Marty Wuollet | The Voice of Zion September 2024 - The Sabbath Word 5 Article --
The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.
– Psalms 103:19–22
The tone of this Psalm suggests it was written when King David was an older man. His proclamations and encouragement sound as if from one who has lived long and failed many times.
David’s history is familiar to all of us, from the time of his anointing to his death. There were times in his life where his will and God’s were aligned, and times when David had to resign his will, finding God’s ways unshakeable. Many of the psalms are written from the perspective of a child of God and speak personally from the writer’s heart. In this way it is comforting for us to know that God’s ways haven’t changed, and neither has our place, but as the saints of old we all have common experiences in this time of life on earth.
Our psalm text assures that God is reigning and His kingdom rules over all. This is not so obvious to our mortal eyes, nor to the will and desire of our flesh. Often, we pray for prosperity, peace on earth, peace with our neighbors, good government, peace between our governments and many other things of this nature. These are good prayers, and we ought to pray for these things. We should thank God for these, even if we think a person in office may be lacking or have ill motivation.
In our own prayers, we can hear an aching for God to align His will with ours. But as Jesus prayed and taught us to pray, “thy will be done;” we resign our will to the will of God, trusting that God’s ways are best. There were times when the kingdom of Israel ruled over the land, and there were also times when they were enslaved.
This difference is only notable from this place of temporal life. God’s kingdom is eternal, heavenly, and reigns in the war of good versus evil. It also serves to the individual person as opposed to a given nation or culture. No eternal value comes from our position on earth, ruling or enslaved—what is important is believing. By faith, in personally believing the gospel, all of God’s children are freed from the bondage of sin. The victory over sin, death and the devil are given as a gift.
There is not any need for us to see a kingdom rise on this earth and win over lands and control existing powers. The gift and victory are in our heart already and no one can take it away. This gift has been given by God to each of His children, and we are brought into this kingdom of pardoned sinners, to be cared for and to care for others.
God’s kingdom is hidden in plain sight on this earth and those who see it from the outside aren’t aware of its everlasting nature. Often, they see it as old-fashioned, traditional, strict, judgmental or even cult-like. Many who have left this kingdom seek a broader path but still want to be justified and they may also become critical in this way.
The marvel is that God has given this to the individual, for each of us to know and believe in our own heart. So personal is this for each of us that we can live through all phases of life in peace, freedom and joy, trusting securely that God’s hand will bless and guide accordingly in this world. Even when the world rises before us, which could make us tremble in the flesh, we have this trust that God will still care for us and give us the strength we need in that moment. Scripture tells us that God’s Word has been put into our hearts as Paul relates in the letter to the Romans, “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach” (10:8). This is the call then for each of us who have personally been given the grace to believe. To sing praises unto God for His goodness and love to us. To praise His ways above our understanding. To rejoice when our own flesh has been humbled for the sake of salvation.
When we read the psalms of David, we can consider that though he was a king on earth, he sought the righteousness of God continuously, and he blessed God for keeping him as a believer. With this same faith, we children of God encourage each other and offer His grace to all humankind.