Psalm 47:8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
Too often we forget who is in charge of this earth. We see the wielding of political, economic, and social power and think to ourselves, “Wow, that’s a lot of power for such a small group of people.” But we are thinking on the wrong scale. We are missing the message of the universe.
The universal message of the Scriptures is that the LORD has the power. We exercise power and authority, even the greatest of us, in only extremely limited arenas. We think far too much of ourselves.
I remember when I was a kid and went to the beach to build sandcastles. I would take the bucket and mold the sand, digging and piling, patting and moistening, carving and sculpting. And then the inevitable would happen. The tide would begin to rise. All my desperate attempts to keep the ocean at bay would collapse, as did my sculpture. Frustration at the destruction of my work sometimes ended in tears.
We as adults often get caught up in our own sandcastles. The most powerful in this world might be able to hold the ocean at bay for a little longer than we can, but the ocean is still going to wipe the sand smooth. That is because the LORD is in charge. He is the One who has power. We just build sandcastles.
This shift in worldview is radical. It forces us to look up and see the grandeur of the Universe, and the grandeur of the One who made the Universe.
As the Psalmist calls on all nations to acknowledge the LORD with shouts of joy, the awesomeness of God is brought to the forefront. Shouts of joy seem to be the currency of those who recognize and acknowledge Him. So the songwriter calls on the nations to sing praises to the LORD.
This perspective is so foreign to our ears, that it can be hard to get our imaginations around it. We still think our sandcastles will last. But all our human efforts are destined to be wiped clean when Jesus returns. The LORD will make the New Heaven and New Earth. It is His power and might that will accomplish this.
And yet at the same time, He invites us to join in with what He is doing. He wants us to participate with Him in His work. And all the great things we accomplish will be because He has been working through us. Remember, sandcastles!
The Arnold Journey 