The LORD Reigns

"The LORD is king!  He is robed in majesty.

Indeed, the LORD is robed in majesty

and armed with strength.

The world stands firm and cannot be shaken."

Psalm 93:1 NLT

Who is king of the world?  It is not Leonardo Dicaprio's character Jack from the movie Titanic as he so famously proclaimed while perched on the bow of the iconic ship.  It's not the president of the most powerful country, or the head of the United Nations.  God is the one who reigns over all things.  

As king of the world, the Lord reigns over all my struggles, governs the entire earth, ruling over the details of the world.  Since He reigns in such majesty, how does this affect me and the way I live my life?

Nothing.  I love watching the Veggie Tales, not just because they are entertaining and make me laugh, but there is a deeper reason to pay attention to "Larry's Silly Songs" and Veggie versions of familiar Bible stories like Rack, Shack, and Benny (Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego thrown in the fiery furnace), Dave and the Giant Pickle (David and Goliath), and Josh and the Big Wall (The battle of Jericho).  I enjoy these programs created for children because I find there a powerful truth about God that resonates deeply.

One of these songs is the infectious, "God is Bigger than the Boogie-Man."  The lyrics are catchy and the tune gets stuck in my head, but the thing that sends me back for more is the message: God is bigger than anything that scares me.  While I may no longer fear the mysterious monster lurking under the bed at night, there are things that send my heart to racing.  Cancer.  Terrorism.  Financial disaster.  Sudden tragedies.  The what if's twist my stomach into a knot.  Reminding myself that He is more than able to handle my problems, protect me through any disaster, and preserve my life sets my heart at ease.

Moses faced an impossible situation as he led the Israelites on their 40-years of wandering through the desert.  In response to the complaints of the masses over discontent with the manna God had provided, God instructed Moses to proclaim to the people that He would give them enough meat to eat for an entire month, gorging them into learning a lesson from their faithlessness and ingratitude.  Thinking practically and thus limiting God, Moses questioned how He would provide such a quantity of meat.  God simply replied, "Is the LORD's arm too short?" (Numbers 11:4-23)  

Nothing is too much for God; He is more than able to handle any problem I face.

Everything.  It's not that I doubt that God is in complete control, but I often forget that fact.  Especially in the face of a crisis, a difficult dilemma, or a danger that threatens.  When I'm sitting in the doctor's office receiving the news every human dreads, or suddenly facing single motherhood after a dozen years of marriage, or attacked by a gang of thugs as I walk through my neighborhood, it's easy to feel like my life is spiraling out of control and that I have nowhere to turn.

God, however, is firmly planted on the throne.  He is not pacing the floor, wringing His hands with the thought of trying to handle what I face.  His majesty is absolute, and He knows exactly how to deliver me from or through the sickness while supplying all the strength and peace I need to endure, to serve as my husband and the Father of my children, to dispatch a battalion of angel warriors in my defense.

Everything is under God's command, He is never worried about anything that occurs in this world.

Power.  What kind of power does it take to generate something from nothing?  Or to create such a wide variety of species like what we see in the world?  Or to take what was meant for evil and somehow use it for my good?  The power of God is beyond compare and cannot be fathomed (1 Chronicles 29:11).

With such a God as this at the controls, I can expect great things from Him.  I can pray big prayers and look for mighty acts.  The power of God can change a stubborn, hardened heart, can enable me to do what I can't picture myself doing, can empower me to thrive even though conditions are not conducive for prosperity.  God can do it.  And He will if I will only believe (Mark 11:24).

The power of God is beyond my ability to comprehend but not greater than my capacity to believe.

When looking around at the chaotic state of the world, I could wonder, Sheesh, whose in charge around here, anyway?  Even though it may look like a freight train barreling down the track out of control, God is King.  He is firmly planted on the throne so that nothing is too much for Him, everything is part of His domain, and the power He wields is beyond compare.  With such a King as this, I can rest easy, knowing that all things are in good hands.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust the sovereign Lord.

When do I doubt God's ability to do the impossible?

How do I pray puny prayers?