WHEN LIFE GETS LOUD

Psalm 29

1. ASCRIBE TO THE LORD THE GLORY HE DESERVES

• Psalm 29:1–2
• Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
• ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
• Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
• worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. (CSB)

A. THE REPEATED COMMAND

• The psalm opens with a command repeated three times:
• Ascribe to the Lord.
• ASCRIBE: to give, to attribute, to acknowledge.

• David is saying:
• Give God the honor that belongs to God.

B. GLORY AND STRENGTH BELONG TO HIM

• GLORY: abundance, honor, riches, respect
• STRENGTH.

• He is not a weak, sentimental deity who exists to make us feel slightly better about our lives.
• He is the SOVEREIGN LORD.
• That is important because our culture likes a manageable God.
• A God who comforts but never confronts.
• A God who inspires but never commands.
• A God who affirms but never rules.

C. WORSHIP REORDERS US

• Psalm 29 says:
• Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name
• Stop giving ultimate weight to temporary things.
• WORSHIP HIM AND HIM ALONE

• WORSHIP IS ROOTED IN GOD’S WORTH
• Psalm 145:3
• Great is the Lord and highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable.
• 1 Chronicles 16:28–30 (ESV)
• Ascribe to the Lord, families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken

• And then verse 2 says:
• Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.
• That means worship is not merely about atmosphere.
• It is about God’s Holiness and worth.

• WORSHIP IS A RESPONSE TO THE REALITY OF WHO GOD IS

2. THE VOICE OF THE LORD RULES OVER EVERY STORM

A. A REPEATED PHRASE

• Psalm 29:3–9
• This is the heart of the psalm.
• Seven times David says:
• The voice of the Lord…
• That repetition is intentional.
• It is like the roll of thunder again and again through the passage.
• Psalm 29:3–9
• THE VOICE of the Lord is above the waters.
• The God of glory thunders—
• the Lord, above the vast water,
• THE VOICE of the Lord in power,
• THE VOICE of the Lord in splendor. (vv. 3–4)
• THE VOICE of the Lord breaks the cedars;
• the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon (important symbol of strength). (v. 5)
• He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
• and Sirion (Sidonian name for Mount Hermon), like a young wild ox. (v. 6)
• THE VOICE of the Lord flashes flames of fire. (v. 7)
• THE VOICE of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
• the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. (v. 8)
• THE VOICE of the Lord makes the deer give birth
• and strips the woodlands bare. (v. 9)
• In his temple all cry, “Glory!” 

B. THIS IS STORM LANGUAGE

• David is painting a picture of the terrifying power of a storm rolling from the waters across the mountains and into the wilderness.
• AND AROUND HERE WE KNOW STORMS

• THE STORM IS NOT ULTIMATE - GOD IS.

• We know LITERAL storms.

• But there are other storms too.
• There are EMOTIONAL storms.
• RELATIONAL storms.
• FINANCIAL storms.
• HEALTH storms.
• SPIRITUAL storms.

• Psalm 29 reminds us that NO STORM GETS THE FINAL WORD over the people of God.
• Why?
• A. HIS VOICE OVER THE WATERS
• Genesis 1:2
• The earth was without form and void, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

• B. HIS VOICE BREAKS WHAT IS UNBREAKABLE
• The cedars of Lebanon were famous for strength, size, and majesty.

• C. HIS VOICE SHAKES THE WILDERNESS
• The wilderness is the place of vulnerability, exposure, and uncertainty

• D. HIS VOICE IS BOTH TERRIFYING AND LIFE GIVING
• Verse 9 is striking:
• The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the woodlands bare.
• That is judgment and life.
• GOD’S VOICE IS NOT TAME.
• But it is never meaningless.

• And most of those voices are loud.
• But LOUD IS NOT THE SAME AS ULTIMATE.
• Psalm 29 asks a real question:
• Whose voice carries the most weight in your life?

• IF THE LOUDEST VOICE IS THE LORD, YOU CAN STAND
• JESUS: 
• In Mark 4 we read that Jesus and the disciples were crossing the sea when a violent storm came up.
• The disciples are panicking.
• Jesus is asleep.
• They wake Him up in fear.
• And then we read:
• Mark 4:39
• He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Silence! Be still!’ The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• And the disciples asked the right question:
• Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” (Mark 4:41)

• HE IS THE LORD FROM PSALM 29
• We are seeing that Jesus is not merely a teacher with spiritual insight.
• He is the Son of God with authority over creation.
• And if His VOICE can calm a sea, His VOICE CAN CALM A SOUL

3. THE KING ABOVE THE FLOOD GIVES STRENGTH AND PEACE TO HIS PEOPLE

• Psalm 29:10–11
• These last two verses are the landing point.
• The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
• the Lord sits enthroned as King forever.
• The Lord gives his people strength;
• the Lord blesses his people with peace.” (CSB)

A. GOD IS NOT THREATENED BY THE FLOOD

• Because the purpose of seeing God’s power is not just to impress us.
• It is to anchor us.
• David says:
• The Lord sits enthroned over the flood.
• Not under it.
• Not threatened by it.
• The language of “flood” carries the idea of overwhelming waters, the kind of force no human can master.

• That means His rule is not seasonal.

• He is King forever.
• And what does this King give His people?
• A. STRENGTH
• Psalm 46:1
• God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
• Isaiah 40:29
• He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.
• B. PEACE
• And not just any peace.
• Isaiah 26:3
• You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.
• John 14:27
• Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.
• And Jesus came not only to display divine authority, but to bring divine peace through the cross.
• The One who spoke peace to the sea went to the cross to make peace for sinners.
• Colossians 1:19–20
• For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
• That means the peace of Psalm 29 ultimately points us beyond weather and circumstances to reconciliation with God through Christ.
• The strongest storm has already been met in Jesus.
• Sin judged.
• Death defeated.
• Shame answered.
• Grace given.
• And because He lives, PEACE is not just a feeling we chase.

REFLECTION / APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. What has felt loudest in your life lately, and how has it affected your peace?
2. What does it practically mean to “ascribe to the Lord glory and strength” in a stressful season?
3. What voices compete most for your trust right now?
4. Where do you most need to remember that God is enthroned over the flood?
5. How does Jesus calming the storm deepen your understanding of Psalm 29?
6. Are you asking God only to remove the storm, or also to strengthen you within it?
7. What false sources of peace have you been tempted to rely on?
8. What would it look like this week to live as though the Lord, not your fear, has the final word?

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHILE READING SCRIPTURE

What does this reveal about God?

What does this reveal about you in relation to God?

What do you need to do about it?