Every Longing Heart
Friday, December 5, 2025
Today’s Reading: Psalm 119
The word “authority” is from the Latin root auctor, meaning originator. Authority is not arbitrary, but comes from being the author or originator — or perhaps to a lesser degree, from being extremely educated on the author’s material. It’s a position, not necessarily a person. For example, an American lawyer may be considered an authority on our country's laws. The higher authority, though, would be the United States Constitution, the originator of our country’s laws.
Our fallen nature bristles at the first thought of authority, because we conflate authority with sinful dominance. While people in authority too often lord it over people, that’s not the purest intention of the idea. Authority, at least in Biblical terms, denotes responsibility more than oppression, a standard more than a manipulation. It can imply power, but that’s just because that’s the nature of authorship. It’s necessary to separate the pure nature of authority from man’s perversion of it.
I believe that deep down, we long for an authority over us, because if we’re honest, we recognize we don’t have all the answers and cannot bear all the responsibility. While our sin nature may be tempted to grab for power or strive for acclaim, we are just human, and as such, we will eventually collapse under the weight of it. Only the Author of all things can be the authority over all things. So whatever authority is found on Earth has to appeal to God as the higher authority, or else His governance will fail.
I suppose I long for authority because I need the structure it implies. If there is an Author, there is something objective, something immovable, something that means this isn’t all some cosmic accident. There is an Author. He has authority over all things. This gives everything, including my life, some meaning.
If God is the Author and Authority, the question of the ages is: How can I know who He is and what He wants?
We can know, because God has spoken to us. For one thing, we have His Law. Psalm 19:7-11 (NIV) says:
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
When we delight in the Law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night, we are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit (Psalm 1:2-3). The authority of His word over our lives is good for us! It is life-giving and full of reward!
When my kids were toddlers, I had rules about them staying away from the road, holding my hand in public, and never wandering away. My kids didn’t always understand, and frankly, I could be a real downer during games of tag. There were even times I had to yank my child’s arm to keep them from running out in front of a car. My authority over them meant rules around them, and these were for their good. I was responsible for their well-being, and sometimes that meant boundaries, whether or not they understood in the moment.
The Patriarchs received the Law; the Prophets received more revelation; but we have even more than both! God has given us The Word (John 1:14), who lived among us and showed us — by His life, death, and resurrection — who God is.
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:1-3a NIV)
If we’re honest, we like the guardrails that authority provides. The Author has proven Himself to be good. I submit myself to Him.