Our God Reigns

"The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His kingdom rules over all."

(Psalm 103:19)

This is a verse we need to review before listening to the news. It's so easy to be distracted by the gloom and doom of the nightly news.

Wars around the world. Riots in our own country. Supreme Court decisions. Child abuse cases. Presidential elections. Business scams.

We can easily get discouraged about the mess that this world is in.

And we can become guilty of wishing for the past, "If we'd only get back to our Christian roots..." "If parents would raise their kids like I was raised..." "If we had a president like..."

Essentially, we think that if we were in control, life would be smoother.

Really? Look at the mess that your life is! You really think that you could do any better?

Rather than thinking and acting on those idolatrous thoughts, we need to remember that God is in control. He is ruling over all. All the politicians. All the lawyers. All the criminals. All the natural disasters. All the broken families. All the businessmen. All the diseases.

If God is in charge, then why doesn't He fix things? i.e. Why doesn't He do what I want Him to do?

Well, isn't that a selfish, comical response? If I could tell God what to do, then He wouldn't be in charge, would He?

But we can take confidence in knowing that God is in control, all the time over everything.

He is working all of history and nature toward the grand revelation of Himself. His glory will be revealed. His power and majesty will be clear.

We don't have to understand the details, but grasping the big picture will help us get through the details.

God has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.

Who is like the LORD our God?

Psalm 113 begins with a call to praise the LORD. All day, every day and everywhere the LORD's name is to be praised.

Why?

Because He is above all nations. He is sovereign over the rulers, over the United Nations, over the Taliban. He is more powerful than the electoral college, the Supreme Court, or Wall Street.

And because His glory is above the heavens. He is more glorious than any star, any planet, any cloud nebulae. He is more magnificent than any mountain, any waterfall, any ocean. He is more amazing than the tiniest microbes, the growing trees or the human body.

He is seated on high, yet He looks down on the earth.

"Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?" (v 5-6).

He is exalted, yet He concerns Himself with the needs of man.

He lifts up the poor from the garbage heap to set him with nobles. He lifts the individual out of the pit of sin and seats him at the right hand of Christ. That's pretty amazing!

He gives the barren woman children. He performs miracles which medicine can't explain. He puts a baby in the womb of a woman. He heals cancer patients. He makes the lame to walk.

High and powerful, yet concerned about the needs of His creation.

That's my God!