Psalm 97:1 The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
    let the distant shores rejoice.

This Psalm, specifically verses 1, 3, 5, and 8, was set to music in the early days of the Charismatic Movement. Some of the other verses are echoed in other Psalms as well, and are likewise set to music. All of that is very good and appropriate, because this is a Psalm about the sovereignty of God, and that is something we must never forget. At the time it was written the world in general was polytheistic, so there are various references to “gods.” Westerners today might not identify with “worshipers of images,” (verse 7) but they are quite likely to “bow down” to all sorts of things, including social media and AI, not to mention politics. Those things might be neutral in and of themselves, but to the degree they distract us from our Creator, they become idols. There’s a reason idolatry is forbidden in the 10 Commandments, and throughout the Bible! When we lose sight of the sovereignty of God, all sorts of bad things happen. We lose our sense of purpose and feel we have only ourselves to depend on, and that is terrible indeed. For a while we might think we can make it on our own, but life has a way of tearing down that deception. An honest atheist would have to wish fervently that they were wrong in their atheism, because there is ultimately no hope apart from a benevolent Creator. The problem is, we are all prone to take our eyes off of God and act, and feel, as if He’s not really there, and that is a very sad state of affairs. The Japanese translation of this verse says, “The Lord is Lord,” indicating that the original Hebrew says, “YHWH is Lord.” The “intelligence” behind “intelligent design” is very specific, and we need to remember that. No “holy book” besides the Bible posits such a Creator as we have here, who ultimately loves His creation so much as to send His Son to die for it. (John 3:16) We need to remember that He is truly God, and rejoice to submit everything to Him.

This is something I generally take for granted, but I am having a refresher course in right now. We leave on a 4-day trip in about 2 hours, and as I told my wife a few minutes ago, this is the first time I remember being concerned about my physical ability to handle a trip I was going to take. I am strongly aware of my age! However, God has arranged this trip, and He is going to carry us through every moment, every step of it. This is an intense practicum in doing what He told me years ago: rest, relax, rejoice. I will have various opportunities for ministry on this trip, even though it isn’t “church-related,” and I need to be available and yielded for each one. I need to keep remembering another little chorus I learned years ago: “God’s got it all in control.” If I will do that, I and those around me will be blessed.

Father, thank You for this experience. I’m used to being “the man of faith,” worried about nothing, so this is a reminder that I’m just as human as anyone else. Help me indeed trust You fully, so that all of Your purposes for this trip may be fulfilled, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!