The Lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice. Let the many coastlands be glad!
– Psalm 97:1
And I should add, there’s an exclamation point at the end of glad there in verse one. I want you to think about this with me. Why should the earth rejoice and the coastlands be glad?
Psalm 97:1 is clear: the Lord Reigns.
Here’s why. The Lord reigns. I want you to think with me about how the reality that the Lord, Yahweh, God reigns, brings joy to our lives and joy to the world. Just let it soak in. Isn’t it good to know that the Lord who reigns is just? So when you see injustice in the world, ultimately justice will reign out.
Just think about what it would be like if the One who reigns over the world was unjust. That would leave us no room for rejoicing in this world. We would be afraid of so many different things in this world. If the Ruler of the world was unjust. Or what if the rRuler of the world, the One who reigns over the world, was unloving, unkind, not merciful.
Just think about what it would be like if the One who reigns over the world changed. Like went from bad to good and good to bad. And you never knew what was going to happen that particular day. You just think about all the characteristics we know about God. That he is just, holy, perfect, unchanging, loving, merciful, kind, compassionate, all-powerful. Think about what it would be like if the one who reigns had some power but couldn’t actually accomplish his good purposes.
Psalm 97:1 shows us God’s reign as a reason to rejoice.
All of the attributes of God that we see in Scripture, give us reason to rejoice that he’s the One who reigns. And bring this down to your life today… No matter what you’re walking through. No matter what you face in the world. As you look out at the world around you, we are standing on a Rock, not on shifting sand beneath our feet. The One who reigns, possesses all of these attributes. And then, get this, he loves you and he is working everything together for good. For the good of all those who love him and are called according to his purpose, which will be accomplished.
Just rest in the reality today that the Lord reigns. And rejoice in that reality amidst whatever you’re walking through in this world, not saying it’s easy. As we look around in the world, obviously there’s so much that is wrong, but to know that the Lord reigns and that the One who reigns came to us, paid the price for our sins on a cross, rose from the dead, is ascended on high, has all authority in heaven and on earth, and one day is going to come back and assert his perfect reign in a new heaven and a new earth where everything will be filled with justice and righteousness and mercy and kindness and compassion.
This verse ignites worship and gratefulness in our hearts.
So we pray, God, we are so thankful that you reign. We praise you for who you are and we praise you for your reign over all things. Lord, we rest in your reign over all things, over all things in our lives, over all things in the world. We join the earth in rejoicing that you reign. Help us to remember that today amidst all the things we don’t understand that are going on in our lives, even things we’re struggling with.
God, help us to remember that you reign, that you’re all wise, that you’re all powerful, that you’re all loving, that you are good and perfect and holy, and you’re accomplishing good purposes. So we say we trust in you. We trust in your reign in our lives. We trust in your reign in the world. And not just trust in. We rejoice in your reign in our lives and we rejoice in your reign in the world.
Prayer for the Nogai People
And God, we pray that you would use us today to point people to you as the One who reigns, to point people to this good news, to call others on the earth to rejoice, right around us, far from us. God, we pray for the Nogai people of Russia and Romania. Over 100,000 of them, Muslim men, women, and children who don’t know that Jesus reigns, don’t know the good news of your love and your grace and your mercy in Jesus. God, we pray that the Nogai people would be reached with the good news of your reign over sin and death, your reign over their lives as Lord, that they might find life in your Lordship.
God, we pray all of this according to your Word in Psalm 97:1 as we rejoice along with the earth that you are the Lord and you reign. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
