Have you ever felt like God isn’t with you? Maybe it feels like he’s silent? If you’ve ever felt that way (or you’re feeling that way), you might struggle with part of our Fighter Verses from this past week. The psalmist says that “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” When you hear that the LORD’s throne is in the heavens, you might think, “Yep, he’s way up there and I’m way down here.” But far from that being a discouraging statement, it should encourage us.
In Psalm 103, we find that God is both transcendent (meaning, above all), but he’s also “immanent” (meaning, he pervades all of creation). Since that’s the case, we can have superior encouragement when we read that the God who is near is also the God who reigns over all. When it feels like the world is out of control, friends are turning from us or we’re feeling all alone, we can know that the God who dwells in the heavens and rules over all is also the God who knows our frame, knows we’re dust and also relates to us personally!
All of this actually reminds me of Jesus’ model prayer when he starts off “Our Father, who is in heaven. . ..” What is he revealing in that prayer? Answer: we can have personal communion with the God who is in control over everything. And, by the way, how do we have that personal communion with him? Because of Jesus. Jesus spanned the divide between us and God. Jesus took on our humanness, lived perfectly and then took our punishment. As a result, all who trust in Jesus can call God their Father, and we cry out to him as the One who rules over all for His glory and our good. It is amazing news to know that God is our Father, and today, let’s praise our God who is both transcendent and immanent – who grants his kindness to us through Jesus.