The Voice of the Lord

Psalm 29:4

“The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”

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Right now, I am working through the Psalms.  This morning I came to Psalm 29.  These words really struck me - “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many 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 to 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 makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

I walked away from that text this morning with a sense of awe, overwhelmed as I thought about the power of God’s voice.  With that voice He called the whole universe into existence.   He spoke on Mt. Sinai and gave us the Ten Commandments.  Yet with it He also once spoke as a “still small whisper” in the ear of Elijah.  He spoke seated on His throne and called Isaiah to be His prophet saying, “Whom shall I send?”   He spoke as a voice from heaven at the baptism of Jesus, “This is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.” And then again God’s voice spoke much the same message to the three disciples – Peter, James and John - on the Mount of Transfiguration.  This time He added this admonition – “Listen to Him.”

Ultimately, in the most intimate and personal way, Jesus Himself, is God’s voice.  He is “the word made flesh and dwelling among us.”  Jesus - the life that He lived, as well as the words that He spoke… the death that He died for us, as well His resurrection – is God’s voice to us… God making Himself known to us.  “No one has ever seen God but God the one and only, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.”    Or as we read in Hebrews – “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

I was thinking about all of this as I walked with my dog Molly this morning, wondering, “Does God still speak to us?  What would it be like to hear God’s voice today?  Where and how does He speak to us?”  As I listened to the birds sing, I thought of the creation as a living, daily testimony to the power of God’s voice.  I came upon a tree felled by yesterday’s thunderstorm and I thought again of the Psalm - The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders… The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

I do believe God still speaks.  That’s why I spend time daily in Scripture and urge all of you to do the same.  This book, as Paul tells us, is “God breathed.”  Here holy men of God, prophets, “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  Sometimes God thunders at me from here, calling me to repentance.  At other times He speaks with the quiet, gentle voice of grace that offers peace and hope.  He speaks at every baptism for each one is a “washing of water with the word.”  He speaks to us in Holy Communion for it is by His word and promise that Christ offers us his very body and blood in the bread and wine.  What word does He speak there – “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

One very important question I have asked, and I keep hearing is this – “Is He speaking in this COVID 19?”  “If so, what is He saying?”  I wouldn’t presume to be able to answer those questions. I would return instead to this book, to His written word.   Just as in a sermon, God’s applies His word differently in each of our hearts, I am sure He is doing the same right now.  Please know that I am not saying that God caused this Pandemic or is using it to punish some specific sin.  But I do know He is speaking, reminding us of our need for Him,  seeking to turn our hearts to Him, making clear that He is in control and not us, showing us how vulnerable are the treasures of this world, reminding us to store up for ourselves real treasure in heaven, “where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal.” 

In fact, I would say that right now God is speaking literally volumes in the midst of all of this.  You Tube, Vimeo, Facebook, ZOOM and more are full of live stream worship services, daily devotions and Bible Studies.  His Word is being proclaimed as never before.  People are being reached by His voice… people who would never step inside one of our churches.  Yes, the voice of the Lord is thundering, whispering, speaking… “The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.”   Listen!  Listen to Him!  Amen.