The world is going through great changes. Much we took for granted is being destabilised. We are living through another age of anxiety, and with good reason. One way to regain a faith perspective is to read the Psalms. Many of them were written in times of chaos, fear and national crisis.
Psalm 97 starts with an affirmation deep rooted in confidence and trust – and perhaps a defiant hopefulness when everyone else is tempted to gloom and doom. "The Lord reigns!"
Monday
Psalm 97.1 “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad, let the distant shores rejoice.”
Who’s in charge of the world these days, or any day? Nations, governments, vast business and finance corporations, and media and social media empires seem to think they are. Not so says God’s poet. The Lord reigns – behind the machinations and power games, God is working out his purposes. “This earth belongs to God, the world its wealth and all its peoples.” Let the earth be glad – including you!
Tuesday
Psalm 97.2 “The Lord reigns…Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.”
The God we pray to, worship and serve, is full of mystery and beyond our understanding. The fear of the Lord isn’t being scared of God – we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The holy God who reigns cares about doing right, and making justice happen. These are the foundations of God’s throne; not profit, not power, but earth and its distant shores rejoicing in justice, mercy and compassion.
Wednesday
Psalm 97.4- 6 “The Lord reigns…His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.
God is Light. Nothing is hidden from God. There is no place so dark God cannot find us. “Even the darkness is daylight to you O God.” However dark life may seem to us, whatever shadows hang over us, God knows and is with us. The million volt lightning that can melt mountains comes to us in the presence of Emmanuel. Jesus is the light of the world, the light of the nations, the glory of God, the Light of God’s love.
Thursday
Psalm 97.7 “The Lord reigns…All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols – worship Him all you gods!”
The Lord reigns – not governments; not banks; not big business; not celebrities and influencers; not right wing or left wing political ideologies. All of these are human ways of power, attempts to be big name lords of the earth. And when they are made the biggest thing in life they are idols. God’s poet is having none of it! Images and idols are pure embarrassment. “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Cor 1.31.
Friday
Psalm 97.8-9 “The Lord reigns…Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord. For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.”
My guess is God’s poet would have composed some brilliant terrace songs for his team’s supporters! He knows how to get the support singing, whether home or away – and part of that is to make fun of the opposition supporters and their team. This psalm is full of gladness, rejoicing and feel-good phrases. These supporters have no doubt they’re in the winning team. God’s judgments, tactics, motivation, and team talks will make them winners. And the team slogan? “The Lord reigns!”
Saturday
Psalm 97.10 “The Lord reigns…Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”
Justice and righteousness are the foundation stones of God’s throne. So those who worship God can’t live a contradiction. If you love justice and righteousness, then you hate evil. Simple as that – well, but it’s much more complicated in a world as complex as it is today. Still. God guards our lives, so we pray God will guide our choices and decisions. Politicians often reduce the moral currency of phrases because their actions contradict what is claimed. “That is why we are doing the right thing”, is one such phrase. Make it a prayer, “Lord help me to hate evil, and to do the right thing.”
Sunday
Psalm 97.11-12 “The Lord reigns…Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.”
God’s poet in nearly every psalm uses parallelism. He says the same thing twice in words that are different but similar. He does this for emphases, to get important truths into our sometimes thick heads! The light that lights up the world (v 4) shines on the righteous; and not only light, but joy shines on the upright of heart. Not only shine, Jesus shine; but “Lord shine on me – and through me!”
So the Psalms can become our prayers, and a way of strengthening our faith by reminding us of who God is, and what God is about. Sometimes faith is a mixture of defiance and trust, a combination of wisdom and hope, and a call to faithfulness and witness – “The Lord reigns!”
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