In order to enter the presence of a ruling king or queen, typically, you must be invited in. Not only that, but your manner of dress, behavior, and etiquette are to be exactly as they wish.

King Henry VIII of England had very strict protocol for those who could be in his presence on a daily. He wanted no less than 1,000 people attending him, but they had to be nobles. He had lists of the order and manner that they were to do pretty much everything! Talk about high maintenance.

In some historical royal courts, any action that offended the reigning royal could have you fined, imprisoned, condemned to death, or worse tortures.

I feel grateful that I am not trying to please any mere human king on a daily. Their whims can change in an instant depending on the mood.

However, I am living daily to please the King of Kings and I am so grateful that He has welcomed us into His presence.

Psalm 99 is a beautiful song that reminds us about the Heavenly King that we serve and what our response should be to be welcomed into such a glorious Presence.

Welcomed by the King

The Lord reigns,
    let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
    let the earth shake.
Great is the Lord in Zion;
    he is exalted over all the nations.
 Let them praise your great and awesome name—
    he is holy.

 The King is mighty, he loves justice—
    you have established equity;
in Jacob you have done
    what is just and right.
 Exalt the Lord our God
    and worship at his footstool;
    he is holy.

Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
    Samuel was among those who called on his name;
they called on the Lord
    and he answered them.
 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
    they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

 Lord our God,
    you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
    though you punished their misdeeds.
 Exalt the Lord our God
    and worship at his holy mountain,
    for the Lord our God is holy. – Psalm 99 NIV

Our Reigning King

In verses 1-5, we are introduced to our King. The picture we get is that He is in complete control. He rules absolutely over everything in heaven and on earth. Nothing escapes his power.

The nations tremble and the earth shakes because God is judging those who do not follow the righteous decrees he has set out to ensure there is harmony among his people.

Here are a list of attributes of our reigning King found in these first 5 verses:

• He is great.
• He is exalted.
• He is awesome.
• He is holy.
• He is Mighty.
• He loves justice.
• He sets the standard for what is fair and right and always maintains it.

Our Redeeming King

The Psalmist moves on from the praiseworthy qualities of the King to the ways He interacts with mankind in verses 6-8. We get three examples of men who called upon the King and were redeemed.

Moses and Aaron were his priests. They were men who were prone to sin just like you and I. Moses killed an Egyptian, hid in the desert for 40 years, tried to argue with God, and didn’t see the promise land because of a brief moment of anger.

Aaron allowed the children of Israel to sin by making and worshipping the golden calf. He also spoke against Moses and offended God.

Samuel was a priest and prophet. He raised sons who didn’t serve God and several times got in his feels over his tasks.

He punished their sins yes. But, even with all of these flaws, “they called on the Lord and he answered them.” (v.6) He spoke to them and forgave them.

The Lord forgives and then forgets the sin. He did however remember that these men “kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.” (v.7)

Unlike earthly rulers, He isn’t looking for us to mess up, He’s looking for us to come to Him in our mess.

He wants us to call on Him like these men, find forgiveness, and He wants to redeem. He wants to forget that sin and remember the obedience of His children!

Our Response to the King

So, what is our response to this All-Powerful Ruler of heaven and earth who forgives and redeems us? Verse 8 says we are to EXALT and WORSHIP!

To exalt means we lift Him high. He is above all. Some other words for exalt are glorify, revere, elevate, dignify, and honor.

Psalm 145 is all about giving God this lifting up that He deserves: “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” (v1-3 NIV)

We are also told to worship. Worship is our expression of devotion and adoration for God. It is expressed in how we live our lives. We put God and His will first above our own.

Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  for our “God is a consuming fire.”

The only acceptable response to this Great King is awe, wonder, and devotion that leads to exalting worship as the One and Only God!

Psalm 99 Prayer Guide

I think it’s only appropriate that we leave the study of Psalm 99 by responding in worship of God. These prayer prompts are to inspire your own praise as you read through the Psalm. Also, I kept playing this song over and over in my mind as I read it: Who You Say I Am – Hillsong Worship

Praise

• I exalt you Lord above…
• You, Lord, are worthy of worship because…
• Thank you, God, for hearing my cry when…

Repent

• Father, forgive me when I doubt that you are able to….
• God, I know you hear my cries, please forgive my mistrust and help me to place all of my worries into your capable hands.

Ask

• Lord, I pray that my friend ___________ will praise your awesome name.
• God, give me a heart that exalts and worships you as the King of my life!
• Savior, remind me daily that you are a forgiving and redeeming king.

More Devotions on Worship:

Short Daily Devotions from the Psalms

Prayers to Pray in the Psalms

Inspiration Bible Verses about Victory to Share

How To Focus On God’s Goodness