Blog

God is King

This meditation is based on a passage for May 6, 2010 in the Daily Lectionary Year 2 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Psalm 47

Reflection and Question: This short psalm is one of unadulterated praise for God as the King who rules over all. The image of God here goes way beyond God as the Tribal Lord over Israel (though there is a hint of that history in verse 4, “He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves”). Repeatedly God is exclaimed as “a great king over all the earth,” “king over the nations.” Like the people in the story of Samuel (1Samuel 8), even we Americans sometimes clamor for a king to be a buffer between God and us. Sometimes, we get the relationship right, like in this psalm. How is God king over you?

Prayer: Clap your hands, all peoples!
Acclaim the Creator with loud songs of joy!
For the Beloved of our hearts is mighty; the Most High over all the earth.
(Nan C. Merrill, Psalms for Praying, Psalm 47, p. 91)