Warriors Arise: April 3, 2023
1 Chronicles 16:7-26 (NKJV) On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:
8 Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
11 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
17 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
19 When you were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
20 When they went from one nation to another,
And from one kingdom to another people,
21 He permitted no man to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
25 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
Remember, David is exhorting the Israelites to know the difference between God, whom they just escorted into the capitol city and all the gods of the peoples. The gods of the people, the nations around the world, are idols; made of stone, wood and clay. They are not living, they have no breath; therefore, they have no life. They can't do anything. It is all in what we want to believe. We want to be right and we want others to believe us. So we will make up our own idols and tell stories in order to get people to believe what we have made up to support our insecurities. Maybe if enough people will believe then it must be true. The problem is that none of the gods of the other people are living. They have no breath and never did. They have no heartbeat and never did. They have no wisdom, because they can't think. They had no power, because they couldn't do anything. None of them, the gods of the people, are in comparison to the Lord who made the heavens. Why does David feel compelled to address the difference between the gods of the people, the idols, verses the Lord, the God who rest upon the wings of the seraphim atop the ark of the covenant?
If we are honest with ourselves, we want to trust in something that is greater than us. When things aren't going well, we want to know we can turn to someone else who we want to be believe is stronger than us, wiser than us, and can get us out of the tight spot. We like having our freedom to make our decisions, but when our choices have gotten us into a pickle, we want to know there is someone we can call upon to get us out and make things better. However, just because people want to put all of their faith in an idol made of stone, wood or clay, doesn't mean that idol becomes what we want it to be. It is a fantasy that will never become reality. If you want someone more powerful, wiser, trustworthy and able to get you out of a pickle, you need God. He is not only the One who made the heavens, He made you. He knows all about you. He delights in your personality. He encourages you to develop your talents and engage in a relationship with Him. He is for you to rise up and take your place in this world. He seeks you out, because you are personally selected to be a part of what He is doing. There really is no comparison to the gods of the people and my God, who created the heavens.
Father, I haven't made a god out of stone, wood or clay, but I have placed other things as gods in my life. I have given those things more time, resources, and wasted thoughts when I should have been seeking You. You will speak and guide me to the decisions that will best serve the purpose You have for my life. You will set my feet on solid ground. You will call me to Yourself. You will open doors no one can close. You make Yourself available to me. You listen and I am heard. You speak and I follow. You offer me relationship and I grow in trust, love, and unity. I am incredibly thankful for who You are and all that You are to me. I bless Your name and honor You with my praise in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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