The Reign of God
Scripture Reading — Psalm 97:1-9
"The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad ..." Psalm 97:1
Have you ever stepped on an ant? Does squashing a beetle make you feel big? I have put to death many insects without losing any sleep.
I can learn a lot from the psalmist. He will not dwell on his strength but on his smallness. And if we see our true size, we can learn much about God and his reign of righteousness and justice over the universe.
I cannot create a firestorm. But God bellows fire and smoke and blows away his competition. I cannot craft a thunderbolt. But God directs lightning, and nations cower and run in fear. Before his very presence the earth trembles and mountains give way.
The psalmist wants us to glory in our smallness. When we become impressed with ourselves and act like "big shots," we fall under God's verdict: all who worship human or man-made images are put to shame.
We are invited to follow the lead of a creation that knows its place. The psalmist tells us that the earth has recognized God's reign and rejoices!
Have you embraced your smallness before the Lord?
We join all creation, including bugs and creeping things, in saying, "You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth."
When we truly see God's greatness, we begin to understand the greatness of his love for us.
<p>Dear Lord, help us to see you as infinitely greater than any of us. We join in singing that "you are exalted far above all ..." Because you reign, we are glad. </p><p>In Jesus, Amen.</p>
About the author — Reginald Smith
Dr. Reginald Smith is senior pastor at Roosevelt Park Community Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has served for seventeen years. He has also served as a pastor in Paterson, New Jersey. He and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters, Janelle, Katrina, and Mariah.
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