Prepare – Psalm 115
Not to us, LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Psalm 115:1-2
Devotional
For as long as I can remember, Psalm 115:1 has been an important verse to me. Something about the tone of the verse and the invitation to praise draws me back time and again to this Psalm.
The psalmist finds himself in a season of devastation and it appears that God is indifferent or absent. The “nations” are mocking God’s people, Israel. These gentile unbelievers are “rubbing in” the very real sense that God has forgotten them. But the psalmist knows this isn’t true and invites the people of God to praise Him because of His character, His love, and faithfulness. The psalmist also knows that when God shows up, He alone will be the one to whom praise is given.
And so, for generations, God’s people have found Psalm 115 a comfort and an exhortation to continue to praise God because of who He is. I encourage you as you have time, please read the entire Psalm. It is a beautiful mixture of lament and hymn, of confession and trust.
The next time you wonder if God has forgotten you and it appears to you that He is far away, I encourage you to remember Psalm 115. It is not for our glory or for our reputation that we cry out for God to show up and make Himself known. It is because we know that He is faithful to His people and His promises that we invite Him so that He can receive the praise He is due.
Join with the saints of old and let your heart cry out to God, “Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”
~ Pastor Jonas Bundy
Praise
Watch and listen to “A Mighty Fortress” by Matt Boswell and “I Need Thee Every Hour” by Anthem Lights.
