Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from Psalm One Hundred and Fifteen verse One, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness,” (NRSVB). The psalmist calls believers to come and praise the Lord for he is mindful of the earth and her people. He will bless both small and great of those who fear and worship Him. In this psalm, we are reminded that the heavens belong to the Lord. The glory and mystery of space have not been given to the children of the earth, in the same manner that the earth and all its beauty, has been made and given for humans to enjoy. Looking at the magnificence of the plant and animal life on earth, and the glorious landscapes of mountains and valleys, sunrises and sunsets, oceans and rivers, we can only exclaim, “How great art Thou!” In nature God expresses his love and blessing daily, but God still assigns the greatest value to the humans. He created and considered them worthy to enjoy the gifts of the earth, and the gifts of human company, love and nearness. God considered humans so valuable that he gave them the greatest gift of all; his love, realized in the Gift of his Son, promising us life on earth and life in heaven. God is truly our help and our shield. We can trust, hope and rely on him to bless us as we faithfully and joyously worship and fear him.
Those who work on the earth, drawing people’s attention to the God-given things of the earth, bring humans closer to their God. The things of the earth made by humans, that benefit humanity, are created with God’s blessing. The things on the earth, that destroy the earth and her people, cannot be blessed by God. Our God is only good, and only that which is purposed for good, can be blessed. In the story of Joseph we learned that God influenced the outcomes of things that were purposed to harm so that intended harm was changed to bring about good and blessing. We cannot see adequately into the future to perfectly predict the outcomes of our works. We cannot understand God, nor his omnipotence to be able to bring about good from a dismal situations, but that is what occurs on earth. God destroys evil and changes outcomes. God promises good things those who wait and hope on him. He will bring about a good and desired outcome, and outcome to bless, and to give a future filled with purpose and joy. We therefore cannot receive any glory for ourselves, for it is God who plans, works and purposes, and it shall come to pass.
The Apostle Paul writes in the Letter to the Romans, Chapter 12 verse 3, “By the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but with sober judgment,” (NRSVB). People assign great importance to the leaders of the nations and the captains of industry, so much so, that they believe their every word and condone their every action. These important humans, in the eyes of the world, are also just human. They are therefore prone to human faults and fallacies. Just as we have to judge ourselves, being realistic of who we are and what gifts we are given, so we have to judge the words and acts of other humans, be they great or small. If the plans of humans, and their purposes are to benefit the people of the world equally, to sustain nature, and to uphold God’s immutable laws, these words and works will be blessed. However, if the plans and purposes of humans are to destroy and elevated themselves, these plans and acts cannot be blessed. God does not sleep and his arm is strong to save and his eyes behold the works of men. He intervenes at the correct time, to set things right on the earth. This is the good news, the gospel for us, today. Let us not value the opinions and acts of mere humans above the creative working word of God, the God of Truth.
Father, we thank you that you know the past, present and future. You work fairly and faithfully with your world and her people. We bring the world to you and ask that you will turn the tide of fear and failure and bring your peace. This we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.