Psalm 93: The Lord Reigns...NOW!

Psalm 93:1 "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."

When is the last time you reflected upon the Lord's present reign? So often we picture God's reign as something in the future and not in the present. Although this is partially true, as God's future reign will be a lot different from his present reign, we must not forget that God is also reigning now, and in fact he has been reigning since the beginning! Let us look at this great fact this morning.

In Psalm 93, the psalmist is proclaiming about the great reign of the Lord. He starts out with a triumphant cry in the first part of verse one: "The Lord reigns." This is such a powerful statement that we often bypass. Just as a monarchial king is sovereign over his people. God is sovereign over all of the earth to a greater and even perfect extent. He is above all, over all, and causing all to happen exactly how he wills (see Ephesians 1:11). He reigns high above both the earth and the heavens, and nothing happens without his allowance. Our God reigns right now.

However, what does his reign look like? From this psalm, we see that the Lord reigns in strength and holiness (1-2, 5) from everlasting (2) over all creation (3-4) forevermore (5). Let us just pause here for a moment and think about that statement: the Lord reigns in strength and holiness from everlasting over all creation forevermore. What kind of first reaction do you have to that statement? Does it make you shiver realizing the Lord's power? Does it give you comfort knowing that God is in control? Or perhaps it does none of those for you. Perhaps it makes you terrified because you know that the Lord who reigns above all will punish your unconfessed sin. Perhaps it scares you because it shows you that there is a God who reigns above all creation who will come to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1). The fact is this: all of the listed responses are correct.

For those of us who are in Christ, the Lord's reign is nothing but a comforting notion that allows us to have great peace and joy. However, for those who are not in Christ and have not called upon the Lord for their salvation (Romans 10:13), this fact brings great and overwhelming terror, and so it should. Therefore, the application today is thus: If you have trusted in the Lord, take great peace is knowing that he is reigning in the present. We do not have to wait for the Lord to reign, he already is! Will he reign greater someday in eternity? Surely. Praise the Lord! But he also reigns now. Let us not foget it. However, if you have not trusted in the Lord, the application for you today is to call upon the very name of the Lord who offers a free gift of salvation to all those who believe. "For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). Tremble in fear, knowing that the Lord's reign means eternal death in hell for your soul. Yet, if you are so willing, call upon his name, that he might save your soul from the wrath that your sin has bought you (Romans 6:23) and allow you to enjoy him eternally, that you might take comfort in the Lord's reign, forevermore.