Psalm 99

v. 1-3 - God is set apart and holy. He is OTHER. I love the way the strength and the majesty of our Lord is described in this passage. There are so many times that I allow myself to forget about His true nature. I allow myself to ignore God - IGNORE the ruler and sustainer of all!!! How is that possible? I often treat God like he is my "good buddy." His presence makes the earth tremble! He knowledge is infinite. He is so much more than a good buddy! I even sometimes treat God as if He is my servant, and I expect Him to do what I want Him to do. Every moment of my existence is held together by His will...how could I ever be arrogant enough to think that God needs to get with my program!? He is the sustainer. He is the master. He is the giver of life. Do not forget that! Allow the truth of His nature to drive you towards deeper worship.

v. 4 - The king has been given his place of power so that he might establish justice and bring peace in his kingdom. He is placed in a seat of power, not for his own glorification, but so that the name of the Lord might be glorified through his reign. Far too often, people use the power they have been given to oppress and bring harm. That is the opposite of the way of God...that is a declaration of war against God and the way that He wants power used in His creation. Think about the power that you have and how you use it...as parent, boss, teacher, leader, friend, family member...do you bring glory to the name of God through your use of power? Or do you choose the other?

v. 6-7 - As Christians, we are all a part of the priesthood. The blood of Jesus Christ has given us the freedom to cal on the name of the Lord, just like the ancient priests. Every one of us can call upon Him and can be directly in relationship with Him...such a wondrous gift! We know for certain that when we call on the name of the Lord...we will be answered. I experienced this truth firsthand this week. For months I have been praying about a huge decision a committee I am on at church was trying to make, and I cried out to God asking for clarity and vision. When we got together this Monday to meet and share our thoughts...every single one of us was on the same page. I almost started weeping from the sheer joy of seeing God's answer so clearly before me.