Presidents Day Reflection
Isaiah 6:1: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
The following thoughts are based on excerpts from my sermon last Sunday on the greatness, holiness, and sovereign rule of God over all things, including our earthly rulers. May this Presidents Day remind us not only of our presidents (past and present) and their leadership and service but ultimately point us to the ultimate Ruler and God of all!
“We have a God who is great and incomprehensible. It is God who reigns. The prophet Isaiah says that it was the year King Uzziah of Judah died. Uzziah reigned for 52 years. We are accustomed to having a president for only four years—or at most, eight years (consecutive or non-consecutive).
For many who lived under Uzziah’s reign, having a king for 52 years meant he was likely the only ruler they had ever known. After 52 years, his reign came to an end. For the most part, Scripture tells us that he was a good king who followed the Lord, but later he turned away from God. His reign marked the height of Judah’s power, during which he fought successfully against other nations and exacted tribute from them. Upon his death, the nation arrived at a turning point.
On one particular day that year, Isaiah looked up and saw a vision of the real King. Even though their earthly king was dead, the great and awesome King was alive and reigning on the throne. Throughout history, kings and queens have come and gone, presidents have come and gone, rulers and dictators have come and gone. But one King always remains. God always remains. Every moment, God is seated on the throne, ruling and reigning, sovereign over all things.
In Isaiah’s vision, God is surrounded by angels called seraphim. In Scripture, angels are described in various ways, but the word picture for this type of angel, the seraphim, is “the burning ones.” In Isaiah’s vision, God is surrounded by these strange but burning beings who are worshiping God. When they speak, the temple and its foundations shake!
Just imagine for a moment—as you sit where you are now—that flaming creatures with six wings each are burning non-stop in their praise around the throne of God, singing of God’s glory. Every moment of your day, the burning ones are singing, “Holy! Holy! Holy!” In holiness, in purity in perfection, God is unmatched. There is no one like God.
Later in Isaiah 40, the question is asked, “To whom will you compare God? Who is God’s equal?” God’s holiness is overwhelming, God’s sovereignty is total. The nations are just a drop in a bucket. All the nations are as nothing before the Lord. Isaiah 40 also invites us to “lift up your eyes on high.” Who created the stars? The hundred billion stars—by the greatness of God’s might, not one of them is missing.
Have you seen the pictures taken on the surface of Mars recently? Did you notice the square-looking structures in one picture on the Martian surface? Did you see the videos of the hills and the landscape? All the mysteries surrounding Mars and each and every star in the galaxy—and yet God knows every single one. There is not one speck of dust or grain of sand on this earth or any other world that is not touched by the greatness of God’s glory.
Is it not then believable that in God’s greatness, God is sovereign? Is it not believable that God rules and is in control of all things? From the events happening in every nation to the events happening in your life—God is sovereign over all things. You can’t really mess with God and the fullness of His glory over creation, over space, time, and history.
As I watched a couple of my kids enjoying and joking around with each other on Valentine’s Day, I marveled at how, for many years, my wife and I prayed to have children, and it seemed like God did not hear our prayers. But as we grew older and felt less and less hope of having children, God brought us into the process of adoption through foster care. In a span of two years, God blessed us with one, then two, then three children. They grow up so fast!
I don’t know how our lives would have looked if we had our own biological children or adopted other children. But out of all the children in the world—God gave us our kids! The point is: God was sovereign this whole time. So however, whoever, and wherever you are in your life, in your marriage, in your family, and in what you do—know that God is sovereign over all things. The God who is great and incomprehensible rules over all things.
May we rest in God’s incomprehensible, incomparable greatness this Presidents Day.
Peter Tan-Gatue