"The voice of the Lord is over the waters...
The voice of the Lord is powerful...
The voice of the Lord is majestic...
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars...
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightening...
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert...
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forest bare...
The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace."
Psalm 29
If you know me at all, you'll know that for the several school years, I've been a huge advocate of our high school's debate program. This year, my daughter Amber is the Debate Captain, so I stepped up and agreed to be the Booster Club President. That may have been a mistake. Check back with me at the end of the year to see if I'm still fogging a mirror.
Anyway, last night I slept solidly for about 2 hours, at best. You see, we have a huge fundraiser coming up in a few weeks, and so far, we haven't enlisted enough parent volunteers to get everything done that needs to get done. I'm not a worrier, mind you, but I am a list maker, and apparently while I was sleeping, my subconscious was multi-tasking, making "to-do" lists, prioritizing other things, and thinking of new things to add to that growing list. True story...because I woke up with my list complete, wide awake. One problem: it was about 3:30 AM.
I tried to go back to sleep, but try as I might, sleep was alluding me. It was pretty apparent that sleep was not in my forecast, but as I deliberated about getting up, the Lord brought to my mind a verse I had memorized long ago:
Isaiah 26:3 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in Thee." (Yes, I memorized it in the King James Version, but if that's a foreign language to you, here's some other versions below...)
The New Living Translation says, "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You."
The New American Standard says, "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You."
When I have a lot of pressure on me to get things done, I feel the stress in my joints and upper back. I start to feel as though my body is filled with my old friends Arthur and Itis, and I long for relief from some ibuprofin. But this morning, the Lord gave me a very clear recipe for the stress relief and peace I need, and it wasn't "take 3 aspirin and call on Him in the morning." He reminded me that my #1 responsibility is not to Debate, not to work, and not even to my children or husband. My #1 responsibility is to keep my mind focused on Him and keep trusting Him. If I do that, He will provide the peace I need. And you know what? He's big enough to take care of all the little things on my "to-do list". In fact, He can even take care of the big ones on that list, too!
What does all this have to do with "the voice of the Lord" and Psalm 29? Well, over the last few days, I've really been focusing on this passage. I've been "stuck" on it, in fact, not really feeling the freedom to move on to something else. I've been enchanted by the power of God's voice, as visible in nature. I've been captivated by how strong the voice of the Lord actually is - strong enough to split the cedars! Yet sometimes my voice is so much louder than His that I don't hear Him. Sometimes I walk around with my earbuds glued in my ears, or maybe even an index finger in each ear, intentionally drowning out anything I don't have time to hear. I have my agenda, my "to-do" list, and I have my day planned out from start to finish. I try to merrily go through life with a good attitude and cope with what comes my way, often paying no attention to the voice screaming loudly (and sometimes whispering softly) in my ear.
I re-read the passage again this morning, for the fourth day in a row. You know what? I find it a bit ironic that all week my attention has been on the powerful images described in Psalm 29 about "the voice of the Lord"...ironic, because I never even noticed the last verse in the passage:
"The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace."
PEACE.
That's exactly what I need, and it's exactly what God promised me at 3:30 this morning. Keep my mind on Him, and He'll keep me in perfect peace.
I think it's no mistake that God whispered Isaiah 26:3 to me in the wee hours of the morning and then later had more promises of peace for me in this same passage that has captured my attention for four days straight.
"Lord, may I never speak so loudly that I cannot hear Your voice. May I tune my listening to Your frequency, so that whether You bellow or whisper, I will not only hear You, but I will listen, and I will obey. Thank you for perfect peace; peace that only You can provide in the midst of craziness; peace that comes only from keeping my mind steadfast on You."
--- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com