What Is God’s Authority to You?

November 09, 2022

What Is God's Authority to You?

What Is God’s Authority to You?

By Brooke Holt

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:1-3

What have you praised today? What or who has captivated your heart in a way that moved you to marvel, delight, and even sing? As I watched the sun rise over the water this morning, I was overcome with the beauty of God’s creation. I marveled at the glorious colors rising above the beautiful blue water. I couldn’t help but praise God for his glorious creative work!

Throughout this psalm, King David lifts his heart in adoration before the Lord. He acknowledges God as his King and the one worthy of his praise. This is the man who was the king of Israel, a man exalted and adored, yet King David never forgot who the true King was. David was a king under the King, a man under authority.

A man under authority—what does that mean? King David acknowledged God was the true God, the true King, and the one to whom David must bow his knee. Where David was a man after God’s heart, he was also a fallen man who was not a perfect leader of his people. On the other hand, God was the perfect King who never failed his covenant people, never broke his promise, and always ruled with perfect understanding and wisdom.

Instead of trusting in himself, King David trusted in his Lord and King. David allowed God to be the authority in his life. Remember when he was confronted with his adultery and murder? Yes, he tried to hide and deny it, but once exposed, David knew and acknowledged he had sinned grievously against God. Though entrusted with great power and influence, David didn’t try to bend the rules to fit his desires and needs but submitted to the divine King.

Not only does David acknowledge God as his King and authority, but David praises him. He calls himself to praise not just on the Sabbath but every day. David lifted his heart as he bent his knee before the Lord Almighty, for he knew God was the one of unsearchable greatness and worthy of his continual praise and worship.

Reflection:

What about you? What is your posture toward the praise and worship of the Lord? How do you view his authority in your life? Are you following the example of King David and lifting the name of the Lord every day in your heart, mind, and spirit? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Recommended Resource:

Christmas is the festival of rejoicing at Christ’s first coming—the beautiful, unlikely start of our salvation! As the season ends each year, we pack up the decorations. Advent, on the other hand, is a bigger celebration—one we can’t box up and store in the attic. It celebrates the grace of Christ’s first coming, and then it reaches with restless anticipation for the fuller grace of his second appearing and the completion of our salvation! For 28 days, celebrate Advent. In Prepare the Way, join with St. Paul, King David the Psalmist, Zechariah, Gabriel, Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist, along with the crowds as they rejoiced in the good news of Christmas, and then look beyond it for the holiday that never ends!