Today’s psalm reading challenges me with three questions:
(1) To whom do I want the credit to go in and for my life?
(2) How can I answer the skeptics/critics who wonder about God’s whereabouts?
(3) How much am I like the idols I have made and trust in?
I find the answers to these questions and much more in Psalm 115.
Verse 1 answers the first question: “Not to [me], O LORD, not to [me], but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” GOD deserves all the credit (“glory”) for any successes or advances I might have or progress I might make in my Christian walk. Verses 2-3 answer the second question: God’s whereabouts are not a mystery. “Our God is in the heavens.” What is the mystery and most often the accusation against credible faith in God is “what in the world is God doing?” 3b answers that question, too: “he’s doing all that he pleases.” This highlights the sovereignty of God compared to the puny impotence of the nations. Nations can do a lot, but they can’t do ALL that they please – and thank God for that! If Hitler was able to do all that he pleased in the 1940s, we would likely be speaking German today. Verses 4-8 answer the third question and warn me about idols in my own heart. I must not fool myself into thinking I don’t have any idols. Even 1 John 5:21 warns God’s children to “keep yourselves from idols.” Our hearts are idol factories. I dare not criticize the world for its many idols, when there are things and people and systems and institutions I might trust in more than or equal to God. I cannot afford to plug my ears to the clarion call proclaimed three times in verses 9-11 to “trust in the LORD!” Why should I trust Yahweh? “He is [my] help and shield.” Whatever my family and friends and I are facing now with this COVID-19 affliction, God remains our most trustworthy help and defense. Do I trust others? Governments? Employer? Doctors? Family? Friends? Of course – but always to a lesser degree than my trust in God. He is my ULTIMATE trust and hope and confidence. He alone is always faithful.
Verses 12-15 tell me about the Creator’s blessing for those who trust him ultimately. Verse 16 tells me clearly that God gave planet earth as a gift for humans to inhabit. Why our government wants to continue to spend BILLIONS of dollars on seeking to inhabit the heavens escapes me. But as long as I’m alive on this planet, my duty and delight is to “bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore” (18). Will you join me? Let’s say it together, “Praise the LORD!” Hallelujah, indeed!
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