Jesus, who calls us to follow him and be the person he created us to be.

One simple way to pray this week is to take a couple of minutes to read this psalm, be quiet for a moment, pray honestly, be quiet, read the psalm again.  Maybe one day, a couple, maybe once a day.