Is God Really All-Powerful?

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the
Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.  – Psalm 29:1-2 (ESV)

On his broadcast, “The Rest of the Story, Paul Harvey shared the story of Coach Speedy Morris.
Speedy Morris was a basketball coach for La Salle University. He was shaving one morning when
his wife called out to tell him he was wanted on the phone by Sports Illustrated. Speedy Morris
was so excited by the prospect of national recognition that he nicked himself with his razor and
ran with a mixture of blood and lather on his face, and fell down the steps running to the
phone. The voice on the other line said, ‘For just seventy-five cents an issue you can get a one-
year subscription!” Something tells me that’s not what the coach had in mind.
Psalm 29 was written so that God’s people would give Him the recognition He deserves. The
phrase “Ascribe to the Lord” means to recognize Him for His attributes described in the
following verses. In verse 2, “the glory due His name” is the glory which properly belongs to
God. The idea is that God, who is capable of putting forth such power as is displayed in a storm,
has a claim to adoration and praise.

Reflection
On Sunday, Pastor Jim answered questions about the power of God. The goal of learning about
God is so that we follow Him and worship Him. What stood out most to you from the sermon?

Praise/Prayer

Profess to God why you think He is worthy of glory and praise. Ask God to give you an
opportunity to share with someone else how good God has been on your behalf.

God Shows His Strength to His People

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the
Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. – Psalm 29:1-2 (ESV)

A young boy traveling by airplane to visit his grandparents sat beside a man who happened to
be a seminary professor. The boy was reading a Sunday school take-home paper when the
professor thought he would have some fun with the lad. “Young man,” said the professor, “If
you can tell me something God can do, I’ll give you a big, shiny apple.” The boy thought for a
moment and then replied, “Mister, if you can tell me something God can’t do, I’ll give you a
whole barrel of apples!” (Today in the Word)

In Psalm 29 we are reminded that God can do anything. We are reminded that God’s power is
at work all around us and in the context of this passage, God’s power is at work in the storms.
The psalmist wants us to learn about the glory and strength of God from His power at work in
storms. We learned in the sermon that “omnipotence,” means “all power.” God has all powerand can do anything that is consistent with His nature.

Reflection

What is the biggest challenge you are facing? Do you believe God has enough power to helpwith your challenge? How could God be glorified in your situation?

Praise/Prayer

Praise God for His unlimited power. Ask God to use His power for His glory in any challenges
you are facing.

The Heavenly Scene

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. –  Psalm 29:10
(ESV)

There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the
most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has
ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify
them all. There is nothing for which the children ought to more earnestly contend to than the
doctrine of their Master over all creation-the Kingship of God over all the works of His own
hands-the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne…for it is God upon the Throne
whom we trust. (C.H. Spurgeon).

The psalmist pictures God “enthroned” above the storms and above the earth in heaven. This is
a picture of God ruling over all of His Creation. Calling God sovereign is another way of saying
God is in charge of everything. From all the terrors of the storm; from all that is fearful, on the
waters, in the forests, on the hills, when it would seem as if everything would be swept away –
the mind turns calmly to the thought that God is enthroned upon the clouds; that He presides
over all that produces this widespread alarm and commotion, and that He will reign forever and
ever.

Reflection

The heavens can refer spiritually to the place where God dwells but it can refer physically to the
universe as a whole. What does the size of the universe tell you about God? What does the
thought of heaven spiritually tell you about your problems?

Praise/Prayer

Thank God for the picture of Him being above everything and in charge of everything. Ask God
to help you trust His care and concern for you.

The Earthly Storms

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many
waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. – Psalm 29:3-4
(ESV)

A farmer had a neighbor that was just absolutely negative, no matter what. If it was raining, the
farmer would say to his neighbor, “Boy, look at it rain, God’s sort of washing everything clean.”
The neighbor would say, “Yeah, but if it keeps up it’s gonna flood.” Then the sun would come
out and he’d say, “If it keeps that up, it’s gonna just scorch the crops.” The farmer got a new
tractor and showed it to this guy. “I’ll bet it’s broken down before you get your first job done.”

The farmer thought, “What am I gonna do to help change this guy’s negative attitude?” So he
searched high and low for something that would be hard to find negative. Finally, he found it –
a duck-hunting dog that had been trained to walk on water. He bought it, and sure enough, this
dog could walk on water. He didn’t tell his neighbor, he just took him duck hunting. Boom!
Boom! They brought these ducks out of the sky, and said to his dog, “Go get ’em.” The dog
walked across, picked them up, and hopped back in the boat, nothing wet just his paws. The
farmer said, “What do you think of that?” The neighbor said,”He can’t swim, can he?”

Psalms 29:3-9 describes a great storm. The thunder is seven times spoken of as “the voice of
the Lord.” It is “powerful;” it is “full of majesty;” it “breaks the cedars;” it “flashes flames of
fire;” it “shakes the wilderness;” it “makes the deer give birth,” and “it strips the forests.” The
point is that the Lord presides over the floods. God is overall all these earthly things and shows
His power by ruling over things of the earth.

Reflection

Where do you see God’s power most at work in nature? Where have you seen God’s power
most at work in your life?

Praise/Prayer

Praise God for several of the displays of power you thought of above. Pray for places in our
country where you would like to see a move of God.

God Shares His Strength with His People

May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! – Psalm
29:11 (ESV)

Years ago, there was a show called “Mutual of Omaha’s ‘Wild Kingdom,’” with Marlin Perkins.
Marlin and whoever his assistant was at the time would go into dangerous situations to show
people how animals lived. They’d be wrestling huge snakes, alligators or other animals. One
thing you can learn from these shows is how lions pick out their prey from a herd of animals.
Which animals do they pick to kill and eat? The weak ones who fall away from the herd, right?
They’re the ones who don’t have the strength to keep up, or they’re simply not alert. And the
lion just watches, waiting for the opportunity to pounce and kill. Our enemy the devil is the
same way. He looks for the weak and unaware, waiting for his opportunity to pounce and kill.

God knows that we are weak. Psalm 29:11 promises God’s people that God shares His strength
with us so we can fight our battles. Because God is all-powerful, we can have confidence. The
idea is, that the God who presides over the storm, the God who has such power and can
produce such effects, is abundantly able to uphold His people and defend them.

Reflection

What are you wrestling with in your life currently? Where is an area of your life where you are
feeling weakest right now?

Praise/Prayer

Thank God for sharing His power with us. Ask God to give you the strength you need and the
blessings you need today.