chaos

Opening Prayer: Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples? Earth-leaders push for position, demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks, the God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers: “Let’s get free of God! Cast loose from Messiah!” Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing. At first he’s amused at their presumption; then he gets good and angry. Furiously, he shuts them up: “Don’t you know there’s a King in Zion? A coronation banquet is spread for him on the holy summit.” (Psalm 2:1-6, The Message)

Scripture: Psalm 2:1-12

Journal: What is the spiritual climate around you these days?  What is the spiritual climate within you?  How do you reconcile the two?

Reflection: When we pray, we quickly run into the fact that the world around us is not at all as it was intended to be.  In fact, it is broken and chaotic, twisted and distorted.  The world has turned away from the God who made it and turned to its own plans, schemes, and agendas.  Therefore, although some might seem to tolerate God, and others to ignore him, the majority of the world, because of its desire to be its own god, is downright hostile towards him—plotting against him and his reign on earth at every opportunity.  That’s where Psalm 2 comes in.

     Psalm 2 takes up the very same verb used in Psalm 1 (hagah), which calls us to meditate on God’s word.  Yet, this time it is used in a much different way—as it tells us that the world plots against God.  In the words of Eugene Peterson: “While Psalm 1 directs us to approach this word with delight, receiving it as life-giving, Psalm 2 shows people plotting against this word, devising schemes for getting rid of it so that they can be free of all God-interference in their lives.”  This is the world in which we live.

    So what are we to do with all of this?  We are to pray.  That’s what the Psalms teach us.  We are to fix our eyes and our hearts, not on the chaos around us, but on the One who sits on the throne.  We are to pour our hearts out to him.  We are to call upon his name.  We are to serve him with gladness.  We are to rejoice in him continuously.  We are to love him.  We are to kiss the Son.  We are to take refuge.  It is our prayers—these prayers—that help us to do all of this.  Thanks be to God!

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Let me tell you what God said next. He said, “You’re my son, and today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: nations as a present? Continents as a prize? You can command them all to dance for you, or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.

     So, rebel-kings, use your heads; upstart-judges, learn your lesson: worship God in adoring embrace, celebrate in trembling awe. Kiss Messiah! Your very lives are in danger, you know; His anger is about to explode, but if you make a run for God—you won’t regret it! (Psalm 2:7-12, The Message)