Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. — Psalm 74:12
In a moment of deep distress, the psalmist anchors himself to a bedrock truth — that God remains his king.
The Darkness That Preceded This Declaration
To appreciate the weight of this statement, we need to understand the context in which it is made. Beginning in verse 9, the psalmist had been lamenting that there were no more signs, no more prophets, and no one who knew how long the suffering would last. He had spoken of enemies and adversaries who continued to blaspheme unchallenged. In verse 11, he had even questioned God directly — why do you withdraw your hand, even your right hand? — essentially telling God what he thought should be done about the situation.
The psalmist was not in a place of celebration or victory. He was in a dark and difficult place, surrounded by real threats, and feeling as though God was not responding in the way he hoped.
And yet — despite all of this — he does not end there. He pulls himself back from the weight of his circumstances and makes this bold declaration: yet God is my king.
The Stability of a King
The psalmist’s declaration points us to the stability and permanence of God as king. A king is one who has territory and authority — one who is responsible for the welfare of his kingdom and the protection of his subjects. And here the psalmist rightly identifies God as that king.
God is the one to whom everything belongs. He is the king of the heavens and the king of the earth. His rule is from everlasting to everlasting, and nothing falls outside the boundaries of His kingdom.
This was always God’s design. In 1 Samuel, when the children of Israel demanded a human king, God told Samuel that it was not Samuel they were rejecting — they were rejecting God Himself as their king. God had always intended to be the great king over His people, and He desired for them to see Him as such.
A King Who Delivers
But what makes this king truly remarkable is not only His authority — it is the kind of king He is. He is a king who delivers His people. He is a king who fights battles on behalf of those who belong to Him.
In the ancient world, kings did not remain behind while their armies went to war. They led from the front. They went into battle with — and often ahead of — their people. This is the kind of king God is. He does not send His people into battle and then watch from a distance. He goes before them. He fights for them. He works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.
David understood this well when he cried out:
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. — Psalm 35:1
Our King Today
May we be a people who looks to God as our great king — who recognises that we are not wandering through this world as subjects without a ruler, but that we are citizens of a kingdom. Paul writes to the Colossians that when we believed in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we were transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
We are always in one kingdom or the other. Either in the kingdom of darkness, where the devil rules, or in the kingdom of God, where God is king. And praise be to God that for those who believe, God is their king — because this king is good, this king is powerful, and this king is the deliverer of all who trust in Him.
Amen.
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