Psalm 97:1-9

¹ The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
    let the distant shores rejoice.
² Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him
    and consumes his foes on every side.
⁴ His lightning lights up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all peoples see his glory.

⁷ All who worship images are put to shame,
    those who boast in idols—
    worship him, all you gods!

⁸ Zion hears and rejoices
    and the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments, Lord.
⁹ For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

This psalm paints a grand picture of God’s might and power. It’s common for images of nature to be used to describe God – enormous phenomena like lightning and earthquakes would have been the only thing that could come close to the same feeling of God’s might. Mountains melting ‘like wax’ sounds almost like an avalanche or even a volcano.  But it’s not all a scary picture! Even in the face of this earth-shattering, civilisation-destroying, mind-blowing power, God’s people are able to rejoice and glorify him. 

Zoe Harland