“The Lord is King! Let the earth rejoice!” (Psalm 97:1 NLT)
We tend to lose sight of the King’s sovereignty, don’t we? The earth and everything in it belongs to God alone! (Psalm 24:1) He reigns supreme. He’s the boss. It’s all His. He calls the shots. We hardly know how to live with a king as modern day Americans. We are so far-removed from a monarch these days, it’s hard to wrap our minds around the theocracy that God calls us to. God’s best plan is that we would go where He goes and say what He says and love what He loves and despise what He despises. This is the godly existence He invites us to. “The Lord is King!” He sits enthroned on our lives. We live at His mercy and His good will.
What a reminder when we come to crossroads in our story. We are not the author of our own pages. We serve at the pleasure of a benevolent King. We are on this planet to do His bidding, not our own. We bring Him glory, we don’t garner it for ourselves. This is both a responsibility and a relief. We are under divine authority and also guardianship. We serve a King.
I’ve said it for years; as believers we are beloved but subject. Meaning we are under God’s jurisdiction but we are also incredibly dear to His holy heart. He is not cruel or unjust or far removed. He is a good King, a perfect King with great and lasting affections for His people.
King David said it and we realize he was really only a subject himself. David proclaimed it as he received the offering that his son would someday use to build the Temple.
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel may You be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on the earth is Yours, O Lord, and the is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from You alone, for You rule over everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and at Your discretion people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name! But who am I and who are My people, that we could give anything to You? Everything we have has come from You, and we give You only what You first gave us! We are here only for a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.” (1 Chronicles 29:10-15 NLT)
Churches often develop this attitude: the church is ours and the pastor is just passing through. But truthfully, this planet belongs to the Lord and all His people are simply passing through. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. As visitors and strangers, we live best when we live under His authority and subject to His divine agenda.
I read it in a book once, how some Christians in China leave an empty chair at the center of their home, representing the presence of the King in their lives. It’s so difficult to keep His sovereignty in perspective, I wonder if this wouldn’t be a helpful practice for all believers. The Unseen One has supreme authority in His story. Our lives are only brief lines and stanzas in the saga He’s penning.
Lord, please help us as we are born so willful and entitled. Let us come to terms with the reality of Your dominion. May we accept and enjoy our invitation: beloved but subject. Let us live for Your glory alone: convinced of Your good will and great affect. We are so glad to belong to You. Amen.