Day 44: Psalm 115
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
9 All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,
but the earth he has given to mankind.
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
those who go down to the place of silence;
18 it is we who extol the Lord,
both now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord.
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Idolatry for the Israelites was the worship of a statue of some sort made with their own hands – a mute object, incapable of communication and worthless in producing help and blessing in their lives. For us today, idolatry might be our job, cell phone, TV programs, sports, social media, or anything that comes between us and God, gaining our undivided attention and keeping us from focused, worshipful devotion to God.
The Psalmist cries out for us, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness.” He writes of the futility of idol worship and urges all who fear the Lord to trust in Him because He is our help and our shield (our help and our protection and defense from the attack of the enemy.)
And then he gives a precious promise, a promise that is ours to hold close to our hearts. It is this: “The Lord remembers us and will bless us...he will bless those who fear the Lord--small and great alike.” That promise becomes even more precious when we recognize what ‘blessing us’ means. God isn’t promising to fulfill the American dream for us, but rather His promise of blessing is for the purpose of perfecting holiness in us. As the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, He blesses us “in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ...we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” and much, much more.
How do you perceive God’s blessing in your life today? Do you fear the Lord and trust Him? God has not forgotten you, and He is not slow in keeping His promises. He is gracious and able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine according to His power at work within us (Eph. 3:20). He will keep his promise to you.
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Twyla Burkey | Family Ministry Communications Coordinator, Lima Community Church