Psalm Meditation 655
Epiphany
January 6, 2013

Psalm 115
1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats.
8 Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has been mindful of us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both small and great.
14 May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the LORD's heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any that go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD from this time on and forevermore. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

To be idolatrous is to put a thing in the place of God. That thing is given ultimate significance and authority in the life of the person caught up in the worship of this idol. There are folks who pursue wealth as if it had the power to save them for eternity. There are folks who pursue power as if it could give them all they want out of life. These things are not simply a means to an end, they are the end, the sole purpose for one’s existence. There is a certain sense of satisfaction in getting more of whatever it is that drives one’s life.

It is more satisfying to us to trust in God, to see God as present and active in every aspect of our lives. God is not a thing of which we can get more and more and thus become satisfied. God is one who wants to be in relationship with us and with whom we want to be in relationship. The blessings that come our way are a by-product of the relationship we have with God and not the reason we are in the relationship. We do get some benefit out of every relationship we enter. If we don’t get some benefit we leave the relationship. The best relationships are a fulfilling mix of giving and receiving together.

A comment I have both heard and experienced in relation to early video games is that no one ever won, the levels just got harder and faster until the gamer finally gave up. The computer always wins. In an idolatrous relationship, the idol is the one who wins. A person gives more and more and it goes faster and faster. In the end there is no real payoff. In our relationship with God, we have a sense of mutuality, we know that we are giving something and getting something in return. We may even have the sense that God is the one being shortchanged in our relationship. In a relationship with God it is not about winning and losing it is about being in the presence of God.

December 31, 2012