Read
Our Lord Is King
1 Our Lord, you are King!
You rule from your throne
above the winged creatures,
as people tremble
and the earth shakes.
2You are praised in Zion,
and you control all nations.
3Only you are God!
And your power alone,
so great and fearsome,
is worthy of praise.
4You are our mighty King,
a lover of fairness,
who sees that justice is done
everywhere in Israel.
5Our Lord and our God,
we praise you
and kneel down to worship you,
the God of holiness!
6Moses and Aaron were two
of your priests.
Samuel was also one of those
who prayed in your name,
and you, our Lord,
answered their prayers.
7 You spoke to them
from a thick cloud,
and they obeyed your laws.
8Our Lord and our God,
you answered their prayers
and forgave their sins,
but when they did wrong,
you punished them.
9We praise you, Lord God,
and we worship you
at your sacred mountain.
Only you are God!
Reflect
When I’m reading the Bible I often imagine the characters mentioned as the real life women and men they were. Historical people who lived daily lives far beyond the scope of their write-ups in the Bible. I wonder what they looked like. How did their voices sound? I even think, if I was going to paint one of them, who amongst the people I know would l ask to model for a particular Bible personality?
This psalm, another of the hymn or praise psalms, mentions by name Moses, Aaron and Samuel as people who in a time of need called out to God, then it says, “…and he answered them.” If you have any doubt about this, remind yourself that these were real people, with real needs who lived in real space and time and that God was present for them just as he is for us.
Hebrews 6:18 says, “When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee-God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.
We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go.” (The Message)
This is an awesome God we serve. Remind yourself of that. Look around you for the evidence of his reign and his majesty, identify it, then exalt him however you can with your personality and creativity “…and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy” (v 9).
Respond
God who makes the nations tremble, You are just and right so I worship at your footstool. Bear with me as I run to you to grab hold of your promises knowing that you are faithful and true for you are holy. I come in Jesus’ name.
James Paterson
James works as a visual artist. His current body of work is a series of metal wire sculptures called Prayer Machines which are whimsically ambiguous machine-like objects that give expression to mystery. “I love to share the gospel message, using art as a bridge, to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus.” He and Lynn have four young adult children. Publications Jim’s Grandiose Big Bible Picture Book (Bastian Books ,2007)