Catholic Commentary on Psalm 93

"The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength." (Psalm 93:1)

The LORD Reigns

Psalm 93 is brief but majestic, one of the enthronement psalms that celebrate the cosmic kingship of God. The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. The world in all its apparent instability rests on the foundation of divine sovereignty. The seas lift their voice, the seas lift their roaring waves, but the LORD on high is mightier than the roar of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea.

The enthronement psalms, of which Psalm 93 is the first, are the liturgical ancestors of the Christian proclamation of the risen Christ: The Lord is risen, the Lord reigns. The Catechism teaches that the Resurrection is the cosmic vindication of God's sovereignty over sin and death, the definitive establishment of the Kingdom that Psalm 93 celebrates (CCC 664). The robes of majesty that the LORD wears in this psalm are the glorified humanity of the risen Christ, the King who reigns from the Cross and is enthroned at the right hand of the Father.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the seas that lift their roaring waves in Psalm 93 are the powers and circumstances that feel overwhelming in your life. Against them stands a fact, not a feeling: the LORD reigns. He is robed in majesty. His throne was established long ago. When the waters are loud and the waves are high, return to this fact. It does not change with the weather.

Prayer

Lord God, you reign in majesty and strength. The floods have lifted their voice, but you are mightier than the roar of many waters. Establish our faith on the rock of your sovereignty, and let your decrees stand firm in our lives as your throne stands firm from all eternity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.