Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Dr Joseph Wood, Principal and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Church History, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Psalm 29 (NIV)
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;
worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King for ever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Devotional Thought
As I write this, I am sitting in the airport in Auckland, New Zealand waiting for my plane to board. I travelled to Auckland to meet with church leaders and students and while I am doing those things, Dr Dean Smith is teaching Introduction to Christian Doctrines for an eager group of learners. Although traveling can be difficult (missing family and the familiarities of home), it provides an opportunity to experience new things and explore new places. On Sunday, I was able to do just that.
After preaching at a local church in Auckland, I decided to go visit a popular parkland in the city. I made my way to a place called Cornwall Park where I began my ascent up One Tree Hill. After a bit of huffing and puffing, I finally made it to the top. This hill is one of many surrounding the city of Auckland and the prize when you reach the top is well worth it: 360 degree views of the city and the harbour.
As I surveyed the landscape and thought about how many thousands of people who for thousands of years had ascended this same hill and witnessed the same view, I was struck by the words of Psalm 29.
‘The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the voice of the Lord twists the oaks; the Lord sits enthroned over the flood……’
Surveying the landscape, I was awestruck at the thought of our Creator God who is over all things, who is powerful above all others, and who has the ability to show strength and power beyond anything we can imagine. Then the Psalmist ends by saying, ‘the Lord gives strength to his people and blesses them with peace.’ That is what left me awestruck: the almighty, all powerful, untameable God of the universe, does not exert his might over his creatures, but shares it with them. This is not a power that is to be lorded over others, but to be shared in a way that brings about peace. What a humble King we serve! May our lives reflect that humility as well.
Prayer
Lord of all creation. You are powerful beyond description, greater than anything we can imagine. Yet, you have humbled yourself and drawn us into your life through Christ. May we be ever mindful of the gift of life, and the strength you share as we work with you to bring peace and reconciliation in the world. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Rev. Joseph Wood, PhD
Principal and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Church History