He Reigns

One of the most beloved and beautiful statements of comfort and peace is the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism.  The question is, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”  The answer is that I belong, body and soul... to my faithful savior Jesus Christ.  Far be it from me to be critical of this wonderful formulation of faith.  But I think that this question and answer makes an assumption that we need to acknowledge.  It assumes correctly that Jesus is the best person to belong to.

He is.  Here’s why.  Jesus reigns.  Jesus is Lord over all things.  He is Lord of all places.  Jesus reigns in the darkest night.  He reigns in the midst of pain and in the midst of joy.  He reigns during a pandemic.  He reigns as humans scratch and claw for power.  Therefore (and the catechism goes on to say this) Jesus is capable of making all things work together for my salvation.  It isn’t just that we belong to Jesus.  We belong to the Lord of the universe.  He reigns.  And that is why it is so awesome to belong to Him.