Introduction: The Sound of Power
My brothers and sisters, have you ever been caught in a truly powerful thunderstorm? I don't
mean a gentle summer shower, but a tempest. A storm where the sky turns a dark, bruised
purple. A storm where the lightning doesn't just flash, it splits the heavens, and for a split
second, night becomes a stark and terrifying day. And then comes the thunder. Not a distant
rumble, but a deafening, bone-rattling crack that seems to shake the very foundations of your
home. It's a sound that makes you feel small. It’s a sound of raw, untamed, and immense power.
In our modern world, we can explain it. We talk of atmospheric pressure, static discharge, and
sound waves. But the psalmist David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, heard something
more in the thunder. He heard a voice. He heard the very voice of Almighty God.
Psalm 29 is David’s thunderstorm psalm. It is a symphony of divine power, a portrait of God's
majesty painted with lightning and thunder. And in this awesome display, David finds not a
reason for terror, but a profound reason for worship and, ultimately, a deep and abiding comfort.
Today, I want us to walk through this psalm together. I want us to see that the God whose voice
shakes creation is the very same God who promises to give us strength and peace. We will look
at three movements in this great hymn: The Unavoidable Summons, The Seven Thunders of His
Majesty, and The King Above the Flood.
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Point I: The Unavoidable Summons (vv. 1–2)
The psalm does not begin in the storm. It begins in the throne room. It begins with a command,
a summons issued not to the weak or the meek, but to the mighty. David cries out:
"Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD
the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."
Who are these "mighty ones"? Commentators suggest they could be angels, the heavenly host.
They could be the powerful kings and rulers of the earth. In either case, the message is the
same: the most powerful beings in creation are commanded to acknowledge a power infinitely
greater than their own.
Notice the word "Give." It's not that God is lacking in glory or strength and we must supply it to
Him. No! The word here means to ascribe, to attribute, to recognize and declare what is already
His. You cannot give the sun its heat, but you can declare that it is hot. You cannot give the
ocean its depth, but you can stand at its shore and declare that it is deep.
We are called to give God the glory due unto His name. His very name—Yahweh, the great I
AM—carries with it the weight of all power, all authority, all existence. To withhold this praise is
not just an oversight; it is cosmic theft. It is robbing God of the honor that is intrinsically His.
And how are we to do this? We are to "worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." Our worship
must not be casual or flippant. It must be clothed in reverence, in awe, in a purity of heart that
recognizes we are approaching the Holy One of Israel. Before the storm of His power breaks
forth in verse 3, we are first reminded of our proper posture: on our knees, ascribing glory to the
King.
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Point II: The Seven Thunders of His Majesty (vv. 3–9)
Now, the scene shifts. From the call to worship, we are plunged into the heart of the storm. And
David describes the power of God using a repeating, hammer-like refrain: "The voice of the
LORD." Seven times, like seven great peals of thunder, he declares what this voice does.
First, "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters...the God of glory thundereth" (v. 3). The voice
commands the chaotic, deep waters—the ancient symbol of chaos and terror. He is not
frightened by the sea; He thunders over it.
Second, "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty" (v. 4). This
is the summary statement. His voice is not just loud; it is potent, effective, and robed in royal
splendor.
Third, "The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of
Lebanon" (v. 5). The cedars of Lebanon were legendary. They were symbols of earthly strength,
pride, and longevity. Kings built their palaces with them. And God's voice shatters them like
twigs. All that seems strong and permanent in this world is fragile before Him.
Fourth, He makes the mighty mountains themselves, Lebanon and Sirion, "skip like a calf...like a
young unicorn" (v. 6). The very symbols of immovability and permanence are made to leap and
dance with effortless ease by the power of His voice.
Fifth, "The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire" (v. 7). This is a poetic description of
lightning. He doesn't just create the flash; His voice carves a path for it through the sky. He has
perfect control over the most raw and dangerous energy in creation.
Sixth, "The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness" (v. 8). His power isn't confined to the sea
or the mountains. It reaches into the desolate, empty places. Nowhere is beyond the reach of
His voice.
And seventh, in verse 9, we see a stunning duality. "The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to
calve, and discovereth the forests." The same terrifying voice that can snap giant trees is also a
voice that can bring forth new life, causing even a timid deer to give birth in the midst of the
storm. It is a voice that is both destructive and creative, a voice that strips the forests bare,
revealing all that is hidden.
And what is the result of witnessing this seven-fold thunder of God's power? The end of verse 9
gives the answer: "and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory." When you truly see the
God of the storm, the only possible response is worship. Every part of his temple—the whole of
creation—cries out, "Glory!"
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Point III: The King Above the Flood (vv. 10–11)
Now, my dear friends, we come to the part of the psalm that brings it all home to us. After this
terrifying display of cosmic power, we might be left trembling. We might be tempted to see God
as a distant, frightening, and uncontrollable force. But David does not leave us there. He brings
us to a place of incredible comfort in the final two verses.
"The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever." (v. 10)
Pay close attention. He does not say the Lord is in the flood, tossed about by the chaos. He says
the Lord "sitteth upon" it. He is enthroned above it. The word for "flood" here is the Hebrew word
mabbul, the same word used for the great, world-destroying flood of Noah's day. It represents
not just a storm, but ultimate catastrophe, judgment, and chaos.
And God’s posture is one of serene, sovereign control. He sits. He is not pacing nervously. He is
not wringing his hands. He is seated as King, and his reign is eternal. The storm that shakes the
world does not shake His throne.
This is the good news for us today. What is the "flood" in your life? Is it a flood of financial debt?
A flood of bad news from the doctor? A flood of turmoil in your family? A flood of anxiety or
depression that feels like it will drown you?
Listen to the Word of the Lord! Your God is not overwhelmed by your flood. He sits as King
above it. He is sovereign over the very storm that terrifies you.
And because He is this all-powerful, sovereign King, He makes a promise in the final, beautiful
verse:
"The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace." (v. 11)
Do you see the glorious connection? The very same God whose voice is so powerful it breaks
cedars and shakes mountains is the God who bends down to give strength to His people. The
very same God who sits as King over the chaos is the God who grants His people peace—the
Hebrew word shalom, which means wholeness, completeness, tranquility in the midst of the
storm.
His power is not meant to crush us; it is meant to be the source of our strength. His sovereignty
is not meant to frighten us; it is meant to be the foundation of our peace.
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Conclusion: The Voice We Know
Today, we have heard the voice of the Lord in the thunder. But praise be to God, that is not the
only way He has spoken. The book of Hebrews tells us that while God once spoke in various
ways, "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:2).
The ultimate "Voice of the LORD" is the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. In Jesus, the voice that
breaks the cedars of Lebanon became a voice that said, "Lazarus, come forth!" In Jesus, the
voice that shakes the wilderness became a voice that said to the raging sea, "Peace, be still." In
Jesus, the God who sits above the flood came down to walk among us, to bear our burdens, and
to face the ultimate storm—the storm of God's wrath against sin—on the cross.
The power described in Psalm 29 is the very power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And
it is that same power that is now at work in us who believe. The King who sits enthroned forever
is the one who says to you today, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest."
So when the storms of life rage around you, when the thunder claps and the lightning flashes,
listen. Listen past the noise. Listen for the voice of your King. He is not a God of chaos, but the
King above it. And He, the Lord of Glory, the God of the Thunder, will give you strength. He will
bless you with peace.
