Hearing the Voice of God

This is a study from Psalm 29. Open your Bible and follow along with me. If you read Psalm 29, you'll notice that it mentions the 'voice of the Lord' from
verses 3 through 9. I happen to be using a King James Version in this because of the beautiful word study it presents. Are you ready?

1. God's voice is available to everyone (verse 3). It mentions in verse 3 that
it is upon 'waters' and that is symbolic of multitudes of people when
you compare that to Revelation 17:5. But that does not mean
that everyone hears it. It just means that it is available to
all and I'll give you the reason why many of us don't hear Him before
this is over. But for now let's move to the next point.

2. God's voice is convicting and majestic (verses 4-5). It can
stir us up and it's good to compare Hebrews 4:12 with this. It
describes how God's Word is powerful and it describes how it
penetrates the INSIDE of the hearer that no others can experience
unless they are willing. In verse 5, 'cedars' are mentioned and
trees usually describe people throughout the Old Testament.
Cedars represent those who trust Him (read Psalm 104:16).

3. God's voice brings us comfort and joy (verse 6). It mentions
how He makes them (the cedars) 'skip like a calf.' This
represents joy in the victory found in the Lord. I think of
David who danced when the ark of the covenant was brought back to
Jerusalem. Lebanon and Sirion are mentioned. These names
of these places mean 'white' (Lebanon) and 'sacred' (Sirion).
Salvation seems to be pictured here and also unity is also symbolized
by the 'unicorn.' A unicorn is simply any animal that has one
horn. A horn represents power and here it is one horn just as
the Body of Christ is ONE body. It is more powerful when we are
unified by being led by His Word.

4. God's voice brings ORDER; not CONFUSION (verse 7). The term 'flames of fire' can refer to servants of God, whether they be human or angelic. Hebrews 1:7 says that God "...maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire." Here in Psalm 29:7 it says the the voice of the Lord divides them. This is a picture of order and finding the will of God for your life for His purpose. 1 Corinthians 14:40 says, "Let all things be done decently and in order." So, when you get in tune with God, he'll reveal what plans he has for you.

5. God's voice shakes our pride (verse 8). The 'wilderness' in this verse refers to the flesh or carnal nature that goes against the Holy Spirit. Kadesh is where Moses smote the rock the second time out of his anger and was not allowed to enter the promised land in his lifetime. When we feed upon God's Word it makes our spiritual side stronger.

6. God's voice reveals brings revival and testimony (verse 9). The 'hinds feet' represents revival and joy in the midst of trouble according to Habakkuk 3:19. The 'forests' in this verse can point to secret sins of the flesh we succumb to and the voice of God sheds light on it to confess it before Him. This whole verse represents a new beginning in life by repentance toward God.

The remaining verses (10-11) give glory and praise unto God along with the promise strength and blessing to His people. But I must share with you HOW DO YOU RECEIVE GOD'S VOICE. Well, if you haven't noticed by now I didn't share with you the first TWO VERSES of this chapter yet. In verses (1-2), it reveals to us what we must do before the voice of the Lord appears in verse 3.

It tells us in verse 1 to 'Give unto the Lord' especially if you are mighty. This refers to us not trusting in our own strength and ability and give up our self-reliance. It's a picture of salvation and also service. Then the next verse begins with 'Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.' It goes on to say 'worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.' This refers to praise because of his saving grace. The word 'beauty' has a reference to grace in the Old Testament. To sum it all up, we must be SAVED, SERVING, and WORSHIPING. Let me close with this illustration.

Before refrigerators were used, people used icehouses to preserve food. Large blocks of ice were cut out of frozen streams and lakes during the winter and hauled to the icehouses and covered with sawdust. The ice would usually last into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse one day. He searched diligently, raking through the sawdust but didn't find it. His co-workers searched and couldn't find it either. A small boy who heard about the search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and he found it. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.

He replied, "I closed the door and laid down in the sawdust and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking." Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being STILL enough, and QUIET enough to hear!