Psalm 29:1–4
A Psalm of David.
1Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. 2Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. 3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: The God of glory thundereth: The Lord is upon many waters. 4The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
Anyone familiar with my family knows my mom is fun and quirky. When I was young, we listened to a lot of country radio, and a guy named Eddie Rabbit was popular, but for some reason, my mom couldn't stand his songs. The reason for her repulsion wasn't what you might expect; it had nothing to do with his voice, the lyrics, or the melody of his music; it was his shirts. My mom disliked this dude's music because he didn't button much of his shirt and showed off his chest hair.
Ok, before I get in any more trouble, let me get to the point.
I remember many a car ride with 570 am - WWNC radio blaring when ole Mr. Rabbit would start singing his biggest hit, "I Love A Rainy Night." I would turn the knob, crank up the volume, and flash a big grin as I watched my momma's frustration. (By the way, I have since come to believe that she was playing into the joke and wasn't nearly as upset over the chest hair as she pretended). I chuckled at this recollection this morning while reading this Psalm and replayed that song in my head.
I love a rainy night. I love a rainy night. I love to hear the thunder, Watch the lightnin' when it lights up the skies. You know it makes me feel good.
Why did this memory come to mind? Let me explain.
Psalm 29 often repeats the phrase, "the voice of the Lord." His voice is compared to waters and thunder. I read a few commentators that said that the early Christians would read this Psalm to their children during a storm. Look at what Charles Spurgeon said about it,
Just as the eighth Psalm is to be read by moonlight, when the stars are bright, as the nineteenth needs the rays of the rising sun to bring out its beauty, so this can be best rehearsed beneath the black wing of tempest, by the glare of the lightning, or amid that dubious dusk which heralds the war of elements. The verses march to the tune of thunderbolts. God is everywhere conspicuous, and all the earth is hushed by the majesty of his presence.[1]
The next time the rains fall, the lightning flashes and the thunderclaps behind the clouds, take the opportunity to think of the Creator and Controller of them and read this Psalm to his glory. Perhaps you might ask yourself, "could God be speaking through this storm?" Consider that he can speak through the literal storm but the figurative storms of your life. Let these drive you to the Bible for the ultimate revelation of what he has to say.
As you do all of this, you might even sing
I love a rainy night. I love a rainy night. I love to hear the thunder, Watch the lightnin' when it lights up the skies. You know it makes me feel good.
But please, for the sake of my momma, button your shirt all the way up as you do.
My 2021 Bible Reading Plan
February 26, 2021
[1] Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 27-57 (Vol. 2, p. 29). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.