Psalm 93
The LORD Reigns

(1) The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; 
he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
(2) Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

(3) The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
(4) Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea,
the LORD on high is mighty!

(5) Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house,
O LORD, forevermore.
ESV

The NKJV titles this psalm: The Eternal Reign of the LORD. The NASB titles it: The Majesty of the LORD.

The LORD reigneth, or Jehovah reigns. Whatever opposition may arise, his throne is unmoved; he has reigned, does reign, and will reign for ever and ever. Whatever turmoil and rebellion there may be beneath the clouds, the eternal King sits above all in supreme serenity; and everywhere he is really Master.

Charles Spurgeon, English preacher, 1834-1892

What a beautiful poem. God be praised. We do not know the author. Neither do we know the timeframe: it could be long, long ago, but it also fits for today. Thankfully, whatever goes on around us, God reigns!

The Message paraphrase of this psalm is beautiful,

GOD is King, robed and ruling, GOD is robed and surging with strength.
And yes, the world is firm, immovable, your throne ever firm- you're Eternal!

Sea storms are up, GOD, sea storms wild and roaring, sea storms with thunderous breakers.

Stronger than wild sea storms, mightier than sea-storm breakers, mighty GOD rules from High Heaven.

What you say goes- it always has.
"Beauty" and "Holy" mark your palace rule, GOD, to the very end of time.
Psalm 93 The Message

This little psalm brings hope in a dark and hopeless world. God reigns. All we have to do is look around us, at His creation, and into the night sky, at the beauty and majesty of the universe. God reigns over all. He always has, and He always will. No evil is bigger than our God. He will not be defeated.

And the beautiful reminder today: we are His children.

The LORD is King! He is robed in majesty. 
Indeed, the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
Psalm 93:1 NLT

Do you believe that? Do you feel like the world is shaken? This is just a little bitty psalm with a BIG promise: the world stands firm and cannot be shaken- because YAHWEH is robed in majesty and armed with strength.

Your throne, O LORD, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
Psalm 93:2 NLT

Time immemorial. The everlasting past.

The Oxford dictionary attempted to translate “Time Immemorial”: used to refer to a point of time in the past that was so long ago that people have no knowledge or memory of it.

We can’t define “time immemorial” without God. One commentator said this, “The Lord does not count time as we do. He is above and outside of the sphere of time. God sees all of eternity’s past and eternity’s future. The time that passes on earth is of no consequence from God’s timeless perspective. A second is no different from an eon; a billion years pass like seconds to the eternal God.”

Yet the beautiful piece is that He still sees all.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come--the Almighty One."
Revelation 1:8 NLT

The beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, from time immemorial, the everlasting past: these are hard ideas to understand. Our human mind needed the concept of “time,” so God gave it to us. We have since attempted to fit Him into it, but that doesn’t work. God is and was and always will be.

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. 
Psalm 90:2 NLT (A prayer of Moses, the man of God)

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:2 NIV (A prayer of Moses the man of God)

When it feels like the world is crumbling around us, we can cling to this psalm. God’s throne has stood since time immemorial.

The floods have risen up, O LORD. 
The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore- the LORD above is mightier than these!
Your royal laws cannot be changed. 
Your reign, O LORD, is holy forever and ever.
Psalm 93:3-5 NLT

Most of us have only read about (or watched movies of) the violent storms of the sea. Thank goodness. To the psalmist, a storm on the sea was the most frightening thing . . . but his God was mightier! And we know this was a reality during Jesus’ time as well. Jesus calmed the seas when His disciples feared for their lives. Jesus had no fear of the sea, but He calmed the storm because the ones He loved did.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
Mark 4:37-41 NIV

God is mightier than the mightiest waves of the sea. He reigns over all. Since time immemorial.

Father in heaven, thank you for this beautiful little psalm that sings your praises. Thank you that you are mightier than the scariest things that we can imagine. Your throne is from everlasting to everlasting. Nothing happens in all of creation without your knowledge. You are good and you are our Father. Strengthen us today. Help us to tell of the Good News of your love and grace to those around us. Amen.

Heidi xoxo