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!” (Psalm 97:1). 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” (Psalm 97:10). When God is King, justice rules (Psalm 97:8). When God is King, light “shines on the godly” (Psalm 97:11). 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” (Psalm 97:1). All of God’s creation is free to laugh and dance and live in obedience to the one true, good King.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Joshua 3:1-17
More:
Psalm 97 has many images. Which ones feel more powerful to you, more ominous, more restful? Write a few of these images down and consider how they lead you to acknowledge that God is King.
Next:
Who is God’s rival as king in your world? How do you need to acknowledge God’s reign over that rival power?
lindagma on March 1, 2011 at 7:32 am
What freedom from stress and worry if we can just grasp this, let go and let Him.
GrowinginChrist on March 1, 2011 at 8:20 am
Glory be to God. I am so thankful that God is the great I AM. Praise be to God. He is faithful. He is worthy of all our praises. Thru trials and tribulations I will forever praise Him and thank Him. I thank the Lord today for just waking me up to see another day. I rejoice in the Lord. I rejoice in the Lord. Thank you Lord for loving me and keeping me. Thank You. Thank you ODJ for these devotionals and I pray for each one of you who writes these for us to read. May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you.
winn collier on March 1, 2011 at 8:51 am
lindagma: freedom is about the perfect word
growinginchrist: I’ve been working through John’s I AM statements. Powerful.
winn collier on March 1, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Gina, we’re walking a family through a situation right now where everything is entirely out of our control. We couldn’t orchestrate anything if we tried. If God is not our King, we are ruined.
regina franklin on March 1, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Winn–I have a long-time dream to make it to London one day–I loved the opener!
On a more serious note, I am lifting up your family in prayer tonight. May you see God’s incredible and timely provision.
Thanks for the reminder of the awesomeness (and iimmeasurable capabilities) of our God. Today, as I was thinking about how we sometimes see our challenges as insurmountable, I was reminded that it is our God who is insurmountable.
winn collier on March 1, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Thank you, Regina. And you really should visit London, it’s splendid. The Insurmountable God – I like that.