ODJ: God is king
March 1, 2011
For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth (v.9).
READ: Psalm 97
Recently, my wife, Miska, and I toured London. As we walked through Westminster Abbey (founded in AD 960), we viewed the many tombs of monarchs who reigned centuries ago. We also took in Buckingham Palace, the main home of the British royal family. Touring the royal and governmental sites, the word sovereign repeatedly appeared. The queen’s subjects refer to her as their Sovereign. When she goes to parliament, she uses the Sovereign’s entrance. Though England’s ruling structure has changed, the reflections of an age when royals ruled absolutely can still be seen.
The psalmist declares another Sovereign who is over the world: God. He’s the one who is supreme (absolute, final, unmatched, unparalleled) over all the earth. God rules over every corner of the globe, every square inch.
Psalm 97 opens with this unflinching, singular declaration: “The Lord is King!” (v.1). No matter what powers (political, religious, philosophical, economic) may declare their autonomy and insist on our allegiance, the Lord alone is King. No matter how often we’re tempted to believe that we rule our own destiny or that we must orchestrate our own existence, the Lord (alone) is King—not us.
This is astoundingly good news! As the psalmist proclaims: “The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice!” We can revel in joy because God is king. Yes, God is King, and He can rescue His people “from the power of the wicked” (v.10). When God is King, justice rules (v.8). When God is King, light “shines on the godly” (v.11). When God is King, our world and all we are trying to make of it doesn’t depend on us.
No wonder, then, that the “farthest coastlands [can] be glad” (v.1). All of God’s creation is free to laugh and dance and live in obedience to the one true, good King. —Winn Collier
Who is God’s rival as king in your world? How do you need to acknowledge God’s reign over that rival power?
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The text for today is not printed out….Please note!
Thanks for alerting us, Matthew!