Praise God, not me…

And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you. (Joshua 23:3–13)

Before opening my Bible, I sing worship songs. Today, one of them was “Count Your Blessings” and this reading tells me how to lose them and how to retain them.

Losing them has been easy. Disobedience does it. So does being more aligned with the goals and ideals of this world than with God. Instead of clinging to Him, if I think those gods are more important, or even if I assume I can be ‘godly’ by my own efforts, the blessings slip away. Not that they are gone completely, but my ability to enjoy them or even count them alludes me. I’m thinking more about what I don’t have than what I do have.

Last night someone told me of presenting an unusual solution to a difficult problem. He was surprised that it was accepted and that it worked. I asked what would happen if no one wanted to try it. He said that he would have to come up with something else.

In my life, when no one listens to me, I pout, feel inadequate, quit, and feel sorry for myself. Clearly, it is possible to count blessings when they seem to be missing, but I’ve not learned that yet. Not that the solution is hidden — the psalmist knew it:

All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. (Psalm 73:13–17)

This one and other passages tell me to remember and dwell on what God says, not on what people do. It is easier when people do bad things to other people, but when I am treated as if I don’t know anything or no one listens (and I know I spoke truth) that is my challenge. 

Joshua’s words are a diagnosis. He warned about the idols of this world and one of them is recognition, being respected, appreciated, put on a pedestal. This is the rub — for one other song that I sang this morning was “Let Jesus Christ be praised” and this is the response that ought to come from my heart when I feel neglected or ignored.

Jesus, I tell others to praise the Lord and not boast about themselves as if I have this response to life myself. But that is a vain thought. Help me honor You all the time, even when others do not, even when I am dishonored. Who am I to be listened to anyway? It is You who deserve all glory and praise. For shame that I want it for myself.