Our God Reigns

1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

- Psalm 97

In the midst of adversity and troubled times, the believer can take great comfort in the fact that our God reigns. Uncertainty abounds with the various rulers of today. Who can tell what a leader of today will do for or against justice? I see so many Christians today that are upset because a particular leader has come to power. But we have a greater hope in a greater power that should allow us to proclaim, even when we feel threatened, that our God reigns. He is in control. God is not surprised at any particular turn of events. It is up to the believer to trust that He will bring His plan to fruition even when it seems that darkness is all around.

When I read a line such as verse 6, I can not help but think about how orderly the universe truly is. There are laws that govern the very movement of atoms and if God has gone to such great detail for the smallest thing, how much more will He pay attention to the larger things in life? Will God leave crimes unpunished? Heavens no! The heavens declare that His laws govern all things and the actions of man are certainly under His jurisdiction.

So why should the believer rejoice? If justice will be served to the righteous and unrighteous alike, then why is there no sense of impending doom for all? Have we not all fallen short of God’s holy standard? It is because we have fallen short that we have even greater reason to rejoice. For we who were unrighteous in word and deed have been adopted into God’s family and made righteous by Jesus Christ. Because our God is just and Holy and righteous, we can trust that He will never leave us and that He will always be faithful to those that love Him. This is reason to rejoice indeed. Our God reigns. Rejoice, and let the nations be glad.