Psalm 29

“May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” vs. 11

Our faith ancestors described God using clues that came directly from their observations of the world around them. They saw the movements of the stars and had experienced the earth-shaking terrors of thunder and lighting storms. They’d seen hurricane force winds level forests and rip the branches from trees. There were devastating floods in the ravines and valleys as rain pummeled the dry land. And as they sat huddled in places of safety they agreed that they were experiencing the power of God, and composed psalms of glory and praise to the Almighty. We can understand those feelings–the powerful forces of nature still have the capacity to bring us to our knees in fear and trembling. But as this psalmist finished his hymn he had one final request of his God, “May the Lord give us strength! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” And we say “Amen!” No matter how we conceive of the great God, no matter how we picture the Great Mystery, we still desire strength for life’s challenges and peace for the world’s warring peoples. We simply don’t know what the future will hold. So many things remain unknown. Just when we think we’ve got things figured out, the consequences of our behavior wreak new havoc and bring new challenges. But we continue to know this: whatever happens we will need strength, and oh how wonderful it would be to live at peace!

Thought for the Day: What do I need strength for?