Psalm 97 – The Almighty and Sovereign God, there is no other!
(by Chia Eng Chuan)
Until today, the composer of Psalm 97 remains a mystery. Although we do not know his identity, he was a person close to God and nature, and creative in using imagery. The psalmist begins his reflection of the Almighty God on His sovereignty, proclaiming in a matter-of-fact way, “The LORD reigns.”
In verses 2 and 3, the psalmist paints a picture of God’s absolute holiness and the inability for sinful mankind to approach God on their own. In verses 4 to 6, he turns his focus to the awesome majesty of God as revealed in nature. Compared to Hollywood, the lightnings are likened to heavenly stage lights, the melting mountains the special effects and the stars in the universe as the most elaborate movie set ever. And the wonderful privilege given us is that God’s amazing creation is open and visible for all to see.
But alas! Many persist to ignore the presence and sovereignty of the Almighty God. They choose to worship man-made images and idols instead. Therefore the psalmist exhorts these idol worshippers to turn back to worship the one true God.
As he continued to reflect on the majesty and sovereignty of the Almighty God, the psalmist was so overwhelmed that in the remaining four verses, he could not help but resume with great rejoicing to proclaim the holiness of God, His justness, sovereignty and faithfulness. He is the Almighty and Sovereign God, there is no other. Worship Him! To Him be all praise and glory!
Let’s Read Psalm 97
1 The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes on every side.
4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all peoples see his glory.
7 All who worship images are put to shame,
those who boast in idols—
worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments, Lord.
9 For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light shines on the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.
Let’s Pray
Almighty God and loving Heavenly Father, all praise and glory be to You. As we come before Your presence, remove all forms of idolatry from our hearts, that we will be able to love and worship You, the one true God, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Teach and empower us to live lives that are pleasing to You, and protect us from the snares of the evil one. In Jesus’ most precious name, Amen!
This devotional was kindly contributed by Dr. Chow Li Sze and her channel Heavenly Devotion. You may find the channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/HeavenlyDevotion/videos
About the Heavenly Devotion channel
The Heavenly Devotion channel is dedicated to encouraging you to listen to Bible Scriptures and pray with the Scriptures. They are inspired by the call of service as expressed and exemplified by Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:12 NKJV)
|Share The Good News|
Leave a Reply