August 12, Morning

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice." — Psalm 97:1 · KJV

There is no cause for disquiet so long as this blessed sentence is true. On earth the Lord's power controls the rage of the wicked as easily as the rage of the sea, and His love refreshes the poor with mercy as readily as the earth with showers. Majesty gleams in flashes of fire amid the tempest's horrors, and the glory of the Lord is seen in its grandeur in the fall of empires and the crash of thrones. In all our conflicts and troubles we may behold the hand of the divine King; God sees and hears all our troubles and our tears, and reigns over all for ever. In hell, evil spirits own His undoubted supremacy, though in misery. When they are permitted to roam abroad, it is with a chain at their heel; the bit is in the mouth of behemoth, and the hook in the jaws of leviathan. Death's darts are under the Lord's lock, and the graves are His prisons, with His power for their warder; the terrible vengeance of the Judge of all the earth makes fiends cower and tremble, as dogs in the kennel fear the hunter's whip. Fear not death, then, nor Satan's thrusts: God defends all who trust in Him, and reigns over all for ever. In heaven none doubt the sovereignty of the King Eternal; all fall on their faces to do Him homage. Angels are His courtiers, the redeemed His favorites, and all delight to serve Him day and night. May we soon reach the city of the great King, who for this life's long night of sadness will give us peace and gladness; for, remember it in your pains, God reigns over all for ever.