Theology for a Song

Last night at choir we sang the hymn, "Jesus Shall Reign." It's one we sing fairly regularly at my church.

Like many old hymns, there are about 150 stanzas to this song, but I've decided to print a few of the ones that speak most to my heart and mind right now.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Blessings abound wherever He reigns; the prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blessed.

Where He displays His healing power, death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast more blessings than their father lost.

Great God, whose universal sway the known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son, extend His power, exalt His throne.

The scepter well becomes His hands; all Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor, and pride and rage prevail no more.

With power He vindicates the just, and treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last till hours, and years, and time be past.

Here's the thing: I need to constantly (and by that I mean, minute-by-minute) be reminded that Jesus is regining, whether it feels like it or not. Wherever the sun touches on this earth, Jesus reigns. And it's not a chaotic reign. It's a reign of order and righteousness. I need to be reminded that, even though it seems like it's gaining ground all around me and in the lives of those I know, even the kingdom of darkness is submissive to his will and reign. I need not to forget that he is healing this world and putting it back right, restoring what the fall has stolen and even more. The circumstances in my life and in the lives of those around me have no bearing on these facts, and this hymn jars me out of my arrogance and self-exaltation, to focus on Christ and stop thinking that because "Jason's life" is a certain way, it must mean that somehow the universe has altered and the truth about Christ has changed.