Psalm 97 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 97 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
Verse 2Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Verse 3Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side.
Verse 4His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
Verse 5The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
Verse 6The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.
Verse 7All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him.
Verse 8Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God.
Verse 9For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
Verse 10The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
Verse 11Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
Verse 12Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Devotion
Imagine a world that is out of control: wars, drought, poverty, inequities and divisions among people, hateful rhetoric based on scriptural interpretation. Where is God?
In 587 B.C.E., the Hebrew people found themselves far away from the land of Israel and Judah. They were captives in Babylon. Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians. There was no hope for God's People, only despair. What had happened to the role they and Jerusalem and the Davidic kingship were supposed to play in God's plan? Where is God?
The Psalm we have before us today came out of the Exile Period in Babylon. In the midst of all the despair, the writer proclaims:
a. The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad (v. 1)
b. The Lord consumes his foes on every side (v. 3)
c. The Lord guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked (v. 10)
d. Therefore, rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.
Psalm 97 is a reminder to us who live in a world that seems exiled from God. God reigns. Rejoice in the Lord!
Prayer
Lord, keep depressing thoughts from me and fill the spots they would occupy in my thinking with words of praise because you do reign! Amen.