From Pastor's Desk for June 2025

Lighthouse Church:

“Creator” and “ruler” are terms related to each other causally in defining to the nature of God. The creator has the right to control what was created. Psalm 104 relates to the idea of God the creator. Psalm 47 states plainly that God is the ruler. These passages taken together illustrate the relationship between humans and the divine. As our Creator, God owns us and we owe him our loyalty. As our ruler we owe him our obedience.

1.     What do the Psalms say about God the Creator?

 Psalm 104 (NIV)

5 He set the earth on its foundations;  it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;  the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,  at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains,  they went down into the valleys,  to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;  never again will they cover the earth.

Psalm 104 retells the story from Genesis about the creation of the universe. The context is the humbling of the writer to God. This is an appropriate way to approach God and we should emulate it. We are one of God’s creations and therefore he rules over us. We naturally and correctly think of man as a work wrought by the divine Intelligence. He is both created and made. How he was created lies undisclosed among the secrets of God; how he was brought from not-being to being, from no-thing to something is not known and may never be known to any but the one who brought him forth.

2. What do the Psalms say about God the Ruler?

Psalm 47 (NIV)

8 God reigns over the nations;    God is seated on his holy throne.

9 The nobles of the nations assemble  as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God;  he is greatly exalted.

This Psalm is a song praising God for what he had done for the Hebrews. It calls upon God’s people to praise him by declaring that: “5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,  the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the King of all the earth;” This is our command and we obey by not only literally singing but also by lauding God. We show our acceptance of his kingship in this way.

God gave us free will to decide whether to accept him as our Lord or not. We must all choose whether we will obey the gospel or turn away in unbelief and reject its authority. Our choice is our own but the consequences of the choice have already been determined by the sovereign will of God, and from this there is no appeal. We are justified when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins. We will then be moved to be even more obedient to him.

By what authority can we be saved? Only God can he the covenant Lord, for that role is appropriate only for him. And why is it appropriate? Because he is ruler. He deserves the role of Lord, because he is different in nature from all his creatures.  Not only does God offer us salvation by grace alone but he also rules over our lives. When we submit ourselves to him completely we can find peace.

God Bless. Pastor Eric