The Lord gives strength to his people
Psalms 29:10-11 - Believers can live with the confidence that God will bless us with peace, and His strength will come to us as comfort.
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“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”
Psalms 29:10-11 NIV
Barb and I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas Day, and that the celebration of the birth of Jesus inspires you to seek and follow Him more passionately in the upcoming year.
Today’s verses come from Psalm 29, one of the Psalms of David. In this beautiful song, David praises God for His holiness and majesty. It is very poetic, describing a powerful storm with the realization that the lightning and thunder epitomize the voice and power of God! In this short (11 verses) Psalm, the name of the Lord is repeated eighteen times, with the phrase “the voice of the Lord” specifically repeated seven times.
The wonderful 20th Century theologian James Montgomery Boice said this about Psalm 29:
“This psalm has no other elements. It is pure praise. It does not call upon us to do anything because the psalm itself is doing the only thing it is concerned about. It is praising God.”1
Verse 10 begins with the words “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood”, which most likely refers to the great flood in Genesis but could describe any chaos or disorder. In the great flood, God demonstrated His total power over His creation by bringing the flood as well as preserving Noah and his family. Floods are destructive and chaotic, while God is seen here as sitting calmly on a throne in a position of absolute authority and stability.
David is providing reassurance to all who hear the Psalm that God has dominion over all forces, both natural and supernatural. Symbolically, the trials and difficulties all believers face are not unlike floodwaters, sometimes causing great destruction, while at other times being just a minor inconvenience to us. Regardless of the scale of these tribulations, God has authority over them.
The verse continues by stating that “the Lord is enthroned as King forever.” God’s eternal reign over His kingdom is central to the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. His governance over all of creation isn’t limited like earthly kings or presidents who reign only for a short time. As believers, we cherish the eternal kingdom that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. It is comforting to know that God’s plans and purpose for all of us will prevail forever.
Verse 11 ends the Psalm, beginning with the phrase “The Lord gives strength to his people.” This strength is not just physical, but also spiritual in nature. The Hebrew word used here is עֹז (ʿōz), which in Strong’s Concordance is defined as “strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise):—boldness, loud, might, power, strength, strong.” For believers, God is the source of strength. He gave Old Testament leaders like David, Moses, and Joshua the power to accomplish His purposes, and to this day He still gives strength to the weary and support to the weak. Why does God do this? Not just to help us out, but also for us to fulfill His will and advance His kingdom.
David ends the Psalm with “the Lord blesses his people with peace.” Considering humanity’s long history of war, you might be tempted to think that God has dropped this blessing. But the Hebrew word שָׁלוֹם (šālôm, also shalom) means more than just peace from war:
completeness, soundness, welfare, peace
completeness (in number)
safety, soundness (in body)
welfare, health, prosperity
peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment
peace, friendship
of human relationships
with God especially in covenant relationship
peace (from war)
peace (as adjective)
There’s so much more to “shalom” than just an absence of conflict. God blesses us with safety, health, provision, and even moments of tranquil happiness. He gives us human companions and friends, and has provided us with the ultimate blessing of a reconciled relationship between Himself and humanity through Christ.
Believers can live with the confidence that God will bless us with peace, and His strength will come to us as comfort. British evangelist G. Campbell Morgan summed up Psalm 29 beautifully when he wrote “During the storm He will give strength to His people. Following it He will give them peace.”2
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I pray to You today that I may rely on Your promise to give me strength. I ask for your assistance to strengthen me not only spiritually, but physically, mentally, and emotionally as well. I know I cannot rely on my strength alone, so help me to rely more each day on You and bless me with Your peace. I thank You for Your eternal faithfulness and for always keeping Your promises. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author and reproduced here in their original format. © 1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com
BibleHub was accessed on December 26, 2026 for commentary on Psalms 29:10-11
Boice, James Montgomery “Psalms: An Expostional Commentary” Volume 1 (Psalms 1-41) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1994)
Morgan, G. Campbell “An Exposition of the Whole Bible” (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Revell, 1959)