Well, we continue our study of the Psalms with Psalm 93. In a world that seems to be going crazy, running from what God says is good and right and should be normal, where do you find hope and rest of heart? When sin seems to have way too much power over you, where do you turn? When your personal and relational problems overwhelm you, what calms your heart?
Well, I'm happy to say that Psalm 93 is in the Bible because God loves you, and he knows what life is like in this fallen world, and he wants you to know that your life is not out of control. Yes, it is out of your control, but nothing you face is outside of his universal, unshakable, and eternal control.
I would title Psalm 93, "The Reign of The King." Let me read:
The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!
Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.
Notice the logic at the beginning of this Psalm. Because "The LORD reigns, and is robed in majesty, and is belted with strength, the world is established." That means the world is stable; it may not seem stable to us, but it's stable because this one of awesome glory and awesome power and awesome holiness sits on the throne of the universe and reigns all the time and everywhere.
Now, this doesn't mean that you won't face hard things. It doesn't mean that life won't confuse you. But it does mean that your life will only ever go and will only ever end where God decides for it to go. Your present and future are not in human hands, but in the hands of the King of kings!
I love the fact that the Bible is very clear that we don't just worship and serve a savior--praise God for his salvation--but we serve and worship a ruling, reigning King! And I think that, if we are honest, so much of our fear and so much of our anxiety is because we live God-forgetfully. And when you live God-forgetfully, what you do is you load the troubles of the world on your shoulders, and this never works; we were never created to live independently; we were never created to take life on our own. That's why we so much need the words of this Psalm.
It would be really helpful for you to read Psalm 93 every morning; it's a short Psalm. The Lord reigns. That's not a question; that's a declaration! He is robed in majesty, another declaration.
He has "put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting."
And then it talks about the floodwaters, but it says, the Lord is "Mightier than the waves of the sea."
"Your decrees are very trustworthy; (your) holiness befits your house." That's beautiful, it's like it's saying, "Your throne is decorated with holiness, O Lord, forevermore!"
May we get up every morning and remember the holy rule and reign of the King of kings!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. In what ways have you witnessed the world in its instability? What kinds of hard things are you currently facing? Where might life be confusing to you right now? When you read, however, that the LORD reigns, how does it make you feel knowing that he is stable despite what you might witness and experience in this world?
2. Why is there comfort in knowing that your life is not in human hands, but in the hands of the King of kings? What are some of the fears and anxieties you have because you've forgotten who God is? What kind of troubles have you loaded onto your own shoulders because of living "God-forgetfully"?
3. Why do you think God created you to live dependently on him instead of independently on your own? How is a so-called life of "independence" from God really just a life of bondage instead of freedom? Why is a life of dependence on God the best way to live?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why do you think it's important for us to trust God even when everything seems out of control, crazy, and bad things are happening? Who do you think is always in charge of everything all the time? Even when things are wild, is God still in control? Are hard things going to happen in our lives? Can we still trust God even when hard things happen? Why?
• What are some of the things you're afraid of that make it hard for you to trust God? Share them with me, and I'll share with you some of the things I'm afraid of that make it hard for me to trust God. Now, let's pray for each other and ask God to help us trust him even when life is hard and confusing...we can always trust that he is totally in control of everything, and loving to us no matter what.
For Older Children:
• What are some of the things in your life that make you afraid or cause you anxiety? What about your life is difficult or confusing at this moment? You share with me, and I'd love to also share with you some of the difficult and confusing things that tempt me to fear and become anxious.
• Why might some of our anxieties and fears be connected to forgetting about who God is and what he is capable of? When we forget about God, how does this load more burdens and troubles onto our own shoulders? How can you and I help each other not to live that way and instead trust in who God is and what he's capable of doing in our lives? Let's pray for each other about that right now.
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