Scripture: Psalm 29:1-11
What an exciting time to be alive. Needless to say, the last few weeks have been both exhausting and exhilarating. Exhausting in anticipation of the election results for the presidency of the United States of America and exhilarating when those results were such that a winner could be projected.
When all the major news networks projected with a tremendous degree of certainty on November 7 that Joe Biden would be the 46th president of the United States, pandemonium of joy and exuberance broke out into the streets of cities across the nation. Such emotions had not been experienced since 2008 with the historic election of the 44th president, Barack Obama.
It was a celebration for the reclamation of the soul of our nation and for the proclamation of democracy. It was a celebration for the restoration of the ideals that make our country great: civility, decency, the rule of law and the voice of the people in their right to vote.
We called, and texted, and emailed one another to share the news that tyranny, fascism and divisiveness no longer had the bully pulpit of the presidency in America. The exhaustion that we experienced was due primarily to the way state laws required that the votes to be counted in this unprecedented COVID election.
With more than 145 million votes cast and a historical amount of early votes, some state laws required that the “in person” votes be counted first and the early votes; the mail-in and absentee votes be counted last. And so we waited from election night on Tuesday until Saturday when Joe Biden was projected as the winner of the election.
While we waited, I said over and over again to my wife, Jackie, “It’s gonna be alright.” I said it was gonna be alright, not because I was a democrat and not because President Donald J. Trump’s behavior over the last four years was unbefitting of the presidency of the United States of America. I said it was gonna be alright because I heard the voice of the Lord say so.
When Jackie asked me how did I know it was the voice of the Lord, I told her that I knew it was the voice of the Lord because the Lord speaks specifically in a language that you understand. The Lord speaks specifically to the request or concerns that you inquire of Him. My concern was that the soul of the nation not be lost, the rule of law not be disrespected, and human decency and moral consciousness be restored to our communal life. If America was to be the nation it claimed to be; one nation under God, then change had to come to America.
I know the voice of the Lord when I hear it because His voice is consistent with His word. The Lord speaks in ways that affirm His word. He speaks in ways in which He has previously spoken. He speaks in the whirlwind, and in the fire, and in the rain. And He speaks in a still small voice.
In Job 38:1, He spoke to Job out of the whirlwind. If you find yourself in a whirlwind, then maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something. In Exodus 3:2-4, the Lord spoke to Moses out of a bush that burned with fire, but was not consumed (Ex. 3:2-4). If you find yourself in some hot places, then maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something.
The last four years have felt as though America has been in a whirlwind, and at other times in an earthquake, and still other times, in a fire. As a person of faith, I could only come to one conclusion, the Lord was trying to tell us something. Even in the stillness, and the darkness, and the quiet places, the Lord was trying to tell us something.
What’s best for us is listening to His voice. In Psalm 29, the psalmist encourages these ancient believers to listen to the voice of the Lord. He tells them that they can hear the voice of the Lord when they give glory and strength to the name of the Lord, and when they worship and praise the Lord (vv.1-2).
The psalmist goes on to tell them that the voice of the Lord is in everything around them. The voice of the Lord is in nature. In verse 5, it says the Lord’s voice is in the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the Lord is in all creation because He is the Lord of creation.
His voice is in the skipping calves (v.6a). His voice is in the young unicorn (v.6b). His voice is in the wilderness (v.8). His voice is in the flames of fire (v.7). His voice is in the forest and the floods (vv.9-10).
The voice of the Lord is in everything around us. In the days to come let us resolve to listen to His voice because maybe He’s trying tell us something. In Jesus Name. Amen!
