As I woke this morning, the first thing on my mind was how my God had worked and strengthened me to push through the last six weeks of dealing with stressful situations with sick family members. Throughout the weeks, there were minor victories and major setbacks. Yet, focusing on the Lord gave me hope and peace to maneuver through the challenges. There were successes and failures, and times I did not know what to do. James declares that wisdom is from the Lord, and all we have to do is ask for it. This was a promise I clung to, but the most encouraging thought was the truth that my God reigns forevermore. No matter what happens here on this side of Heaven, He is in control, and nothing can change that proclamation of truth.
In Psalms 93:1, we have a vivid description of our Lord as He reigns over all the universe. He is clothed in majesty and strength. This is the exaltation of God just as He appears in Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” There is nothing or no one that is above Him. His proper dignity is expressed in His reign. With Him on the throne, the world is established and on a solid foundation. It cannot be taken from Him, it cannot be destroyed, and even when things seem totally out of control, He still reigns!
In Psalm 93:2, the psalmist repeats the idea that God has been established from the beginning and that His reign is everlasting. Nothing can shake it!
Psalm 93:1-2 “The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself the world also is established, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.”
As God reigns, He is working all things out for our good. In Romans 8:28, Paul writes, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” That good is revealed in verse 29, “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” We are to seek to be like Him in all ways. Always seeking to do the Father’s will and win the lost. After all, the redemption of mankind was why Jesus came. It was His sacrifice that pleased the Father and appeased His wrath. While we live in a sinful world, and many of the things that happen to us that seem bad are consequences of our own actions, God can use them to bring glory to Himself. He still reigns!
In Psalm 99:1-3, as we allow the truth that God is in ultimate control, it should cause us to “tremble,” meaning to be moved with fear or reverence. He is excellent and above all people. There is no one who can compare to Him in all the universe. Psalm 86:8-10 “Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.”
Psalm 99:1-3 “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between- the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.”
David proclaims the awesomeness of God in I Chronicles 29:10-13 “Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reigns over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”
From the beginning to the end, God reigns. In Genesis 1:1, He created everything. Nothing was made without Him. In Revelation 19:6, I love how the commentator Albert Barns explains the last phrase, “for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.” The Lord God is “Yahweh – God Almighty – the true God. The meaning is, that as the last enemy of the church is destroyed, He now truly reigns. This is the result of his power, and therefore it is proper that he should be praised as the “omnipotent” or “Almighty God” – for he has shown that he can overcome all his enemies and bring the world to his feet.”
Revelation 19:6 “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.”
There is great joy and comfort in the absolute truth that my God reigns forevermore!
