Breaking our mirror.

Back in my childhood, medications did not taste like grape, bubble gum, or any other palatable flavor. They were horrible, but they did the job and made us feel better. As much as I wanted to spit out penicillin or avoid the vaccination, I knew I had to submit to these awful solutions. My parents knew this too. My mind didn't want to just give up, so I would resist these helps. In my youngness, I thought I knew better than a doctor or my parents. God bless the inventor who flavored medications so that children would stop fighting the doctor and their parents.

When we are ill, we want to get better. We may not want to follow the advice or Rx from the doctor however. In some incorrigible folks, doctors are the last place they would turn for help. In the human race, we are all suffering from a life threatening illness called sin. We need help. And so we pursue a lot of different things to heal ourselves. Staring us right in the face is an obvious help and yet we continue our search. The obvious help may seem distasteful and make us feel like we are losing our power or control.

David did not lose sight of God's power and glory and so he praised God before the entire assembly of people. When one understands how important God is they are willing to shout it at the top of their lungs. All the while David was praising God, I can imagine him bowing toward the Almighty. There is a hierarchy in this life and God is at the top (or should be). Often, we are though. David, even though he was king, recognized God's sovereignty and acknowledged it.

I would like to suggest that we as a human race have become quite enamored with ourselves. Our intelligence and ability to make and create things has begun to cloud our great need for God. It is as though we are so busy admiring ourselves in the mirror that we are not sure God is still even a thing.

Case in point are all the times I have heard folks say, "The worship service I attended at church X didn't really do much for me." My general response has often been, "Well, the service of worship isn't what we get out of it, nor is it for us, but instead what worship gifts we bring to offer the Almighty." Worship isn't about how much we are entertained or how good the music makes us feel. Worship is all about what we think about God and what we offer as a sacrifice of praise. Phew, sacrifice sounds distasteful. Yuck!

Once again, David understood his life to be enmeshed into God in such a way that the only good response was one of worship and praise of this God. Take a look at Psalm 115:1.

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."

Let's place God back on the throne. We can do that by walking to a mirror right now and look in and say, "I am not God." Then, while continuing to look into the mirror, quote Psalm 115:1.

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."