I watched a video of a pastor being interviewed from a country where his faith is illegal. He lays his earthly life aside for the heavenly Kingdom daily, and goes right on preaching the Gospel to anyone who has ears to hear. Because the worth of the Gospel surpasses the worth of our lives. He said when he was first living in whatever country he lives in (he didn’t say due to risks involved), he’d say the name of Jesus and 8 out of 10 people would come to Christ, right then and there. But persecution hit, and people’s faith couldn’t stand up to the fire. He prayed and asked God why people were falling away. God told him it was because they knew Him as Savior, but not as King. If people knew God as King, they would know they needed a Savior.

He didn’t say it, but I will. When we see Jesus as only our Savior, but not as our King, it makes our faith anemic. It gives us the false impression that we can shove the Creator of galaxies, earthworms, and everything in between in our pocket and take Him with us wherever we go, like a tag-a-long. But God is not a tag-a-long. He’s a Lion, wild and free, untamed and untamable. To many of us that causes our knees to knock, and it should. But to those of us who know Him well, we know that He also uses His magnificent power to protect His loved ones, and that this is part of what makes Him glorious. Part of what makes Him God!

This theme of Kingship seems to be intercepting my brain-o-sphere on a daily basis. And every time it does, it fills me with awe and worship, because I do know God as King. If He weren’t King, this entire world would feel like the biggest pile of chaos and confusion right now. And I would be full of crippling fear. But I’m not. Even knowing that this nation I love and grew up in might just be on the brink of capsizing. Yet, I can read things like Psalm 46, where it says “Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” And this passage fills me with peace. Because I can stop striving, stop wrestling, stop worrying, and let God stand resolute in His proper place… as King over creation!

Because God is my King, and my treasure is stored up in His Kingdom.

At the root of why I am waiting with breath-baited to see if our nation really will capsize, is because I’m wondering if we’ve figured it out, yet. I wonder if we recognize the holiness and majesty of the Eternal One, yet. Honestly, long before 2020 struck us at the knees, I was clamoring to my knees knowing this time was coming. I had no clue what it would look like, but a lot of my prayers had to do with lamenting over the state of our nation, and recognizing that severe judgment was headed our way if we didn’t repent of the ways we’ve forsaken righteousness, and turned our backs on truth. The ways we’ve made ourselves out as gods and God Himself into a demigod. We have been absolutely stupid. Like toddlers trying to drive a car, smacking our parents hands away when they help us steer. But just like toddlers who can’t drive cars, we are ignorant, foolish, and unable to steer our own lives, or even keep breath in our lungs without the help of the Most High.

So, America, you beautiful nation who has made herself ugly with sin and shame, this is my plea to us all… Let’s reinstate the Lord to His proper place as King. If we are to survive, rather than fall headlong into slavery and exile, we must, must, MUST become, once again, “One Nation Under God”!!!

Space 5/6/21