LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Thursday 29th July 2021
(Day 34 of 40 Days of Power)
GOD REIGNS OVER THE NATIONS
Scripture Reading: Psalm 47:1-9
For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. (Psalm 47:7-8)
Psalm 47 is an enthronement or ascension psalm. The psalm celebrates God as King and Ruler. It was one of the psalms that was sang when Israel coronated a new king. This was done to remind the new king that he was a subject of the King of kings. Why was that so important?
- God exercises His power in holiness. He sits on a holy throne. We know God as the Ultimate Ruler – the King of the Universe. How does God exercise power? He exercises power through holiness. That means God does all things perfectly without any distortion. He is not capricious and autocratic. He is merciful and longsuffering. He created of us in His image and gave us the free will.
- God wants all nations to know Him. He has revealed Himself clearly through our Lord Jesus Christ. He wants all cultures and peoples to be His true worshippers – those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. God desires humanity to willingly seek Him and get to know Him.
- God wants the nations to praise Him with understanding. He does not want people to praise Him out of fear. The Lord wants our worship to come out of our knowledge. That means our learning and education should not take us away from the Lord. Science and technology should become avenues for appreciating God and His creation.
- We must proclaim the Lord to the nations. God has chosen us to tell the world about Him. We are His heralds who announce His kingdom to others. He expects us, who have come to know Him and tasted the riches of His kingdom to be His ambassadors across the nations. We must determine to rightly represent Him.
Proclaim God as the Maker and Ruler over every nation. Proclaim His dominion over the earth; declare His holiness and the might of His power. May God’s rule be felt in our lives and all around us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, your throne is holy. I worship you with all my heart and declare your praises to the nations. In Jesus’ name, Amen.