Sing Praise to the Lord - Part VIII
“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” ~Psalm 34:3
What comes to mind when you think about Jesus? Do you think of the gentle and lowly Savior who invites all weary people to come to Him? Do you think of the compassionate Lord who feeds thousands of people with just a few loaves and fish? Do you think of the Suffering Servant who sweat great drops of blood in the Garden? Of course, each of these are accurate portraits of Christ. He was all these things. He did all these things. But I wonder if we sometimes forget to remember Christ in His exaltation as we meditate upon Him in His humble earthly ministry.
Our Hymn of Praise this Lord’s Day is “Crown Him with Many Crowns” (295). This beautiful hymn reminds us of all the reasons Jesus deserves honor in light of His “triumph o’er the grave.” Let’s consider three things about Jesus in His exaltation as we prepare our hearts to join in the praise that “shall never, never fail throughout eternity.”
Verse one tells us that Jesus is our “matchless King.” What does this mean? It means there is no king who has ever lived, or will ever live, who matches Jesus in inherent majesty or in care for His people. Think of what Jesus did! He is called the Lamb because He was sacrificed for His people. Later it says that He “died for thee.” What king has shown such mercy and love for his people, and at such a cost to himself? None like Jesus!
Verse two calls Him the “Lord of love.” Jesus wears this crown because He still bears His “rich wounds” for us, which are “yet visible above.” This is a needful reminder that Jesus did not cease to sympathize with us when He ascended into heaven. Rather, He retains the wounds on “His hands and side” for us to “behold.” Consider for a moment that when we worship Jesus face-to-face in eternity, we will look upon the wounds of His rich love for us.
Lastly, Jesus is crowned for His rule over time. He’s called “Lord of years” and “the Potentate of time.” This is a grand reminder that Jesus has absolute sovereignty over all time — both time in general, as well as each and every one of our particular days. It should be a great comfort to the Christian that Jesus rules over your today and tomorrow, just as He ruled over all of your yesterdays.
Jesus wears many crowns, and each one is used by our Sovereign Lord to bring life, love, peace, and redemption to His people. And remember: while our wounds take from us, His wounds pour forth an abundance of mercy, love, healing, and redemption. What a beautiful portrait of our exalted Lord! Let’s “crown Him with many crowns” together this Lord’s Day.
Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Associate Pastor