That’s My King | Psalm 2
What do you do when you are not in control? Recently, I was on multiple flights with my family and the thing about flying is that you don’t have much control over what goes on. You are at the mercy of the airline, air traffic control and the airport. So, when I get on a plane I want to sit on the aisle (so I can control when I want to get up and get out), and I want to sit towards the front so I that I can get out sooner. It’s all about control. On a flight home from JFK back home, our flight was delayed multiple times. We had just been on an 8-hour flight from London that had been delayed 2 hours, and we were already exhausted. Finally, we board the plane 2 hours later than expected. As we get on the plane, the pilot informs us that the flight crew had timed out and we were now going to wait for a new crew to come. Over an hour later, the new crew shows up. Then we start taxing, for about an hour and a half. The shades are closed, I can’t see anything, I don’t know anything, I am losing my mind and praying a lot. The guy next to me was losing his mind as well. Then the pilot tells us that we are number 25 in line and that if he doesn’t take off in the next 30 minutes that he is going to time out. For the next 30 minutes, we slowly creep in line. Again, I can’t see and don’t know anything. After 30 minutes the pilot says, “well, I have timed out. We must go back to the terminal.” So even though I had an aisle seat, close to the front, I had absolutely no control over the situation. As I laid on the floor at JFK airport trying to sleep as I waited on a new flight 7 hours later, I said, “God, I am so thankful that you are sovereign and in control over all things. Even though I don’t like this, I trust you have it figured out.” I didn’t sleep at all, but I had peace because I knew that God is sovereign (in control) of all things, but Delta and JFK airport were responsible. The problem with humanity is that we struggle with power dynamics, and we often want to take control. We want to be in charge. We want to be the “captain of our souls” and “master of our fates.” We live in fear when we are not; fear is trying to control what we cannot control. The Bible teaches that “all power and authority” has been given to Jesus. Any power that we think we have or that others have is under the power and authority of Jesus. So the ultimate question is: Have you surrendered to Jesus or are you living in rebellion? No options.
Psalm 2 is a royal psalm that was used for the coronation of a King in Israel. It was written by David. Most scholars believe that Psalms 1 and 2 go together and set the tone for the book. Psalm 1 talks about the two ways you can live your life: blessedness or brokenness. Psalm 2 focuses on God’s sovereign rule over the entire world. The psalmists will constantly go back to and appeal to during their need for help and hope. Everything is going to be alright because we have a King who is in charge of the world. Both psalms give us the road map for truly being blessed. We can only be blessed when we submit our lives to King Jesus. Psalm 2 tells us that we have a King that we don’t want but desperately need.