Do you remember the scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and the gang finally make it to the Emerald City and are given audience with The Great and Powerful Oz? What they find is rather terrifying. As Dorothy makes her plea, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion all cower in fear, shaking. They are met with a loud booming voice like thunder that echoes all around them– the great Wizard of Oz upon his throne, surrounded by smoke and fire and flashes of light and the clanging of cymbals.
And then, a few moments later, Toto pulls back the veil on the whole ruse (literally). Behind a green satin curtain, just off to the side, there is an old man speaking into a microphone, pulling a bunch of knobs and pushing a bunch of buttons…pretending to be a wizard. The whole thing is nothing but smoke and mirrors. A fake. There isn’t actually an all-powerful, all-knowing, immutable Wizard, it’s just a guy with some fancy gadgetry and a megaphone. A charlatan.
Now, go ahead, admit it. If you’re honest, deep down, this is what you sometimes believe about God. There isn’t actually an all-powerful, all-knowing, immutable God of the universe. It’s all a gimmick. A ruse. God will one day be proven impotent (at best) and/or indifferent (at worst).
But read Psalm 97. Go ahead and do it. What we find in Psalm 97 is something different altogether. Not a small, weak, pretender god, but an immense Presence, a God who burns up His adversaries with fire and melts mountains like wax. We are introduced to a God who lights up the whole world and whose throne is a foundation of righteousness and justice. Furthermore, this God can be trusted. He preserves the lives of his saints, sows joy in their hearts, and delivers them from the wicked.
Moreover, Psalm 97 makes a very specific claim in verses 7 and 9.
“All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!…
For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.”
It is all other gods, all idols, who will one day be exposed. Just like the “Wizard” of Oz, they too will prove to be fakes, smoke and mirrors. Charlatans.
My prayer is that today you believe what we read in Psalm 97. That you turn from gods that fail and disappoint and turn to God in Christ. That you believe in the one true God who keeps His promises and loves His children; a God who is to be feared but trusted.
“Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!”
-- Chaz Holsomback