Behold the power of God in the Psalms!

The future proves the past.

Psalm 29

The Voice of God in a Great Storm

A Psalm of David.

29 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;

worship the Lord in holy array.

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the Lord, upon 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 Sir′ion 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 oaks to whirl,

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 for ever.

11 May the Lord give strength to his people!

May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Behold the power of God in the Psalms!

The future proves the past.

Psalm 2

God’s Promise to His Anointed

2 Why do the nations conspire,

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder,

and cast their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord has them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 “I have set my king

on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord:

He said to me, “You are my son,

today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron,

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear,

with trembling 12 kiss his feet,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way;

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Behold the power of God in the Psalms!

The future proves the past.

Psalm 37

Exhortation to Patience and Trust

A Psalm of David.

37 Fret not yourself because of the wicked,

be not envious of wrongdoers!

2 For they will soon fade like the grass,

and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.

4 Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your vindication as the light,

and your right as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9 For the wicked shall be cut off;

but those who wait for the Lord shall possess the land.

10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look well at his place, he will not be there.

11 But the meek shall possess the land,

and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous,

and gnashes his teeth at him;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows,

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those who walk uprightly;

15 their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.

16 Better is a little that the righteous has

than the abundance of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken;

but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,

and their heritage will abide for ever;

19 they are not put to shame in evil times,

in the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked perish;

the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures,

they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows, and cannot pay back,

but the righteous is generous and gives;

22 for those blessed by the Lord shall possess the land,

but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a man are from the Lord,

and he establishes him in whose way he delights;

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord is the stay of his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old;

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or his children begging bread.

26 He is ever giving liberally and lending,

and his children become a blessing.

27 Depart from evil, and do good;

so shall you abide for ever.

28 For the Lord loves justice;

he will not forsake his saints.

The righteous shall be preserved for ever,

but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall possess the land,

and dwell upon it for ever.

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not slip.

32 The wicked watches the righteous,

and seeks to slay him.

33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power,

or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34 Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,

and he will exalt you to possess the land;

you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

35 I have seen a wicked man overbearing,

and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.

36 Again I passed by, and lo, he was no more;

though I sought him, he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright,

for there is posterity for the man of peace.

38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their refuge in the time of trouble.

40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked, and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.