Who is the Ultimate Authority?

20 May Who is the Ultimate Authority?

Read Psalm 9
Thought for the Day: God is in control!

As a shepherd boy, David knew that it was God who gave him victory when he protected his father’s vulnerable sheep from dangerous predators. He also understood that God was his shepherd. As a warrior, David defeated Goliath and other enemies. Once again, he understood that his strength hadn’t come from King Saul but from God. When David became Israel’s second king, he didn’t try to simply keep the people happy or hostile nations from attacking; he saw that he was King of Israel in order to serve God.

When David sat down to write Psalm 9, he acknowledged that God is the one true authority who, “judges the world with righteousness; He judges the peoples with uprightness”. While humans can rule with various motives, God’s authority is always fair and steady. There are times that we forget God is the ultimate authority and our purpose is to simply serve Him. At these times, we may find ourselves drifting and seeking the approval of others (as if their opinion matters the most). Sometimes we may feel like we are judged unfairly. This happens when we look for human approval rather than God’s. When we seek human approval, it’s easy to feel judged for our worst moments while our best seem to be overlooked.

Like David, we get to choose whose approval we seek. We don’t have to settle for the approval of others. When we have the wrong perspective, we may find ourselves saying things like “life’s not fair”. However, life is ultimately fair because God is the only one whose opinion matters. God alone is sovereign. We know this because of Christ’s triumph over death through His atoning work on the Cross. It’s important to always remember that evil lost the war; now, only small battles remain. Until Christ returns, we will always have to deal with the effects of sin in our world. Sometimes this may make it seem as if God isn’t in control. This is why, like David, it’s important to remember that it is God alone who, “judges the world with righteousness; He judges the peoples with uprightness.” When we remember this, we can let go of much that bothers us and like David, follow God with confidence!

In Christ,

Pastors Stan and David