king Archives - Marissa Henley

I have a confession to make: I love to tell people what to do. I’m a bossy person, and this character flaw revealed itself early in my childhood. My siblings often told me, “You’re not the boss of me!” Our poor brother had two older sisters telling him what to do, and one day, he snapped, “I don’t need three mommies!”

It’s a natural human tendency to wonder who’s in charge. Some of us also have the strong desire to be the one in charge; others are looking for someone to follow. But we all understand that someone needs to be the boss.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at reasons Jesus came. There are countless other aspects of who He is, many of which we won’t know until we see Him face to face. We’ve seen how He is our Redeemer, our Reconciler, and our Righteous Advocate. Scripture also tells us that Jesus Christ is our Reigning King.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11)

God the Father has highly exalted the risen Son. His name is above every name, proving there is no one greater. Ephesians 1:21 tells us that God has seated Him “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Paul pulls out every extreme phrase he can find, but the human language can’t adequately describe the supremacy of Christ’s reign.

At Christ’s first coming, only a few knelt in worship—a handful of shepherds and a some traveling kings. The angels sang His praise, but much of the world was silent. As word spread about His birth, the reigning king of His time sought to kill the infant Messiah.

But at His second coming, every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. God will be glorified as all creation sees what we know is true today: Jesus reigns.

No matter what you face this week, your Savior is also your Reigning King.

(Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash)

The first presidential election I remember is the 1980 election. I was barely 4 years old, but I remember seeing Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan shaking hands. I understood there had been a change in leadership of our nation. And my peace-loving preschool mind believed that President Carter and President Reagan were buddies. I assumed President Carter was tired of being president, so he let his friend have a turn. Every good preschooler knows about taking turns!

But of course, that’s not how politics works. Rather than being kind to each other, as our preschool teachers taught us, we spew anger and hate, not only at the candidates, but at brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t share our political leanings. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for this election to be over.

Maybe the future of our nation is weighing heavily on your mind, too. Or maybe your personal struggles consume your thoughts, leaving little room for national issues. Either way, I hope today’s Scripture encourages you:

“For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:7-8).

Our King reigns. He sits on His holy and eternal throne, ruling over the earth and over your life. Nothing in this universe is beyond His sovereign control. He reigns over the leaders of the nations and over each and every detail of your life.

Not one vote, not one cell, not one gust of wind in this world are beyond His control.

Here’s more good news: the one who reigns is not only your King, He is your Father. He loves you and cares for you. We can face our future without fear, because the One who rules the nations cares for us.

No matter what you face this week, your Heavenly Father reigns over the nations.

Jesus Christ is your Reigning King {No Matter What Monday}

The Lord Reigns Over the Nations {No Matter What Monday}