majesty

Love Letters – Psalm 45

/ Anthea Kotlan / 1 Comment

Have you ever written a love letter?

Summer of 1986

In the summer of 1986, I met the man who, three years later, would become my husband. On day one of Intervarsity’s Christian Fellowship’s training camp at Bear Trap Ranch in Colorado, Bill Kotlan was too chipper at 8 am that morning. Everyone, including me, had just driven hundreds of miles from Texas after finishing final exams at our local universities. Some had even driven all night! And yet there he was, smiling away and welcoming all our fellow students. I responded politely but had little energy to engage.

Somehow just days later, at the dance one evening, I would find myself in Bill’s arms, moving around the room to the sounds of Ann Murray’s “Will You Have This Dance, For the Rest of Your Life.” Maybe, it was one too many Harlequin Romance stories or an equal amount of those “Love Boat” episodes of my misspent youth, or much more likely the hand of our gracious God, but I was smitten.

Miles Apart

Texas is huge, and at the end of our magical camp week, we departed for our hometowns about 400 miles away from each other. To add some real long-distance challenges to our budding romance, we both traveled overseas that summer after leaving Colorado. He promised to write, but I never imagined he would follow through.

Imagine my surprise when while staying with my extended family in England, my father arrived with a package of love letters mailed to my home address. Naturally, my family was also quite intrigued. I had never received a letter from someone I dated, let alone love letters!

A Heart Captured

If my future husband’s goal had been to capture my heart through the written word, he certainly excelled. He even included a few illustrations, light-hearted banter, Bible verses, and sweet mentions of missing me and thinking of me often. Banter and Bible verses continue to fill our conversations to this day!

Love letters remind both the writer and recipient of the bond they share. They reach across time and space and convey deep and abiding care. They remain as a testimony of love found and nurtured.

Psalm 45 is written as a love letter to our King.

1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips;
    therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.
(Psalm 45:1-5 ESV)

For King Charles’s coronation, millions tuned in because we were drawn to the pageantry and lore. What makes this appealing? In an ever-changing world, the traditions displayed during a royal coronation reassure us that some essential things don’t change. Psalm 45 reminds us as believers that the King we serve, the God of the universe, stands the test of eternity and never changes His plan or mode of operation.

Ruling Ways

In Psalm 45, the psalmist reminds us of three important ways the King of the universe rules.

  • Majesty

Our hearts overflow in response. “If something has majesty, it causes admiration and respect for its beauty….” Cambridge Dictionary

  • Mission

The King of this universe responds to the cause of truth, meekness, and righteousness.

  • Mighty

He is mighty and worthy to fight and win victory.

The following two verses take an encouraging turn in their focus.

6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
(Psalm 45:6-7 ESV)

The Messiah

Verses 6 and 7 deliver a message of hope about our returning Messiah, Jesus, who will reign forever and ever.  He was anointed with the oil of gladness to carry the message of salvation to the captives and set them free. 

8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house,
11     and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12     The people[b] of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
(Psalm 45:8-15 ESV)

This section shows the scene when Jesus returns for His bride; the Church’s every member will bow his and her knees and acknowledge Him with joy and gladness. The ultimate wedding will unfold, followed by the Supper of the Lamb.

Enduring King

16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
(Psalm 45:16-17 ESV)

This reminds us of the eternal perspective we must hold on to in times when we might risk losing sight of it.  

What difference does it make to you today that you have an eternal king? One who will reign forever and ever?

It puts my daily difficulties in a much-needed perspective. Most of what I struggle with is not eternal but merely fleeting and over sooner than I can imagine. Even the suffering I must endure will not last forever. All of it pales in comparison to what my King offers me.

Take time today to write a love letter to God. Like Bill Kotlan’s love letters from almost forty years ago, these will remind you of your love for God and His love for you.

Do I Know God’s Majesty? Psalm 8

/ Anthea Kotlan / 1 Comment

“Jake’s not feeling well today, so he won’t be with us.”

Without missing a beat, my three-year-old daughter said, “We should pray for him.” She grabbed our hands and bowed her head and prayed.

Even as a preschooler many years ago, her heart was full of faith and determination to take it all to the Lord. There is something so striking about a small child’s faith on display, and how it moves the heart of God.

Psalm 8 is a glorious hymn of praise.

1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, Psalm 8:1-3 ESV

The first verse of Psalm 8 establishes God’s identity. He is the king and has authority over all so what he says and does matters to everyone. His authority and power are so evident that even babies know God.

The New International Version (NIV) writes verse 2 this way, 

“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2 NIV

God uses our world’s most fragile and dependent souls to still His enemies. Only God might choose to defy the world’s expectations with His own successful but unexpected battle strategies. God uses the moon and the stars to kindly remind us daily of His presence with consistent messaging. The stars watch over us day and night even though they are only revealed when the sun goes down. God watches over each of us even when we don’t see Him. The moon rises each night without a break. We look up and see God’s power and might displayed with jewels glowing in a dark sky.

Everything in God’s creation makes provision for God’s people. Ancient peoples used these same stars and the moon cycles to:

• Know when to plant crops

• Know where to go

• Know what time it is

• Know when the tides would come and go

This information should fill us with awe. The sky’s regular cycles of stars and moon movement provide predictability in an ever-changing world.

4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. Psalm 8:4-8 ESV

God knew men and women would wonder who they are and what place they have in this world. He generously reveals this critical information. Man is given dominion and authority over all else on earth. All the works of God’s hands, all the birds, all the fish, all the beasts, are under man. Do I take such stewardship seriously? How might this view change how I use natural resources or treat animals?

Man is crowned with glory and honor by God. If I could choose to see each human on earth as someone who is made in the image of God, and “crowned with glory and honor by God,” how might I treat each one differently? Could I cultivate more love and less criticism in my heart based on what God has chosen to do?

9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:9 ESV

Psalm 8 finishes as it began by re-stating the facts: God’s name is majestic in all the earth. The verse serves as a matching bookend of praise. God’s reputation has been established and He has all authority. God knew that people, like me who might tend to see the glass half empty, would need such reminders. Today, I praise God for His majestic name, and I lay all I have before His throne.