Psalm 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

There is deep wonder and awe for the God Almighty in these words of the psalmist, which is an interesting contrast to the previous psalm and its language of love, affection, and intimacy with God. Both psalms are attributed to the same person – King David. As such what we have in Psalm 28 and 29 are two dimensions of the same relationship.

Writings of the church reformer Martin Luther often included a phrase inviting us to both “love and fear God”, which is what psalms 28 an 29 are getting at. I find that I live in this tension of being drawn near to God by his love and mercy and standing apart from God as I acknowledge his “otherness”, his holiness and my sinfulness.

My tendency is to want to draw near to God in my hour of need, when I’m feeling desperate or alone in my struggles. But then when things are going well and I see God’s blessings I am filled with awe and wonder for God and his goodness. I think what I want to lean into these days is more intimacy with God, sensing God’s presence in the everyday. Lord let it be so. Amen.