Excerpt from Psalm 29

"The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. . . The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, 'Glory!'"

Reflection by Christina Villa

In the TV coverage of the storms and tornadoes this summer, I was struck by pictures of trees with their bark stripped off by the force of the wind.  I didn't know that could happen. I couldn't begin to imagine a wind powerful enough.

Today's scripture reads like a tornado report from biblical times. Trees whirl and snap, the forest is stripped bare.  The psalm is clear that all this is caused by "the voice of the Lord," to which the people say, "Glory!"  Maybe that’s what they said when they saw evidence of something more powerful than they could imagine.

Today, we're not very likely to give God glory for being powerful.  We tend to think of power negatively and dwell on all the ways it can hurt and destroy and be abused.  When was the last time you heard a prayer begin, "Almighty God"?  Sometimes I hear "Gracious God," and "Merciful God," and "Loving God" so often that I wonder if God isn't feeling a little pressured to exhibit only these qualities.  

People abuse power; God doesn't.  What good, I wonder, are God's mercy and grace if they aren't accompanied by power?

Prayer

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

About the Author Christina Villa is on the staff of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Daily Devotional is now on Facebook. Become a fan!

Sign up to receive Daily Devotionals

More items written by the Stillspeaking Writers' Group