Read
The Lord Is King
1Our Lord, you are King!
Majesty and power
are your royal robes.
You put the world in place,
and it will never be moved.
2You have always ruled,
and you are eternal.
3The ocean is roaring, Lord!
The sea is pounding hard.
4Its mighty waves are majestic,
but you are even more majestic,
and you rule over all.
5Your decisions are firm,
and your temple will always
be beautiful and holy.
Reflect
Doesn’t it sometimes feel like the world is falling apart? The morning news brings reports of murders, bombings, warfare, financial trouble and more. Our own lives experience illness – our own and that of others, fractures in relationships, difficulties at work. The list goes on and on.
The psalmist uses the symbol of the unruly waters, commonly found in the Old Testament to speak about the trouble of the world. This symbol goes back to the ancient Near Eastern idea that the world was originally watery and that human habitation was only possible with the emergence of land. The Canaanites and Babylonians believed that creation itself resulted when their chief god (Baal in the case of the Canaanites and Marduk in Babylon) defeated the god of the sea (Yam/Tiamat). While the biblical authors did not believe that this was how creation took place, they often used the picture of the waters to represent anti-creation forces.
The psalmist, however, reminds us that we have nothing to fear from these potent and destructive forces. Why? Because God is King and he rules over all. Though it sometimes seems that the world is falling apart, God is in control and he will have the final victory. The faithful can take comfort knowing that their God is King of the cosmos.
Respond
Divine King, we worship you and praise you for your power and majesty. While it sometimes seem like we will be overwhelmed by the tumult of life, we know that you are in control and our lives are in your hand. In the name of the Messiah, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Tremper Longman III
Dr. Tremper Longman III (B.A. Ohio Wesleyan University; M.Div. Westminster Theological Seminary; M.Phil. and Ph.D. Yale University) is Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. He has written over 30 books which have been translated into seventeen different languages. In addition, as a Hebrew scholar, he is one of the main translators of the popular New Living Translation of the Bible. His most recent book is How to Read Daniel. Tremper and Alice currently reside in Alexandria, VA and have three sons (Tremper IV, Timothy, Andrew) and four granddaughters (Gabrielle, Mia, Ava, and Emerson). For exercise, he enjoys playing squash.