God is on the throne as Ruler

Psalm 93

1 The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2     your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
    the floods have lifted up their voice;
    the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
    more majestic than the waves of the sea,
    majestic on high is the Lord!

5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house,
    O Lord, for evermore.

This psalm makes a deeply political claim – God is king, God is the ruler of all things. Those are not just words, they are statement that God alone has power over the nations. Yes, various prime ministers and presidents, even kings and queens and emperors have through time claimed authority and have exercised power. But all their reigns, all their administrations, all their governments have come to an end. All human powers, all human institutions and their structures will come to an end. Not just come to an end, all the leaders of the nations along with the citizens of all nations, will bow the knee before the great God who sits enthroned in power and majesty over all things.

From time to time, and for periods of time, human powers look they are having their way. For a time human powers act without anyone or anything appearing holding them to account. For a time human powers act as a law unto themselves, but in the end they will be held accountable by the One (God) whose decrees are sure and who rules in holiness.

The question is to whom will we be loyal? – the human powers who in the present moment wield power and might in the world, or will we be loyal to the Lord, to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who is from everlasting (vs. 2) and for evermore (vs. 5). This loyalty challenge has faced the followers of God, the followers of Jesus, again and again in human history. May we have courage and trust to remain loyal to Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:   

Lord God, you are king. May we live loyal to your reign. Keep us from being distracted by the transient powers of the present age, keep us faithful to you, our King and Saviour. May our loyalty to you shape our words and our actions to declare our loyalty to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.