Thursday, June 18, 2026

Opening Scripture

For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, LORD my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead. Psalm 86:10-13

Opening Prayer

I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise; that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies. I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day; the moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey. There’s not a plant or flower below but makes Thy glories known; and clouds arise and tempests blow by order from Thy throne. While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care, and everywhere that we can be, Thou, God, are present there.

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, you 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 his holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders,

the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Reflection  

Today’s passage is a hymn of praise to the Creator. His power and majesty are revealed in nature, prompting us to “worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” The word “ascribe” means to attribute to the source. We joyfully “ascribe to the LORD” glory, strength, and honor. We worship Almighty God for who He is and what He has done! And David invites the “heavenly beings” to join in as well.

The psalmist imagines the voice of God like a winter cyclone moving across the Mediterranean Sea from west to east onto land. David describes the raging storm striking the mountain range on the border of Lebanon and Syria, destroying the majestic trees for which the area is well known. The land seems to leap like a calf and dance like a wild ox under the meteorological onslaught. David had no doubt witnessed this kind of intense weather many times.

Lightning, thunder, strong wind, and heavy rain hint at the strength of the One who created them. Seven times in this psalm, David refers to that climatic commotion as “the voice of the LORD,” and in the presence of such power, he can only cry, “Glory!”

In the midst of it all, “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” Almighty God provides safety in the storm for those He loves.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Similar to today’s passage, Psalm 104 borrows from the Genesis creation story to proclaim God’s majesty and sovereignty in the natural world. In that hymn to the Creator, the psalmist declares, “Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent.” The psalmist goes on to describe the ways that weather, wildlife, mountains, and meadows stir his heart to worship the Lord.

Our English word “worship” comes from the Old English “weorthscipe,” which denotes worthiness, respect, and reverence paid to a divine being. For followers of Jesus, worship is the natural expression of an awed and appreciative heart.

Worship takes place in the soul and mind of the worshipper. It doesn’t happen to you. It happens in you. The act of worship is so profound that it sometimes influences the posture of the worshipper. The Bible refers to sitting, standing, bowing, kneeling, dancing, and raising hands in worship.

Our worship of God involves heartfelt devotion that is prompted by the Holy Spirit and grounded in the objective truth of Scripture. As we worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) – with our mind’s attention and heart’s affection focused on God – our posture should be a natural and appropriate expression of our sincere motivation and humble response to His self-revelation.

What tends to prompt your worship of Almighty God?

What situations or conditions seem to nurture your spontaneous reverence and awe of your Creator?

Does your worship of God include singing, silence, meditation, mystery, gratitude, confession, surprise, weeping, or laughter?

Ask God to help you worship Him acceptably today.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!