In the first two verses of this Psalm David directs the attention to God’s glory and strength, and he calls the mighty ones of the earth to recognize that the LORD has a glory and strength that far exceeds their own.

He calls each one of us to humbly worship Him, recognizing He is Worthy, for only He is Holy!

In the following verses David describes how the voice of the Lord sounds:

^“The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. (v.3)

He also describes it as (verses 4-9):

- Powerful and mighty.

- Full of majesty.

 “The thunder is not only poetically but instructively called ‘the voice of God,’ since it peals from on high; it surpasses all other sounds, it inspires awe, it is entirely independent of man, and has been used on some occasions as the grand accompaniment of God’s speech to Adam’s sons.” (Spurgeon)

I remember as a child how I joined the children from our street and we would play under the rain. But it was really scary to see a lightning followed by the sound of thunder! That would make us run back home!

This reminds me how God’s people in Exodus 20:18-19, reacted to this sound: “Now all the people witnessed the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the smoking mountain; and as they looked, the people were afraid, and they trembled [and moved backward] and stood at a [safe] distance. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us or we will die.” (AMP)

In contrast with Moses, these people were not only afraid of the smoke and thunders, but feared the sound of God’s voice! They had gone out from Egypt where they once had compromised with the immovable gods and idols of that place. Now they were under the care and guidance of a LIVING GOD! A God who could see the intentions and condition of their hearts!

This same happened to Adam and Eve back in Genesis 3:8-10

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” (NIV)

Imagine: Adam and Eve were both so accustomed to God’s voice before they sinned against Him! O how sweet conversations Adam and Eve both had with God. But once they disobeyed and sinned against Him, they feared His voice which God’s was convicting to their hearts!

 Now David was a man after God’s own heart and by faith he had the conviction that his God was a living God, so he was able to hear His voice, as he expressed it in Psalm 18:46 “The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!  May the God of my salvation be exalted!

Even Job had this same revelation: “ I know that my redeemer^[a] lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. (Job 19:25)

And we who have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior have received this same blessing and privilege! We can now live in fellowship with our Living God, and be able to speak to Him through prayer and worship and have the certainty that He listens and answers!

Finally, David recognizes that our Lord and King  is also our caring Shepherd:

^“The Lord sat as King at the flood; Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
¹¹ The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace. (29:10-11)

Yes, in our afflictions we can call on Jesus, that same Jesus that calmed the sea for his disciples (Matthew 8:23–27) will do the same for us, and right after the storm He will give us His peace! Isn’t He Amazing?

-“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 (NLT)

-“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…My sheep hear my voice…” (John 10:14, 27)

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father: I want to thank you for loving us and revealing yourself to us, not only through your wonderful creation, but through the Saving Sacrifice of Jesus! May our hearts be always seeking you through prayer and worship.  May our ears be always attentive to the sound of Your voice. Please deliver us from walking astray! We always want to be able to hear Your voice and follow You!  And when storms and afflictions may come, let us remember in faith that You give us the strength to stand firm, and will grant us your peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7), because “nothing…will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Amen

Blessings,

Mari

Our Reading: Psalm 28 and John 5:24

There are two kinds of people. Self seeking and God seeking. Among the self seeking are those who disguise their evil intentions and dishonesty with fake smiles, fake offers, fake promises, and pretty lies. The Bible warns against such people:

“Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart. Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not.“ Proverbs‬ ‭26:23-25‬ ‭

David knew the sting of betrayal and the pain of not being able to trust the intentions of others.  It can be discouraging when you are an honest,genuine person in a world full of dishonesty and lies. But David knew who He could trust and who He could count on to righteously judge and demand accountability. 

“Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more.”Psalm‬ ‭28:3-5‬ ‭

There used to be a time when “ a man’s word” meant something and people cared about principles and integrity. If someone said “ I give you my word” or “ I promise”, you could depend on that wholeheartedly. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could always trust the words and intentions of others.  But, sadly, that is far from the case today. In fact, think of how many times a day you are given false or misleading information, presented with false advertising and schemes, and called by telemarketers with sketchy pitches. 

Satan, being the ultimate deceiver, is also hard at work to confuse you, and lead you away from truth. In fact, one of his favorite places to attend and plant his servants includes church. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭11:13-15‬ ‭

But no matter how many traps are set or pretty little lies are pitched your way, there is always a place of refuge. God is 100% honest, 100% genuine, 100% trustworthy. He represents unwavering,steadfast truth that you can depend on. 

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalm‬ ‭28:7‬ 

Reflection:

1. Can you think of a time when you thought someone was being genuinely nice and helpful and they took advantage of you? How did you respond? 
2. Do you ask God for discernment and wisdom to not be deceived, especially about spiritual matters? 
3. Do you trust God and seek His Word as the ultimate source of truth? Do you realize He can not be your strength if you don’t trust Him? 

Prayer: Father, we thank you that we can fully trust You and Your intentions. Because we can trust You, You are our strength and comfort. We pray for Your righteous judgement against the evil intentions that are at work to craftily deceive us and do us harm.  We ask for discernment and wisdom as we study Your Word and apply your teachings. We may not be able to trust the words of mankind but we can always trust Your Word.