During springtime in Mississippi, we don’t have to be reminded about the power of thunderstorms, do we? When cold fronts from the plains collide with the warm, moist air off of the Gulf of Mexico, hailstones as big as golf balls fall from the sky, while trees and limbs fall on power lines, leaving thousands in the dark. And then there are the tornadoes, to which our friends in Rolling Fork and Silver City can bear such sad witness.

And don’t forget the hurricanes in the fall: Camille and Katrina left untold devastation along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Southern Louisiana is still trying to pick up the pieces after Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit the Lake Charles area in 2020 and Hurricane Ida did $18 billion worth of damage in 2021.

But David reminds us that even the most powerful of storms cannot challenge the might and majesty of God. For it is the voice of the Lord that governs the waters. It is the God of glory Who causes the thunder to roll (verse 3). In fact, God’s Word is able to snap even the largest of trees (verse 5), and to cause the earth to quake (verses 6, 8).

And David wasn’t just being poetic. For didn’t Jesus still a storm on the Sea of Galilee with a word (Mark 4:39)? And when Jesus cried out and yielded up His spirit, didn’t the earth quake and the rocks split apart (Matthew 27:51)? In fact, didn’t God cover the whole earth with a flood in the days of Noah (verse 10)? Can there be any force of nature that can match the power of our God?

So, whether we are putting up boards in preparation for a storm, or picking up the limbs after it has passed by, let’s remember that they are nothing in comparison to God’s strength. So, let’s glorify Him and worship Him, seeking to live holy lives that are in accordance with His mighty Word (verses 1 and 2). And let’s rejoice that, in His sovereign grace, our God has chosen to bless His people with strength and peace (verse 11).

Psalm 29 (NASB)

A Psalm of David.
Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array.
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 And He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve, And strips the forests bare, And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sat as King at the flood; Yes, the LORD sits as King forever.
11 The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.