He is Qualified… (for what?)
Psalm 29

† In Jesus Name†

May the grace and mercy of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and cause you to dwell in His peace!

• We have an applicant!

As we look at Psalm 29 this morning, I want us to consider it as we would a job application.

Our question for the day? Is the person being presented to us a good fit for the position we need to be filled in our church? Are they needed in our lives?

This may seem an odd or different way to look at this scripture. Still, I think in the end, it will prove an important point, that God is qualified., incredibly qualified to be a productive part of Concordia’s team.

• The References ( What do people say about him?)

When I look at a job application, I want to know what people say about the applicant. Is he or she worth interviewing? I may even call their references and former employers before interviewing them. Even in a church, this is true. Do they stand out, does the employer or reference have to think about what they are going to say, or immediately praise them.

Or what if they have to think about it for a moment…. Trying to remember who this is?

Well, King David had no problem serving as a reference for God.  In verse 1 & 2, he says,

Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings! 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!

David isn’t just trying to get the people of Israel to praise God. He is trying to get all of creation to do so!

I don’t think you could get better references, as the angels praise him for his power, ability, and ability to lead. Those are the concept behind glory and strength, splendor.

So, God, the Lord God Almighty, has a solid reputation with those who

• Look at these qualifications!

But David doesn’t leave it at the references,

He will then spend a significant amount of time talking about the qualifications and abilities God has, just by the sound of his voice.

First, David explains it in theoretical terms,
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. Psalm 29:3-4 (NLT2)

This talks about sheer power! God’s voice so powerful it can divide the sea, as it did in Moses’ day, and again as Joshua crosses the Jericho River in flood stage! God’s power, simply the power of His voice, creates, Divides, and destroys – as He wills, as He desires!

I don’t think we truly understand the connection between power and ability – but if we are looking for someone to be here, working alongside us, knowing God’s power refers to His ability to work, is something we need to understand.

God has all the ability; we see that as the power of His voice is further described.

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 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 and strips the forests bare!” Psalm 29:5-9 (NLT2)

If we weren’t sure of God’s ability and power before, this should do it!

You want a few tables moved around?  It shouldn’t be a problem for the God who can make Mount Baldy and Mount San Jacinto play hopscotch. … Hmm, do they still play hopscotch in schools today?

This is actually all child’s play for God, but it gets us thinking about how powerful He is…!

Qualified to do what, though?

As we’ve been considering God’s qualifications to be part of the team at Concordia, there is one thing we haven’t considered yet.  His role.

I mean, we’d probably let him have any role He wants, right? 

But a good manager helps someone find their perfect role in an organization, if at all possible!

But Psalm 29 includes a description of the job that God wants.

¹¹  The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace. Psalm 29:11 (NLT2)

There is it… there is what God wants to do to the people of our community through this church.

The Hebrew is exciting in both these words; the strength He wants to give them is His strength! It is the word for protection, protecting them from everything that would assault and stress them out. 

It is like God taking us in His hand and protecting them as He deals with our enemies.

He’s taking on the sin that has so easily attached itself to us and freeing us from it.

The second term Is to bless us with peace, to bless us with serenity—something we so desperately need during this broken, messed up world and in the corner of it.

All this work happens because Jesus was lifted up, as it says in the gospel. “so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵  so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

That is what happened at the cross! That is where His voice was heard, as He pleaded with the Father to forgive us… for we don’t really know what we have done.

That is where our salvation took place. That is where God’s voice was heard; that is where He took us in His   hands and gave us peace….

That is where He proved what He is doing here in and through Concordia in this community.

He is qualified to be our God….AMEN!