Thursday, December 19

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2013

Zephaniah 1:1–3:20

Revelation 10:1–11

Psalm 138:1–8

Proverbs 30:11–14

 

 

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

    and will praise your name

    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,

for you have so exalted your solemn decree

    that it surpasses your fame.

When I called, you answered me;

    you greatly emboldened me.

 

May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,

    when they hear what you have decreed.

May they sing of the ways of the Lord,

    for the glory of the Lord is great.

 

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;

    though lofty, he sees them from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

    you preserve my life.

You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;

    with your right hand you save me.

The Lord will vindicate me;

    your love, Lord, endures forever—

    do not abandon the works of your hands.

 

 

The words of Psalm 138 touch beautifully upon the juxtaposition of humility and pride.  As we read here, David may celebrate that “the glory of the Lord is great.”  God alone is worthy of glory, honor, and praise; any human achievements or accomplishments ultimately flow the creative energy and genius of God Himself, passed through human minds and hearts. 

 

Earlier this week, Danielle and I began watching a fictionalized account of Beethoven’s completing his Ninth Symphony, called Copying Beethoven.  In this story, the fictional character Anna Holtz, a young composition student, plays a key role in preparing Beethoven’s symphony for its first production.  The entire screenplay hammered home the challenges of composing music, particularly without a computer.  How to keep everything straight?  Yet, Beethoven struggled even to sense the vibrations of the instruments, sawing the legs of his piano in order to experience the notes.  In the movie, Beethoven’s character explains that his recording of music – a constant song running in his mind – represented, for him, God’s vehicle to communicate with man.

 

David sings of the supremacy of God’s “decree,” His will, over everything.  As part of His will, He has determined to esteem the lowly but humble the proud, whom He “Sees from afar.”  In their own minds, the proud believe that they have indeed approached God, perhaps even becoming His equal.  Yet, in reality, God remains quite distant from the proud and chooses not to associate with their haughtiness.

 

As a king himself, David recognizes that his strength emerges from His looking first to God:  “when I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.”  David’s humility had borne strength.  In the world’s eyes, the humble appear weak, meek, and mild, but God views them as Gideon, “mighty warriors.”  While the common notion of humility includes thinking lowly of ourselves, the Scriptures teach that it involves viewing ourselves from God’s perspective:  vulnerable on our own but protected by our loving Father; weak on our own but “emboldened” by our mighty God; and short-sighted on our own but guided by heavenly wisdom.

 

As with many of our Grace Church family, I struggle with viewing myself and each day’s circumstances from God’s perspective instead of my own.  As an example, I often battle with the concept of success.  It appears that God remains much more concerned about the “how” vs. the “what.”  Giving honor and glory to Him in both triumph and difficulty, we live out the prelude to “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  May God bring to reminder these truths as we ponder His perspective.

 

 

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

    he delivers them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17,18)

 

 

Lord Jesus, we pray for Your approach for those who are hurting, healing, and lonely at this Christmas.  May You comfort them with Your love and shower them with Your grace.  Help us to view ourselves and our circumstances from Your perspective – and not to lean on our own understanding.  May we live for Your honor and glory, knowing that You are the Giver of all good gifts.  In Your precious Name, amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS