The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the bridegroom and the bride is His church from every tribe, tongue and nation. As the bride of Christ, our role is to prepare for the Lord’s return. How do we prepare?
In Psalm 47, the psalmist looks forward to that day when God’s people from every tribe, nation, tongue and corner of the globe will worship the living God. At that time, people from every race, color and background will lift up the name of the Lord. People—whether they be rich or poor, whether they are educated or not—will join together in the praise of His glory.
The psalmist reminds Israel that God is not just the God of Israel. God is not just a local god. God is the God of power and might. God is the God who owns the entire universe. God is the God who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the God who created all, rules all, sustains all and controls all. And one day, His followers will come from every corner of the globe to reign and rule with Him. As He promised Abraham when He called him to go to the land God would show him: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:3b, NIV).
And so Psalm 47 says that the day is coming when the name of the Lord will be lifted high throughout all the earth. Why? Because His faithful children are obeying His commission. Because faithful people are taking the gospel message to the ends of the earth.
What should we do now as the people of God? Like Abraham, we are to live as willing servants who allow Christ to reign over our hearts, minds and lives and call others to do the same. This is how we prepare in the present for our future glory in Christ.
Prayer: Lord, while I wait for Your return, help me prepare by following Your commands. Give me wisdom to obey Your commission to share Your gospel truth with those You have put in my path. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of peoples are gathered together; even the people of the God of Abraham. for the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted” (Ps. 47:8-9).
Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams. Youssef was born in Egypt.
This article originally appeared at ltw.org.
