Silence for 2-5 minutes:
If your mind wanders, silently pray a simple prayer again and again, such as, "I surrender to your love" or "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" until the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace and focus.
Scripture:
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. 11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Reading:
David experiences God both in the unseen and the natural world. He begins the Psalm by urging the angels to ascribe to the Lord the glory and strength that only God is worthy of. David also sees the Lord in the natural world. His description of the storm sounds like a hurricane or a tornado. Whenever David sees power in the natural world, he automatically thinks about how the Lord is so much more powerful than what he sees or feels. David also speaks of God's tenderness as he thinks of a deer giving birth. The omnipotent God of power is also the God of profound gentleness. The point is that David sees God everywhere. The natural world is a window into the supernatural world of angelic worship. This Psalm begs us to know that we can encounter the voice of the Lord and His glory in all things.
Finally, David ends the Psalm rejoicing that the Lord is exalted over all of creation. This same Lord who has all power, receives the praise of angels and manifests His power in the storm, also gives strength to His people, and blesses them with peace. David has a Holy Spirit inspired imagination that helps him see God everywhere and recognize that He is speaking. I long for that as well.
Action:
Ask the Lord to help you see Him in all things and recognize that He is speaking. Ask the Lord to give you a seamless vision of God both in the seen and unseen realm.
Prayer:
O Lord, of the storm. O Lord, who sees the deer give birth. O Lord, who receives the praise of angels and delights in all your creation. Give me eyes to see that your power is limitless and that you are always speaking if I will but listen. Amen.