.
6 Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
Meditate on this illustration by Barbara Boyd:
If the distance between the earth and the sun (96 million miles) was the thickness of a piece of paper, that would make the distance from the earth to the nearest star a stack of papers 70 feet high.
Just the diameter of our galaxy would be a stack of papers 310 miles high, and our “little” galaxy is just a speck in the expanse of the universe that we can see.
If Jesus is the Son of God who holds all this together with one word of his power (Hebrews 1), is this the kind of person you ask into your life to be your personal assistant?
Have you noticed how easy it is for us to accept the loving Jesus, the comforting Jesus that assists us through our troubles, but not the Holy Jesus? What is it about us that rejects Jesus as King? Even the religious moralist can use their moral achievements as a way to avoid Jesus. “If I’m good enough, I won’t have to really surrender to him.”
As Flannery O’Conner wrote in her novel, Wise Blood…
“There was already a deep black wordless conviction in him that the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin.”
Some of us don’t want to be yoked to anything. And others will anchor their hearts to any cause or person. We have a deep spiritual need to surrender to something. If not the TRUE King, we will find someone or something else to worship. To adore. To protect.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
No human or cause is meant to sit on the throne of our hearts. Only Jesus. He holds the universe together with one word and yet He is as close as your next breath. He is BOTH Lord and Savior. Take refuge in Him alone.
10 Listen to me, all you rebel-kings
and all you upstart judges of the earth.
Learn your lesson while there’s still time.
11 Serve and worship the awe-inspiring God.
Recognize his greatness and bow before him,
trembling with reverence in his presence.
12 Fall facedown before him and kiss the Son
before his anger is roused against you.
Remember that his wrath can be quickly kindled!
But many blessings are waiting for all
who turn aside to hide themselves in him!
(Passion Translation)