Hope beyond the headlines
by Anita Foster
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Happy are all who take refuge in him (Psalm 2:12b).
Read Psalm 2
Do you ever get angry, frustrated or fearful at the state of the world when watching or reading the news? Perhaps particularly when political leaders or rulers of nations act in ways that seem to go against God’s ways. Psalm 2 could have been written about this. It begins by speaking of the world’s leaders rebelling against God and his anointed one, plotting together and seeking power.
It then goes on to speak of God’s response. Laughter. Not of derision, but of clear confidence about who is really in control. It then speaks of a king whom the Lord claims as his own son. While we know the author of many psalms to be King David, and that it was not unusual to hear this kind of language from ancient kings, it prophetically points us to God’s plan for the world all along, with Jesus as the long-awaited king, the Messiah, God’s own Son to rule and have authority and power for eternity.
It reminds us of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:17, where ‘a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased”’.
Finally, the psalm finishes with a warning to the world’s leaders to act with wisdom. It encourages us to trust and take refuge in God, emphasising the joy and security found by trusting the state of the world and its leaders to God’s care. So, the next time you find yourself getting worked up over the news, take some time to remember God’s power, and bring the world’s leaders and situations to the Lord in prayer.
Sovereign God, when the world feels unstable and chaotic, help us to trust in your reign. We take refuge in you, placing the nations, their leaders and the situations they face into your loving care. Please grant wisdom to all those in authority, and remind us that you are always at work, even when we cannot see it. Grant us peace in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Anita Foster lives in Melbourne’s outer east with her husband and three teen and tween daughters. She is the Director of Faith and Formation at Luther College in Croydon, and she loves teaching, theatre, being in nature and finding new ways to express her creativity.
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