READ:
Psalms 29-30
The title of Psalm 29 could have been: Give God
Glory. Glory is not a word our culture uses much outside of church. Some might
even consider it part of the “Christianese” we sometimes speak. What exactly is
glory? And how do we ascribe, or give it, to God?
Glory is fame, honour, recognition, majesty, power,
reputation and position. Another way to define glory might be to say it is the
essence and value of someone. Throughout Scripture, and this Psalm, we are told
to give God glory. God already has the highest honor, and power, and position.
How do we give Him what He already has?
As we read through Psalm 29 the Psalmist shows us
exactly how to give God glory. Every phrase, every verse declares the majesty
and power of God. It declares who He is, what He does, and how He does it. The
essence and value and power of God are seen through these verses. The Psalmist
is jogging our minds and challenging us to look around and see the very
presence – the glory – of God in our environment and then to acknowledge it. It
is this acknowledgement, actually speaking up, about what God has done and how
He rules this earth, and is in involved in our lives, that brings Him glory. We
cannot change His glory, but we can give it to Him by communicating His glory
to the world around us.
Psalm 30 is a song of thanksgiving. The Psalmist
sings to God all He has done for Him. He is remembering what God has done for
him and is thanking him again. Then, tucked away in verse 8 and 9 is another
glimpse into the heart of David. So sure and confident was David that he would
always give God glory and proclaim his faithfulness, we see him using that to
try to convince God to let him live longer! David is saying to God, What good
would it do for me to die? If I died the dust of my body won’t be able to
praise you, so why not let me live so I can praise you and others will see your
goodness?
We have seen David do this very thing through the
last few weeks. David loves to proclaim the glory of God. It brings up a
challenge for us. Are we so faithful to proclaim God’s glory, faithfulness and
goodness that God might extend our lives for His benefit?
JOURNALING
AND PRAYER
1. Ask the Lord if you have withheld glory from Him in
any way. Is there something He wants you to do about that? Confess if necessary
and ask God for specific ways, times and people you can share His glory with.
2. Spend several minutes in a prayer of thanksgiving
to God for who He is and all that He does, has done and will do. Ask God to transform
your heart through thanksgiving so you grow to be thankful not just for the
‘good’ things but also for the tough things.
3. Journal briefly what some of the many things are
that God has done in your life that you can declare to others and share His
glory. Then pray that God would prepare your heart to open your mouth and give
Him glory. Ask God what needs to change in your heart and life so your very
presence on earth would be even more beneficial to God and the spreading of His
glory in this place.
