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?       

Revival

"For we know, brothers loved by God,

that he has chosen you,

because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power,

with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. . .your faith in God has become known everywhere. . .

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,"

1 Thessalonians 1:4,5,8,9

Man is an animal.  God is dead.  There is no God.  Science makes God unnecessary.  Truth is what I believe it to be.  Love is love, I don't see the difference whether it is lesbian, homosexual, or heterosexual.  Ending a life is a choice.

These are statements that are floating around the Internet and are easily accessible to anyone spending any time in cyberspace.   If I am searching for God, it is easy to read about these beliefs and start doubting.  Once uncertainty creeps into my mind, it is a small step to simply turn my back on God.

But God's not dead!  He's alive.  Take a moment and watch this video from the Newsboys to see what I mean.

Maybe I'm not seeing God's Hand in my life because I'm looking in the wrong place.  Maybe I'm not giving Him a chance to work in my heart because I've hardened it against Him.  Maybe I'm immune to His miracles because I'm dead on the inside.  

God is not the problem.  I am the problem, and the real evidence of God's existence is in what takes place inside of me once I give my life to Him.

Alive 

Anyone who has experienced the convicting pressure of God's hand upon them knows that God is alive and He is living within them.   All who have witnessed the transformation of a hard, stubborn heart into a soft and pliable spirit knows that God is with them.  Every person who has felt a peace that makes no sense in the middle of turmoil or trial knows that God lives inside of them.  

God is not an object carved from wood or stone.  He is not a myth created by man.  Neither is He an impotent being.  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is alive. . . and He is living within me.

The only way to know for sure, however, is to give the living God a chance for yourself.  As David said in Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."  The evidence of God's living existence is found in the changes He has wrought within me.  I am not the same person I was before I met Him.  

God has left His imprint upon the hearts of all those who give their lives to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

Powerful

Whenever I witness a thunderstorm, I ponder the power of God.  As I cower under this tiny sampling of His might, I think about how His power was never more evident than in the creation of all things.

 My God has the authority to speak the world into existence!  He said the word, and light came into being.  He uttered one syllable and the newly formed earth was teaming with creatures.   It took only one breath blown into the nostrils of man, and Adam came to life. 

This kind of power is unlimited.  Combined with His perfect justice, love, grace and mercy, it becomes evident that this is a God who is able to help me in all situations.  Whether I am facing cancer, divorce, death, loss, or calamity of any kind. . . God is powerful enough to save me.

Once again, David as a man after God's own heart knew a little something about the power of God.  He said, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.  Our God is a God who saves." (Psalm 68:19-20)

Over the course of several years in my past I worked in three different gyms.  Even though each facility was different, there was one thing they all had in common.  The guys who were the strongest and lifted the heaviest weights were the ones who were the most inconsiderate, leaving their big plates and heavy dumbbells out for someone else to put away.  They used their strength for their own good but not for the good of anyone else.  

Thankfully, this observation does not apply to God.  He is mighty and merciful, strong and loving, great and gracious.  The Lord acts in great power coupled with amazing love.  As the Apostle Paul said to the church at Ephesus, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

The Lord is a powerful God who is able to do all things.  He can mend a broken heart, repair a estranged relationship, or give hope where none exists.  As the missionary Andrew Murray said, "Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation."

The evidence of the power of God in my life is in the amazing feats and loving acts that are meant for my good and the good of those around me. 

Sovereign 

Anyone who believes God does not exist has not really examined the intricacies of life.  Imagine the timing and amount of planning it takes for a single life to intersect with another at just the right moment.

A friend of mine was recently telling me about how she was taking her car in for repair.  She didn't have much money and was grieving over the high estimate.  Knowing she needed to have the work done, she headed over to the shop, trusting God that He would make it all work out.

As she was driving, she came upon a friend of hers who waved her down.  He hopped in the van and proceeded to direct her to a friend of his who was able to do the work for half the cost in a fraction of the time.  God had orchestrated this chance meeting and turned it into a huge blessing for my friend.

Each of us has experienced similar incidents that showcase the dominion of God.  The Israelites certainly witnessed many events that demonstrated God's control over all things.

When they were still slaves in Egypt and God sent Moses to ask Pharaoh to let His people go, God sent plague after plague to afflict the natives.  Then He sent this message to the king of Egypt through Moses. "I have raised you up for this very purpose, that  I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."  (Exodus 9:16)

Every meeting God orchestrates, every need He meets, every calamity He prevents, is done in order to lift up His name throughout all of creation.

God's sovereignty is made known through every breath that I take and every miracle that occurs, whether or not I recognize it.

God is not dead, He is surely alive and it is time for a revival of sorts.  It is time for my heart to be revitalized toward the One who made made me, who will live within me if given the chance, who has the power to do all things and who is in control of every aspect of every life.  

No, God is not dead.  It is I who is dead. . . . and it is time for me to wake up!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will look for evidence of God in the details of my life.

How do I explain away the miracles that God orchestrates each day?

When do I fail to recognize the gift God has given me with every single breath that I take?