Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Psalm 24 (NIV)
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. 7 Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory.
When my world gets too busy and my calendar too full, I can get a little tunnel-vision. Does that ever happen to you? Do the concerns of this day ever crush out the promises of eternity? I’m not suggesting that we ignore the concerns of our day. Yet, if we get too focused, we can miss that God is still the King of all things. If we lose sight of the big picture, we can miss the promise of God amid the struggles of our day. I’d like to suggest a “forest and trees approach”. As we walk through this day, let us be mindful of the trees around us: the tasks and people that God has for us this day. Let us also take time to praise God for the forest: the magnitude of his grace and compassion. Our God is ruler of all, each tree and the forest in which they grow.