In The Word
Read: Psalms 97-98
The Lord’s Power and Dominion.
97 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
Let the many islands be glad.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3 Fire goes before Him
And burns up His adversaries round about.
4 His lightnings lit up the world;
The earth saw and trembled.
5 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen His glory.
7 Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images,
Who boast themselves of idols;
Worship Him, all you gods.
8 Zion heard this and was glad,
And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
Because of Your judgments, O Lord.
9 For You are the Lord Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods.
10 Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown like seed for the righteous
And gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.
A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness.
A Psalm.
98 O sing to the Lord a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
2 The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.
7 Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy
9 Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples with equity.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Today’s passage is a reminder to us that there is no one greater than the Lord our God. The psalmist vividly illustrated God’s reign over heaven and earth. There is no obstacle that our Father does not have the victory over.
Many times, we try to fill our lives with things that we think will give us joy and peace, but the scripture tells us, “Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, who boast themselves of idols” (Psalm 97:7). In your search for fulfillment, if you are looking for anything other than God, you will never be satisfied. Through His power and dominion in Heaven and Earth, you are already victorious over whatever situation you encounter.
Imagine this: you have just won first place in the most important race in your life. This is a race that you have trained for and dedicated your life to. What would your reaction be? Most people would react in a very animated and boisterous way. Even before any medals are given, no one would be able to question who the victor of that race was. This is because the victory is not in the medal (or idol). Your victory is found in the position of dominion that you took over the challenge of the race.
Today’s reading reveals that exact scenario is each of our lives today! There is no one higher than the Lord; because we serve Him, we already have victory in our race. Why wait to praise Him? Let the world know that you are victorious today!