Ascribe to the Lord . . .

Of the many churches we have attended on vacation and as we moved about, a few stand out as special places of worship. Their common denominator is not the denomination, order of service, or any other practice or ritual except that in each one the focus was not on human responsibility but on what God has done.

As I think about that, I realize that my problems and temptations all come when I forget what God has done. Then I stop worshiping and start worrying or trying to control things. Neither one accomplishes anything.

Tozer writes, “God wants us to worship Him. He doesn’t need us, for He couldn’t be a self-sufficient God and need anything or anybody, but He wants us. When Adam sinned, it was not he who cried, ‘God, where art Thou?’ It was God who cried, ‘Adam, where art thou?’”

God does not leave me when I am in trouble or even when I cannot sense His presence. It is my problem, my drifting, and my lack of worship that makes me a sitting duck for everything from worry to personal pity parties to feeling lost and alone.

In today’s devotional, verse two is featured, but verse one has a clue to being able to worship:

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. (Psalm 29:1–2)

I checked out the Hebrew words for “heavenly beings” and found that it could be translated as “sons of God or sons of might.” By using this term, the psalmist (David) is pointing his readers to their identity. They are children of God. As His mighty ones, they are to give God the glory due Him. He has made them His own and because of that, and because of His great power, they ought to worship.

Sometimes I go through the alphabet and think of God according to the letters: A is His almighty power; B is blessings bestowed; C is Christ who died for me; D is the eventual destruction of sin; and so on. These designations are not always the same, but by the time I’ve named twenty-six of them, I’ve forgotten all my problems and complaints. How can I focus on me when I have such an incredible God who loves me and gave Himself for me! Everything fades and becomes dim in the light of His glory.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, the past few days have brought hours of grief and sadness, yet You have not abandoned Your people. You are with every family, every person, every heart that is broken. You are with me too, and because of who You are and what You have done and will do, today I will give You the glory due Your name.