THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2019
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River[c] to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.” (Zechariah 9:9-11)
“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14)
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.” (Psalm 145:17-20)
In these three passages, we find multiple portraits of God’s sovereign rule. Each of the three establish our God as King of kings and Lord of lords. They also highlight that His Kingdom business doesn’t stop with knowledge; rather, it extends to questions of power and authority. In Acts and Paul’s letters, we often find references to the Holy Spirit’s coming on new believers in “power.”
What may we take away from these pictures of our God? Throughout Scripture, we discern more and more of God’s purpose and intention, directed towards His glory and the good of His people. In some cases, we discover the humble Jesus, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt. Other times, we read about Jesus as conqueror, as in Revelation, where all other authorities will cede their power. Psalm 145 points to our God’s deft ability to relate to us in a position of authority, but with an attitude of tenderness. Given His greatness, these varied pictures are not surprising.
How may we respond to these representations of our sovereign God? For me, these readings encouraged me to surrender more fully to God’s purpose and to trust Him for the road ahead in 2020. My prayer today: “Do what You will, O God, and give me wisdom to understand and follow Your leading.”
I rejoice in being able to share this 2019 Bible Reading Group journey with you! I am even more excited about starting again in 2020. Maybe you’d like to invite a friend or loved one to join with us?
Please also find a link to an article for personal reflection, called “10 Questions for a New Year”: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/ten-questions-for-a-new-year.
Lord God, thank You for showing us pictures of Your sovereignty in Scripture. Give us wisdom and understanding of Your greatness and awesome power. Help us to become more trusting of Your plans and purposes. Use us for Your honor and glory in the coming year. In Jesus’s mighty Name, amen.
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