God is with Us

"God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne."
- Psalm 47:5-8 -

At first it might read like a nationalistic celebration: ‘He subdued nations under us’ (v 3). At first it seems as though he is the God of Israel, but not the God of the Egyptians, the Canaanites or the Edomites. However, there is something more nuanced going on here: ‘He chose our inheritance for us … whom he loved’ (v 4). God has set his love on Israel, not because they are great, or because they deserve it, but just because he has. Our natural response to thinking about the greatness of God is to think of ourselves as small – but the psalmist does the opposite, because he is so convinced that this great God is on his side. God’s power for us is something to shout about.

This God of Israel is also the God of all nations. He reigns over the ‘kings of the earth’ (9). The celebration of God being ‘for us’ (4) isn’t in any sense ‘He is on my side, so he is against you’, but ‘God is for me – and you can discover that he is for you as well.’

Prayer: Lord, you have called me to share my faith with others. I thank you that I am sharing joy, the joy of forgiveness, purpose, peace, and hope. May I be a joyful presenter of your grace.

(A Summary from Encounter with God)