All the Glory Belongs to God

Psalm 44:4-8

⁴     You are my King and my God;

you command victories for Jacob.

⁵     Through you we push down our foes;

through your name we tread down our assailants.

⁶     For not in my bow do I trust,

nor can my sword save me.

⁷     But you have saved us from our foes,

and have put to confusion those who hate us.

⁸     In God we have boasted continually,

and we will give thanks to your name forever.  Selah

Observation:

            In Joshua 23:3, we hear a similar theme proclaimed as Joshua speaks to the Israelites in his old age. It is important for the Israelites not to boast in their victories. They are to recognize that all good things come from God, and to remember that they are dependent on him alone.

Application:

            It is wonderful to accomplish wonderful things. It is nice to know that we have successfully completed a task. Often we like to celebrate the victory. There is nothing wrong with celebrating a job well done. In fact, we probably should celebrate good things more often. The key is that we need to remember that it is through the power of God that we have our victories.

            When we have a great success, we may be tempted to celebrate our great talent, our ingenuity, or our great strength. However, it is important for us to resist this temptation and to give God the glory for what he has done. The Israelites fought the fights but it was God who gave them protection, and victory. God includes humanity in his redemptive plan, but the results are attributed to him. We can celebrate that God did a great thing through us, but the ultimate praise goes to God not ourselves.

Prayer:

            Father, you are holy and beyond all compare. All that I have is from you, and all good things I have done have come from you. Forgive me for the times that I have not given you all the praise for the successes in my life. Help me Lord, to honor you with the work of my hands, the desires of my heart, and words of my mouth. - Amen