Glory!

The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!" ESV Psalm 29:9

Do you ever marvel at God’s glory? Our lives are so full and busy that’s it’s easy to miss the everyday wonders that are all around us. Each wonder is a gift from the Creator and each wonder should be a reminder of God’s glory.

Our verse today has come to my attention at least three times this past week. The more I meditate on it the more I’m convinced that God’s glory is beyond my imagination. The first time I came across it was at a Christian website that I visit often. The verse was superimposed over a picture of an erupting volcano. Imagine a volcano in full eruption at night with red hot lava spraying around a crater and steam rising into the evening sky. Volcanoes are powerful enough to lift the top off mountains. Their power is magnificent; so is the voice of the Lord.

My family took a spur of the moment overnight trip this past week to Little Bear Creek Lake. We do quick trips like that from time to time; though sometimes to the chagrin of my family. But we usually all end up having a memorable time. Anyway, we rented one of the cabins down on the lake. Just before sunset Melisa and I walked down to the pier and watched the sunset. Sunsets are always prettier on the water and this one didn’t disappoint us. Just at the last moment, the sky erupted with color in a spectacular display. Sunsets are spectacular; so is the voice of the Lord.

The next morning I watched the sun rise on the other side of the lake and then sat down for a cup of coffee and Bible reading. There it was. Our verse for the week caught my eye for the second time. I pondered the descriptions the Psalmists gives of God’s voice. It’s so strong that leaves fall from the trees and deer spontaneously give birth. In some respects the voice of the Lord must be frightening. Like the rumbling of thunder; so is the voice of the Lord.

A relaxing getaway is not complete for me without two critical items; a good book and my bicycle. Determined to get in a short ride, I headed out for a quick spin as soon as the morning chill lifted. Just a few miles out, I was reminded of our verse a third time as I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I had startled a spotted fawn on the roadside. It ran along beside me for several yards and then froze at the edge of the wood and watched me pedal on by. The fawn was beautiful; so is the voice of the Lord.

How do you react to the voices of nature? Do you take them for granted or do you see them symbolic of the voice of God? I’m convinced that God speaks today through His written word. The Bible is the voice of the Lord for you and me. How do you react to the voice of the Lord? Don’t take the voice of the Lord for granted. Instead, listen intently as the unimaginable glory of God unfolds. His voice is magnificent, spectacular, frightening, and beautiful. If you listen intently to His voice you’ll be like those in the temple; your one word response will be “Glory!”