In a powerful psalm of praise, David used a word I had to look up in my dictionary—ascribe. He wrote:

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Ascribe refers to a supposed source or author, that some thing or idea comes from a particular person. David is giving credit where credit is due, pointing out that glory and strength comes from the Lord.

Glory and strength embody the Lord, but to push a bit farther, all glory and all strength finds its source in God. Any glory and strength we see in this world originates in the Lord our God.

Powerful waves pounding the coast point to God’s strength. A sparking sunrise on snow reflects his glory. Even that big dude at the gym throwing around iron plates does so because the Lord blessed him with physical strength and the drive to access it.

Thank you Lord. May I notice your glory and strength around me today, and give you the glory due your name.

Psalm 29 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Marcus Woodbridge