Above the Heavens, Over the Earth

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.” (Psalm 57:5, NRSVUE)

Reading this verse made me think about what it means to be exalted. It’s not a word we use much anymore, but it means to raise or praise someone or something. We can exalt the wrong things—like Israel worshipping the golden calf, or people—like rockstars, athletes, and politicians. We can even self‑exalt. I once worked for someone who told me he “had nothing left to learn.”

But the psalmist David, hidden away in a cave in fear for his life, longs for a time when God is exalted over all. A time when God’s goodness is no longer questioned. A time when the chaos of the world no longer drowns out the steady, faithful heartbeat of God’s presence. A time when every lesser thing that clamors for our attention finally falls silent, and only God’s glory remains.

David isn’t asking God to become exalted—as if God needed human approval to be glorious. He’s praying for the day when all creation recognizes what is already true. Even as he trembles in the back of a cave, with danger pressing in, David can still imagine a world where God’s radiance is unmistakable, where God’s justice is visible, where God’s mercy is the air we breathe.

And that’s the invitation for us today. To exalt God not by making God bigger, but by making more room in our lives for the One who is already above the heavens. To lift God high by lowering our defenses, our pride, our need to be right, our need to be seen. To let God’s glory shine over all the earth by letting it shine first in us—in our choices, our words, our compassion, our courage.

When we exalt God, we are really saying: “You are the center, not me. Your way, not mine. Your glory, not my grasping.”

And in a world full of exaltation — of the idolatry of people, things, and self — that kind of humility becomes its own quiet testimony.

Holy God, lift our eyes today above the noise and hurry of our lives. Teach us to make room for Your glory, to let Your presence steady our hearts, and to let Your mercy shape our words and actions. Where we are tempted to exalt ourselves and idols, turn us instead toward Your way of humility and grace. Let Your glory shine in us and through us, until all the earth knows the radiance of Your love. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim