Sovereign king
Opening Prayer
Holy God, I bow down in reverence to the One who is King over all.
Read PSALM 24:1–10
[1]Of David. A psalm. The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; [2] for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. [3] Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? [4] The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. [5] They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. [6] Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. [7] Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. [8] Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. [9] Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. [10] Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty- he is the King of glory. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How is God pictured?The Shepherd-King of Psalm 23 is also sovereign King over all the earth. As Creator of everything and everyone (1,2), he is their rightful owner and ruler, which means that our role is no more and no less than that of faithful, responsible stewards. The second stanza deals with the character of God’s kingdom people. Who may enter God’s presence (3)? It is not Hebrew-ness that matters, but holiness: purity in deed, in thought, in word (4): “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8). Since no one can claim perfect purity, we all stand in need of One who can save (5). The psalm closes with a hymn of praise for the mighty “King of glory” (7–10). Praise gives us much-needed perspective. The call to “Lift up your heads” (7,9) reminds us to lift our hearts in exaltation, looking beyond present turmoil and focusing on the ultimate victory of “the Lord mighty in battle” (8). Since he is Lord Almighty (10b), we can rest assured that it is only a matter of time before the King of glory will manifest himself as sovereign King over all the earth.
Apply
Meditate on some of your favorite titles of God.
Closing prayer
Heavenly Father, Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
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