Image from hope68.com
Listen to today's devotional here: https://bit.ly/3bW7srY
1 Bravo, God, bravo! Gods and all angels shout, "Encore!" 2 In awe before the glory, in awe before God's visible power. Stand at attention! Dress your best to honor him! 3 God thunders across the waters, Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness - God, across the flood waters. 4 God's thunder tympanic, God's thunder symphonic. 5 God's thunder smashes cedars, God topples the northern cedars. 6 The mountain ranges skip like spring colts, The high ridges jump like wild kid goats. 7 God's thunder spits fire. 8 God thunders, the wilderness quakes; He makes the desert of Kadesh shake. 9 God's thunder sets the oak trees dancing A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches. We fall to our knees - we call out, "Glory!" 10 Above the floodwaters is God's throne from which his power flows, from which he rules the world. 11 God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace. (Psalm 29 The Message Bible)
Thursday has arrived, and may it be for you, dear Friend, a tremendous day filled with joy and peace, wholeness and healing for you and those who matter to you; and may your response be to those who matter little if at all, in ways that bless God!
This psalm, in various translations, uses words to begin this psalm that we do not normally use in our everyday language. The word bravo, and the word ascribe, are not what we would call common words. If you were to tell a friend or a colleague, "Ascribe to me what you have learned from me..." their response might well be, "What? Wait, wait, what are you talking about, ascribe?" And that's okay. Ascribe means to give credit or affirm. "Why didn't you say that to begin with?" And this modern version, The Message, uses bravo. Bravo might be a word you use at a soccer game, or the end of an opera. But in everyday life? Hardly. Bravo is a praise exclamation; and you begin to get the idea that the psalmist had when he wrote this psalm. As he often wrote and sang, "God deserves our praise!" So, you get the idea. David loves God and is not ashamed to say it, or sing it, or write it. And neither should we! God is without competition anywhere, and David says all the heavenly beings should acknowledge that by shouting, "Encore!" There's another word, but most of us know it means, "Do it again!"
The attitude towards God should begin with our awe, upon that awe, we add our respect and honor, because God deserves it. And we join with the forces of nature as they applaud and honor God in their own way; thunder, lightning, floods, the crashing of mighty cedar trees by God's thunder; the animated mountain ranges adding their contribution to the praise that God deserves. Mountains, deserts, oceans, join rain and the falling of branches, all shouting, "Glory!" Above it all, God is on His throne watching and being honored; all the while God is making us strong, and giving us peace.
This is the bow tie that wraps all the scriptures for the week together; the gospel lesson calling us to new birth; the epistle relating the coming of the Holy Spirit, the vision of the spiritual chambers of heaven with God calling all to service and witness, and this psalm that says, God is in control; always has been, always will be; and He will give us strength and peace through the spiritual connection we are asked to have with Him.
PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth; and while You are at it, renew, refresh, rekindle, and reenergize us for Thy service. Break the bonds of obstacles and worry; mend the breaks of emotion and physical bodies while healing us, and make us whole to better serve You; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name; the name above all names, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a servant today to all you come across with needs.
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
