The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad. Dark clouds surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire spreads ahead of him and burns up all his foes. His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness; every nation sees his glory. Those who worship idols are disgraced— all who brag about their worthless gods— for every god must bow to him. Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced, and all the towns of Judah are glad because of your justice, O Lord! For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked. Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name!
Psalms 97:1-12 NLT
The Lord is King; He is powerful and just. The world is not just; it is broken, hurtful, and constantly going against God’s will. We are part of that world, too; we are part of the problem, going against God’s will and hurting people with our selfish choices. We are also part of God’s people, trying to be changed by Christ. O the joy for those who are godly (God lives in them)—they follow God and see His joy, even in this broken world. This is a great reminder that every day we need to spend time evaluating our lives, confess where we have missed the mark, and surrender to His will and way for our lives.
God is awesome; He is literally awe inducing. The psalm describes the Lord in awesome terms: fire, lightning, and clouds. Nature’s power reminds us how small we are (and how much more powerful our Father is). Mountains may be huge and imposing, but they melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth (v.5). We do not need to be afraid of the Lord’s power because He is completely good. We can stand in awe of God and give Him praise.
In which area of your life do you need God’s help to change? What does it mean for you to be in “awe” of God?
