"Why do the heathen rage,
and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves and
the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed...He
that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall leave them in derision..."
Psalm 2:1-4
Psalm 2 is regarded as
one of the Messianic Psalms-those Psalms that have verses that contain
prophecies about our Messiah (the "Anointed One"). The verses above
were quoted by the Apostles in Acts 4 when they prayed to God concerning the
opposition they faced as they began to propagate God’s message of grace. For the
Apostles, in their prayer they related the "raging heathens" and the
"Kings and rulers" to Pontius Pilate, the Jewish elders, King Herod
and others who plotted against our Lord Jesus while He was on earth (see Acts
4:23-30).
The vain plots however
didn't stop with the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. All
through the book of Acts, the Apostles and the early church faced similar plots
just as it happened to them in Acts 4. And in every generation since then, the
raging heathens and the plots of kings and rulers has not stopped. God never
promised His children an opposition-free life.
What is so comforting for
me personally is God's response to the opposition as expressed in Psalm 2:4 -He
laughs! God laughs! We get so worked up, we sometimes get very scared in the
face of opposition to God’s work in our lives. We even begin saying things we
shouldn't say. We sometimes despair of even our very lives. We almost think
that God Himself should roll up His sleeves and take things seriously. But as
this Psalm shows us, God sits calmly in Heaven and laughs! (Read also Psalm
37:13, Psalm 59:8).
God is not agitated or
disturbed by their efforts. His plans cannot be thwarted. His power cannot be
withstood. God simply proceeds to the execution of His plan in a calm manner. Even
when an assorted conglomerate of opposition forces aggregate against Him, God
laughs!
Muse with me today and
be reminded that we have a God who is Almighty and All Powerful. The early
church recognized that these verses contain a powerful encouragement and firm assurance
to the believer in Christ even in the face of fiery opposition and assault. So
should we. Just remember when the opposition rages, God laughs!
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