Above All Other Gods
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Psalm 135
1. Praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, 2. you that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! 3. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious! 4. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession. 5. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6. Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 8. He it was who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and of beast; 9. who in thy midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; 10. who smote many nations and slew mighty kings, 11. Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, 12. and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel. 13. Thy name, O Lord, endures for ever, thy renown, O Lord, throughout all ages. 14. For the Lord will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants. 15. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 16. They have mouths, but they speak not, they have eyes, but they see not, 17. they have ears, but they hear not, nor is there any breath in their mouths. 18. Like them be those who make them! -- yea, every one who trusts in them! 19. O house of Israel, bless the Lord! O house of Aaron, bless the Lord! 20. O house of Levi, bless the Lord! You that fear the Lord, bless the Lord! 21. Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the Lord!
So . . . are we worshipping the gods we have created with our own hands? Are we holding out hope that the next lottery win, or the next raise, the next new car, or the next house, the next marriage, the next . . . whatever . . . will give us what we need and want and long for? Can any of our man-made gods make a thunderstorm? Can any of them grant us eternal life? Can they offer us grace, forgive our sins? Will they be faithful to us through every trial and tribulation in our lives? Will they last? Will they love us?
Well, I guess there’s not really much else to say! This is what I gleaned from reading this psalm this morning. And I guess I needed it, because we’ve been toying with the idea of moving. And it’s hard not to up that top dollar in the search, because 1 more bedroom than we can comfortably afford would be nice—one more feature, one more upgrade . . . And there are other areas of my life where I allow my idols to rule too readily—food, television, and others. I long for the things constructed by man. I desire those things that provide me with instant gratification. I wish for more than I have, and turn a blind eye to those who have nothing.
Do you? Have you? Maybe as we approach 2005, we can all re-examine how our lives are structured—how we plan our time, how we expend our energy, how we distribute our resources, and how often we go to God for the answers to our questions. He is the creator, the source, the beginning and the end. He is not constructed by human hands, conceived of by human minds, or controlled by human emotion. He is “I AM” Now. Forever.
This morning I thank Him for His mercy and for His grace. I thank Him for directing me to just the scripture I needed to read this morning to get myself back on track.
I hope today, you will turn to God who is above all other gods, master, creator, ruler and king. And that you’ll recommit your life to Him as the year draws to a close and a new year dawns on the horizon.
Mary
