Jan 16th
Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1 Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings[a];
honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
2 Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon[b] leap like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks[c]
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
10 The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
11 The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.
It is interesting to me the way that David wishes evil upon his enemies in this Psalm. Or the way that he sees God impacting his enemies to make them weaker than David’s army.
In verse 9 he says that the Lord makes David’s enemies like “young wild ox.” When you picture a young wild ox what do you see? I think of a Tasmanian devil, or someone who is rambunctious, someone who is all emotion and lacks thoughtfulness. I picture someone who is sporadic, who doesn’t think about the consequences, someone who reacts without thinking.
I’m like a young wild ox sometimes. (also shout out to Madison who is a taurus and who was BORN ON THE SAME DAY as me!!!!
Essentially, it’s a bad trait. Something we should all avoid. To be like a young wild ox is to lack intention, to want to speed through life too quickly, and to not think deeply about what you’re doing, the people around you, and even the impact your actions can have on others.
I hope that I (and we) are less like young wild oxes and more like….sloths? Or something in between.
This is why this season at Wesley I want us to move slower. I pray that as a leadership team we can move with even more intention. I pray that we can move with more mindfulness. It’s the season to not take things for granted and enjoy every step of the way.
Take your time. Take deep breaths. Think about your words and actions. Slow down. Love people. Love God. Love self.