Psalm 115 (KJV): Not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name

From Psalms

Psalm 115

¹Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
      but unto thy name give glory,
      for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

²Wherefore should the heathen say,
      Where is now their God?
³But our God is in the heavens:
      he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
⁴Their idols are silver and gold,
      the work of men's hands.
⁵They have mouths, but they speak not:
      eyes have they, but they see not:
⁶They have ears, but they hear not:
      noses have they, but they smell not:
⁷They have hands, but they handle not:
      feet have they, but they walk not:
      neither speak they through their throat.
⁸They that make them are like unto them;
      so is every one that trusteth in them.

⁹O Israel, trust thou in the LORD:
      he is their help and their shield.
¹⁰O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD:
      he is their help and their shield.
¹¹Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD:
      he is their help and their shield.

¹²The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us;
      he will bless the house of Israel;
      he will bless the house of Aaron.
¹³He will bless them that fear the LORD,
      both small and great.

¹⁴The LORD shall increase you more and more,
      you and your children.
¹⁵Ye are blessed of the LORD
      which made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's:
      but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
¹⁷The dead praise not the LORD,
      neither any that go down into silence.
¹⁸But we will bless the LORD
      from this time forth and for evermore.

Praise the LORD.

I need to do a better job of giving credit to God - as verse one indicates with the message of for the Glory of God - not for my own Glory.  For the more I attribute my gifts and my position to God, the fact that he is at work in my life, the more I will trust in his plan.  These two things, trust and recognition, work together and feed off each other.  The way I think about the two is like this: the more you give God credit for things that have happened, then the easier it will be to have faith that He will take care of things that will happen.  Then the opposite would also be true, the more faith you have in God's plan for things that are to come, then the more likely you will be to see God in things that have happened.

If that's the case then at the end of every day we should be able to look back and find several things where God was at work.  Maybe one example where someone was kind and showed God's love.  One example where God was teaching us patience or acceptance or forgiveness - did I pass I wonder?  And of course a point where he gave us more of His grace than we probably deserved.  I haven't gone through this exercise before but I think I will probably do it more often.

On the other side of this exercise, let me put my faith in the God for those things that are to come.  Let me pray.  Lord, as I head out into my life and my world today please guide me and be with me.  Thank you for all of your blessings and your lessons that I have received.  It is only in these gifts that my life is rich today.  Continue to show your light and your plan as the day unfolds.  Lead me not into the temptation of my addiction but continue to deliver me from evil.  If I should stray continue to send me nudges and reminders of your plan for my life.  Help me know when you are at work so that my faith in Your work and Your word be as strong as ever.  Thank you, I pray this in Your name, Amen.

Thanks for letting me share.