The Broken Colossus of the King of Kings

In 1817, archaeologists dragged a massive granite bust of Pharaoh Ramesses II from the sands near Thebes, Egypt. It weighed over seven tons. The face, once painted and polished to inspire terror across the ancient world, was chipped and half-buried in dust. Percy Bysshe Shelley saw accounts of the discovery and wrote his famous sonnet about the inscription at the statue's base: "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair." But there were no works left to see — only endless desert stretching in every direction.

Ramesses II ruled Egypt for sixty-six years. He commanded armies, built temples that scraped the sky, and declared himself a god. His empire seemed as permanent as the mountains themselves. Yet the sands swallowed it all. The colossus that once made nations tremble became a curiosity shipped to the British Museum.

The psalmist understood something Ramesses never could. "The mountains melt like wax before the Lord." Every throne built by human hands eventually crumbles. Every empire that declares itself eternal eventually becomes a footnote. But the reign of the Most High rests on a foundation no earthquake can shake — righteousness and justice themselves.

The next time you feel overwhelmed by the powers of this world, remember the broken colossus in the sand. Then remember the One whose throne has no expiration date. The Lord reigns. Let the earth be glad.