In today’s reflection, we turn to Psalm 2 and its powerful question: “Why do the nations rage?” In a world often marked by anger, fear, and polarization, this Psalm reminds us that the powers of the world do not have the final word—God still reigns. As United Methodists, we are called to holiness, not by simply separating ourselves from the world, but by allowing God’s perfect love to shape how we live and how we treat others. We can stand against hatred, cruelty, and injustice without turning against the people for whom Christ died. As you head into the weekend, consider which voices are shaping your heart. Are they leading you toward fear, or toward the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus?
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Well, good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Friday morning. I hope you’re doing well today. It’s a great day, and we have a great weekend ahead of us.
If you’re around Starkville today, come on out to Starkville First United Methodist Church for our annual Holiday Bazaar! We’ll be here in the Christian Life Center, in our gym, with all kinds of arts and crafts, wonderful vendors, and plenty of good things to eat. Some of our children will be singing, too, and the proceeds go to benefit a good cause.
We’d love for you to come spend some time with us here at Starkville First, at 200 West Lampkin Street. Come see us today for the Holiday Bazaar!
Now, I mentioned earlier this week that we were going to look at a Psalm today. Y’all know I love the Psalms. They’re a little like a palate cleanser between different sections of Scripture, giving us a chance to pause and reflect before we move on to something new.
I was thinking about which Psalm to choose, particularly in light of what we talked about earlier this week regarding politics and the upcoming election. And I decided to turn to one of my favorites, Psalm 2.
This is a Psalm I think we need to meditate on, especially in the midst of the chaos of life, when we’re surrounded by turmoil and uncertainty.
Psalm 2 begins with a question:
“Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?”
The kings of the earth set themselves against the Lord and his anointed. They want to throw off God’s authority and free themselves from the Lord’s rule.
But then we get this remarkable image. The One who sits in heaven laughs. The Lord holds their plans in derision.
The Psalm goes on to speak of God’s appointed king and calls the rulers of the earth to wisdom, warning them to serve the Lord with reverence. And it concludes with this promise:
“Happy are all who take refuge in him.”
The King James Version gives us that memorable opening question: “Why do the heathen rage?” In other translations, we hear it as, “Why do the nations rage?”
And I love that question.
Why do the nations rage? Why does it seem like everyone is so angry all the time? Why does it seem like everyone is so afraid?
Fear is a powerful thing. And while there are certainly things we should be cautious about, fear can become dangerous when it begins to shape the way we see the world and the people around us.
Now, Scripture does talk about fear in different ways. There are things we’re naturally afraid of. I’m not particularly fond of snakes, and I know plenty of people who feel the same way! We have fears that can help us recognize danger and respond appropriately.
But Scripture also talks about the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom.
I often think of that kind of fear as reverence: a deep respect for God, an awareness of God’s holiness, and a recognition that God is God and we are not.
It’s not the same thing as being consumed by anxiety about what might happen tomorrow. It’s not the same thing as being afraid of our neighbors or assuming the worst about people who are different from us.
The fear of the Lord draws us toward wisdom, humility, and faithfulness.
But so much of what we encounter in our world today seems to do the opposite. Instead of holy reverence, we encounter anger. Instead of humility, we encounter hostility. Instead of love, we encounter fear that poisons our minds and makes us suspicious of one another.
And that fear can change the way we see our neighbors.
We stop seeing them as people to love, as people made in the image of God, as people for whom Christ died. Instead, we begin to see them as people to fear, people to avoid, or people we must defeat.
And that brings me to something I’ve been thinking about lately.
I’ve mentioned before that I teach two Bible studies on Wednesdays here at the church. We study James in the morning and Matthew in the evening. I really enjoy both of those books, in part because of the way they draw so deeply on the Old Testament.
There’s a strong connection between the Old Testament’s understanding of God’s people and what we find in these New Testament writings.
In James, we’re reminded that genuine faith is more than simply saying the right things. James calls us to care for widows and orphans, to live faithfully, and to resist being shaped by the values of the world around us.
That connects with something important in our Wesleyan tradition: holiness.
To be holy is to be set apart for God. As United Methodists, we understand that our faith is meant to shape our lives. We’re called to grow in holiness of heart and life, allowing God’s grace to transform who we are and how we live.
Now, Christians can disagree about exactly what holiness looks like in practice. But for me, holiness is deeply connected to the greatest commandment Jesus gives us: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
It’s about being formed by God’s perfect love so that we can love others more faithfully.
Holiness means we’re called to be different from the world around us. I’ve preached that for many years, and I believe it deeply. We’re not simply supposed to absorb whatever values happen to be popular in our culture. We’re called to let Jesus shape our lives, even when that means standing against the prevailing attitudes of our time.
But here’s the thing I’ve been meditating on recently.
The culture we’re called to resist is made up of people for whom Christ died.
The world we’re called not to imitate is filled with people who are loved by God.
And that matters.
I want to stand against the coarseness and crudeness of our culture. I want to stand against meanness, hatred, and polarization. I want to resist the ways our society encourages us to despise people who disagree with us.
But I also want to love people.
I want to love people who see the world differently from me. I want to love people whose political opinions are different from mine. I want to love people who come from different backgrounds and have different experiences.
Because loving our neighbors isn’t something we get to set aside when we disagree with them.
Jesus didn’t tell us to love only the neighbors who think like us. He didn’t tell us to love only the people who vote the way we do or belong to the same groups we belong to.
He told us to love our neighbors.
And that means we have to be careful about what we’re allowing to shape our hearts.
So much of the world around us seems intent on keeping us angry and afraid. There are voices constantly telling us what we should fear, whom we should distrust, and which groups of people we should blame for everything that’s wrong.
And we need to be discerning about those voices.
Not every voice that makes us angry is telling us the truth. Not every voice that makes us afraid is helping us become more faithful. And not every voice that claims to defend our values is helping us live out the values Jesus taught us.
We have to ask ourselves: Is this making me more loving? Is this helping me grow in holiness? Is this helping me see other people as people whom God loves?
Or is it simply teaching me to be more afraid?
That’s one reason I love Psalm 2.
The Psalm begins with the nations raging, with rulers conspiring, with powerful people setting themselves against God. And then it gives us this remarkable picture of the Lord sitting in heaven and laughing.
Now, I don’t take that to mean God is indifferent to suffering or that the pain and injustice of the world are somehow funny. The Psalm is making a different point: the powers of this world are not ultimate. The people who seem to have all the authority and control do not have the final word.
God reigns.
The world’s turmoil does not overthrow God’s purposes. The latest political crisis does not suddenly make God less sovereign. The anger of the nations does not mean that God has lost control.
And that is a truth worth remembering when the world feels overwhelming.
We can become so consumed by the news, by political arguments, by social media, and by all the things happening around us that we begin to live as though everything depends on us getting our way.
We begin to believe that if our side loses, everything is lost. If the wrong person wins an election, the future is hopeless. If the people we disagree with gain influence, then there is no reason to trust anyone anymore.
But Psalm 2 reminds us that God is still God.
Our hope does not ultimately rest in political leaders, parties, or movements. Our hope rests in the Lord.
That doesn’t mean we stop caring about the world. It doesn’t mean we stop working for justice, serving our communities, voting, or speaking up when something is wrong. Those things can be important expressions of our faith.
It means we do those things without allowing fear and anger to become the masters of our hearts.
We can work for what is right without treating our neighbors as enemies. We can disagree without dehumanizing people. We can stand firmly for our convictions while still extending grace and love.
That’s part of what it means to be holy. We’re set apart not so that we can look down on everyone else, but so that our lives can bear witness to a different way of living.
A way shaped by the love of God.
A way shaped by the mercy of Jesus.
A way shaped by the conviction that every person we encounter is someone whom God knows and loves.
I think about that familiar idea of appealing to our better angels: choosing to lean toward what is good, what is generous, what is gracious, and what brings out the best in us.
How do we do that in our communities? How do we do that in our schools, our churches, our families, and our public life?
How do we resist the temptation to give in to fear and instead lean into grace, mercy, and love?
I think we begin by remembering who God is and who God calls us to be.
We remember that God is sovereign. We remember that Jesus commands us to love God and neighbor. And we remember that holiness isn’t simply about separating ourselves from everything we don’t like. It’s about being transformed by God’s love so that we can share that love with the world.
So, friends, be careful about the voices you’re allowing to shape your heart. Be careful about the voices that tell you to fear your neighbors or see other people as unworthy of your love.
And when the world seems to be raging, remember the question with which Psalm 2 begins.
Why do the nations rage? Why do they plot in vain?
The Lord still reigns.
God is still at work. God’s purposes have not been defeated. And we can live with hope, even when the world around us feels uncertain.
So let’s be people who lean into grace. Let’s be people who practice mercy. Let’s be people who pursue holiness by loving God and loving our neighbors.
Let’s be people who refuse to let fear have the final word.
God’s got this, friends. God’s got this.
I hope you can carry that peace with you as you head into the weekend.
On Monday, we’ll begin looking at another book in the Old Testament. I’ll spend some time thinking about where we’ll go next, and we’ll get started together.
Thanks for being with me today. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you Monday morning!