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Politics – by Pastor Tony

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If you’re like me, most of the articles that you have been recently inundated with revolve around the election. Platitudes abound from the secular world and the religious alike. As I comb the proverbial pages of the electronic articles that regularly come up on my phone or on the home screen of my computer I find that each article is limited to a handful of scenarios bemoaning the elephant and/or donkey in the room. In other words, every article sounds the same differing only in verbiage.

Likewise, in various coffee shops, public meeting places, and public newsfeeds, the conversations that are the new “norm” are surprisingly flat. Each conversation is laced with vexation. Each article is seated in some kind of disgust or the ironic counter-point with an argument to overlook a certain disgust because of a greater disgust. Etc. Etc.

Before I get disgusted (or you get disgusted because I ‘went there’), let’s turn to a subject that is anything but disgusting. May this non-proverbial page ring of a different song.

Come to the Word with me and consider Psalm 99.

The Psalmist begins with no qualification or debate – “The Lord reigns.”

Like many of the Psalms, this is not placed in the confines of an historical setting (for theological reasons). There is no historical distinction or qualification about when the Lord reigns. It is merely a fact of life. It is a truth that transcends all time.

The Lord reigns.

The rest of the Psalm is written to make clear what that one truth means.

If your actions and attitude are disparaging the fact that man and/or woman is in charge, let the wisdom of the Psalmist sink in: The Lord “sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!” (Psalm 99:1b) In other words, His throne is not comprehended by man-made props (like an earthly throne or the presidential seal). He, not we, is enthroned upon the cherubim!

Once we grasp the fact that He is truly enthroned, our response ought to be that of praising His “great and awesome name!” (v3)

True justice is a fundamental trait of the way He reigns. This kind of justice has everything to do with righteousness. To be righteous is to be just (see verse 4) and to be just is to be righteous. True justice thus, is living by the standard that God demands (a standard only met by the one who sits enthroned!).

Verses 6-8 are the historical reasons (for the Psalmist) for entrusting and submitting ourselves to the reign of the Lord. We too have a myriad of reason to add to this list. I would suggest that Jesus Christ is the reality of the mere shadowy figures the Psalmist enumerates to us (see Hebrews 8:5 and Colossians 2:17). The magnitude of the grace that we have received in Jesus Christ is all the more reason to entrust ourselves in the reign of the Lord – and moreover, to praise and worship our great and awesome God!

Appropriately this Psalm ends with a call to exalt and worship the Lord.

Christian, the question is this. Are you willing to exalt and worship the Lord today or not? Or are we a people swallowed up by a disgusted society? Is our worship and praise overshadowed by a passion of disgust and despair .

Let the joy of the Lord be our strength.

Smile and do not forget – the Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!

Worshiping and rejoicing in our great and awesome God,
Pastor Tony Minell

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