Anyone for a song?

All the kings in the world will praise you, LORD,
   because they have heard your promises.
They will sing about what you have done
   and about your great glory.
Even though you are so high above,
   you care for the lowly,
   and the proud cannot hide from you.
(verses 4-6)

Read Psalm 138

I have never seen or heard the Australian prime minister sing. Likewise, I have never seen or heard the president of USA or the prime minister of UK sing, or any of the other thousands of heads of state, prime ministers or presidents in the world. I wonder, when they do sing, if their song is about the promises of God.

The psalm writer pictures a new situation when all the rulers of the world will indeed praise the Lord. They will do this in response to hearing of his promises to draw all people to himself and restore all creation to its proper place in his life and love. The psalm writer can see this picture of the future because he knows that God, who is infinitely high and great, is at the same time concerned for and present with the lowly.

We live in the presence of this lofty God who has made himself lower than the lowly in the very human and very lowly king of kings, Jesus. If our prime minister and all the other national leaders won’t sing, then we can.

Lord of the heavens and our earth, draw us into your love and give us inner joy and a song with which to live this day well. Amen.

by Adrian Kitson, in ‘Living Water for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2001)

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