Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Fear Not, the Lord Reigns

PSALM 99:1 – The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake.”

The list of what is unfolding in our world causing many hearts to fail and fears to rise is long. I won’t take up the time and space to make such a list. We know them. We feel them. We hear them. And if we are not careful, even as Christians, they may consume our thinking, paralyze us with fear, quench our courage in the Lord, silence our confident witness for Him, and exhaust us through sleepless nights filled with worry and anxiety. Yet, we don’t need to react to the world as the world. We know who controls the world. We know the One who not only knows what is happening in the world but orchestrates all things for His purposes. Mysterious? Absolutely! Make sense to us finite humans? Absolutely not! But we trust Him!

As we watch world affairs and the crumbling of our nation, even the death of our nation, today’s scripture begins with three words which, if believed and relied upon, will calm every fear, drive away any worry, and put to bed all anxiety. They are “The Lord reigns.” Be encouraged from those words in three directions . . .

First, “the Lord reigns” means nothing is happening that He does not control. God did not create the world and then simply let it go on its own. No, He is a God intimately involved in all facets of His creation. He is fully orchestrating all things for His purposes. In the major prophet book of Isaiah we read of the Lord’s sovereign control, “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things”(Isaiah 45:7). Now be careful. This does not make God the author of sin, but it does mean He controls all things pointing to His ultimate good purposes. And yes, He will use sin and calamity for His good purposes.

Also, “the Lord reigns” means no person, leader or nation is above Him or may stop Him. What great comfort! Soak in the truth in this verse – Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:22). The One True God is the One True God who reigns and has no rival. For us, His children, what a declaration of safety and refuge in an unsafe and destitute world.

Finally, “the Lord reigns” assures us of that great day when His reign in the new heavens and earth will not be opposed by any one or any force. Perfect peace, perfect fellowship, and that with the King of Kings who reigns forever – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4)

So, child of God. Get a good night’s sleep tonight. All is well. The Lord reigns. That settles everything now and forever!

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You that Your reign in this world and the next is constant and unmatched.”
QUOTE: “Don’t let what we see in the world determine how we interpret the world. The Lord reigns. Remember that.”

Because of Him,
Pastor Jim