Psalm 2: God Is Sovereign over the Nations Key Verse: Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling… How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:11-12) Everything going on around us in the world is a distraction that seems to contradict the sovereignty and purpose of the Father. Global conflicts, oppressive government regimes, massive suffering, and the dominance of evil readily create doubts regarding whether or not God is in control. The absence of any moral conviction in our society and the prominence of materialistic self-serving values make us wonder if the gospel is real. Is it capable of bringing change that affirms the power of God and the redemption assured by Christs death? Where is the evidence of a living Savior who is Lord of the universe? When people in the early church in Acts 4 found themselves confronted with persecution, imprisonment, and threats and were soon to experience martyrdom, they prayed this Psalm, asking the question, Why do the nations rage? Why do the kings of earth take their stand … against the Lord and His anointed? We ask ourselves the same question, almost on a daily basis. Why am I confronted with constant conflict, criticism, and stress created by situations and those who seem to have no respect for Christian principles? It is obviously because we live in a rebellious world in which not only individuals but nations and cultures have rejected the lordship of Jesus Christ. God has established His throne in the heavens and anointed His Son with all power and authority. But God, who has established His throne in the heavens and anointed His Son with all power and authority, sees all of this. He laughs at those who in their arrogance and pride will face His judgment and wrath. At a time when I was going through challenges of public criticism and trial, someone wrote a brief note of encouragement that said, Keep the view from the throne! What is Gods perspective on all that is swirling about us? How does He view the adversity, opposition, and trials we face? I have often quoted verse 8 as the role of prayer in our task of global evangelization and as a strategy of God being one day exalted among the nations. The nations will become and are His possession. But for the purpose of executing judgment on those who have rejected Him, His wrath will be poured out, and He will break them with a rod of iron [and] shatter them like earthenware (v. 9). This is a reminder of Gods sovereignty and power and the certainty of His wrath and justice because of His moral nature. He is a just God who cannot tolerate evil and rebellion in our hearts or among the nations. He has not relinquished His throne regardless of all that is going on in the world. Therefore, we are to worship Him in reverence. Our fear of the Lord should bring us into His presence with trembling but also with rejoicing that the Son has provided us a refuge from His wrath and judgment. Prayer: Lord, You are a holy and righteous God who cannot abide with sin and rebellion that are so characteristic of our world. You have told us to ask You for the nations. They are under Your sovereignty. I plead for them that they might become Your inheritance and might know the Son instead of being subjected to Your wrath and judgment. In the Secret Place: A Pilgrimage through the Psalms.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:11:17 +0000
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