Psalm 29 paints a picture of God and nature intertwined. But more than simply embodying God in the thunder and lightning, the psalm shows the world to be God’s very temple. While some theological frameworks paint the earth as fundamentally tainted by sin, to be left behind when we’re transported to heaven, Psalm 29 says that God’s presence makes the stuff of life sacred–blessed.
Psalm 29 begins with two “ascribe to the Lord” verses and ends with two verses of “the Lord is enthroned.” Between those bookends are seven “the voice of the Lord” statements. I stick close to this poetic form in my song.
Musically, this song is an easy-to-sing melody with fairly run-of-the-mill chords. But I’ve fleshed it out on this recording with all sorts of fun musical doodads: a section accompanied by four basses, interjections of arpeggiating guitars, and synthesized swamp gas.
- The voice of the Lord is on the waters.
The voice of the Lord moves o’er the deep.
The voice of the Lord resounds through the sky;
thunders across the sea.
Ascribe to the Lord, all you creatures of heaven,
ascribe to the Lord all the glory and might.
Ascribe to the Lord all the splendor of his name
and worship the Lord on high.
- The voice of the Lord is filled with power.
The forests fall down before their King.
The voice of the Lord, the fiercest of joys,
making the mountains leap. Chorus - The voice of the Lord is like the lightning;
it flashes across the desert sky.
The earth has become the temple of God.
“Glory!” the people cry. Chorus - The Lord is enthroned above the water.
The Lord is enthroned upon the sky.
The voice of the Lord, it hallows the earth;
blesses all humankind. Chorus
One reply on “Psalm 29: The Voice of the Lord”
Just in case anyone’s interested, here’s a short audio description of the Psalm 29 songwriting process: https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/the-making-of-psalm-29.mp3
Ten years ago, I tried writing a new melody to Calvin Seerveld’s Psalm 29 text, “Give Glory to God,” but after three attempts I cut my losses and moved on. I started over again in February of 2025. Still, it took four versions before I was happy with the song.