March 9, 2017
SING PRAISES FOR HE SHALL BE THE KING OF THE WORLD!
Psalm 47
Cristyn Smith
Central Truth
Even in our darkest times, in our most difficult struggles, He shall be called King of the world. So let us sing our praises to Him!
Key Verse | Psalm 47:6
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
(Psalm 47:6)
Psalm 47
God Is King over All the Earth
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1
Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
2
For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
3
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5
God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm!
1
47:7
Hebrew maskil
8
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted!
Dive Deeper | Psalm 47
Psalm 47 represents an “enthronement” psalm, prophesying the Lord’s ultimate reign over the world. The psalmist was speaking of the day that will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). Six times in these nine verses the psalmist calls us to shout for joy and sing praises unto the Lord.
Full disclosure? As I am writing this, I can barely say the word praises much less sing any. When I went to pick my selection to write for The Journey this year, I was initially upset that ALL the psalms that I had either memorized or meditated on for months were already snagged. I eventually “settled” for Psalm 47 because it would post on my niece’s birthday, and I trusted God would guide me in the direction I should write. Less than two weeks later, He gave me direction that I didn’t want.
At 6 1/2 weeks pregnant with our first baby, we were told that we would miscarry, and a few days later we did. I’m certain my first thought expressed to God was, “that’s NOT what was supposed to happen,” and not “Praise You, O Lord! For Your will be done, not mine.” You see in a matter of moments I had forgotten who is truly King of the world and convinced myself that I had some sort of absolute control over my pregnancy. I was no longer singing praises to the one true King. But then the days turned to weeks, and my head finally started to come above water once again. I realized that at no point in my pregnancy had I trusted Him. Sure, I thanked Him for allowing us to become pregnant, but as I look back it was with an entitled heart.
As we’ve walked out our grief, it comes with a new and better understanding of His goodness and love for us. He never left us, nor does He plan to (Deuteronomy 31:6). May we never cease to sing praises to Him!
Discussion Questions
1. Who is King of your world? The one, true King? Or something or someone else?
2. Are you able to sing praises to the Lord in all things? If not, why not? Share with someone you trust to process where your heart is emotionally.
3. As you continue in your study of the Psalms, select a passage and memorize it. Meditate on it. For a bigger challenge, select a whole chapter. See how God will use it in your life and for your testimony.
4. If miscarriage or infertility is a part of your story, if you’re struggling to understand God in the midst of it, or if you are struggling in your grief, please consider Shiloh, Watermark’s ministry for women and couples struggling with infertility and/or miscarriage.