This week’s Song To Live By is Psalm 2

Tom writes:

Psalms find us in familiar places, in forlorn places, in fearful places. They give words to the cries of our hearts; equipping us with language to lament, with phrases for our anger. Through the flow of their verses they lead us down the narrow road of the Kingdom response to the challenges of this life. This psalm is for those moments when we hear of wars and rumours of wars. When your heart begins to fail over the utter horror of strong men imposing their will upon the weak and the poor, this is the song to sing. Psalm 2 is for the persecuted church and the oppressed Christian. It reminds us that rebellion is real, and chaos feels like catastrophe, but there is a plan, and that plan is never in doubt. God has anointed a King - more than a King in fact; a Son - who will be enthroned across all the universe, sprinkling the Shalom of his sovereignty onto the sphere of every heart. God sees your pain, and he acknowledges the evil that is against you, and he is guaranteed to act to reverse any wrong being done.

The early church sung this song (Acts 4) when the threats of the Sanhedrin started to erode their confidence. It was a prayer that shook the fear out of them, and emboldened them by the Spirit to keep on living like Jesus. The Sanhedrin will one day kiss the Son… or if they don’t they will face his wrath. I wonder if you sing this song when you get fearful? I wonder if you follow its narrow way to the surprising freedom that it feeds you? Our world is increasingly fearful.

Bad news is more obvious, more graphically presented, more personal than I ever remember it being. Psalm 2 is not what I would naturally sing in response to bad news. Its willingness to speak of wrath is a narrow road that I find myself wanting to veer away from. But as I prayed it today I found it really did sure me up and motivate me to honour Jesus and help others learn to serve him. I found Psalm 2 gave me what Jesus called “heart”; in this world the rebellion of people will cause us many troubles, but we need not get fretful, for the King who is the Son has overcome all the world.

A prayer

Jesus I acknowledge you again as the true and rightful King of all the nations. I thank you that even though now there is much that is wrong, that this will not always be the case. I thank you that you are both willing and able to destroy all that is evil. I ask you to give me boldness to continue to trust in you and to serve you now, even when I feel afraid.