Gathering Growing Going
with Lizzy Smallwood
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When David looked back at his life as God’s anointed King over Israel, he was keen to give credit to his LORD God for all of his success. David saw himself as a servant of the LORD with a few life experiences as a shepherd. The LORD turned this shepherd into a famous warrior for God whom God protected through thick and thin. As we read the words of this song, we will learn how much Jesus has done to save us and to prepare us for doing great things as we serve King Jesus.
Psalm 8 is a great hymn of praise to God. In this psalm we see the great majesty of God and ask the question—why would a great God be interested in us? In Jesus we see humanity as God intended, living a life of perfect praise to God, and then ruling the earth at His right hand. In His death and resurrection, Jesus invites us to join Him in a life of praise to God. In this, it is reassuring to see that God delights even in the praise of little children. So, even when it feels like our praise is inadequate for such a great God, He still delights in what we bring Him.
Why do we give our trust to someone? Is it that they have repeatedly shown that they care about us? Like family? Is it that they are very good at what they do? Like your doctor? Is it that over a long period of time they have not let us down? Like a best friend? Is it that they have the power to give us the outcome that we desire? Like putting your trust in your local member when you go to them to try and get something done? We trust for all of these reasons. But what happens when someone tells us repeatedly that someone is untrustworthy? Do we still trust? Today we are in a psalm where David is hearing heaps of people saying “There is no salvation for him in God!” How does David react?
Life these days is busy—there is lots to stress about and even more to get done. It often feels like we are always trying to get ahead of the pack. Here in Psalm 131 David warns his people against pride and arrogance, and the solution he offers is—REST. Not just any rest, but resting in the God who has promised to provide everything we need. God has shown His commitment to this promise when he sent Jesus to die for us. Now we no longer need to earn our way to God or try and one-up the people around us, because we can trust that God will continue to provide for us no matter what.
Heroes are everywhere but what makes someone a hero? In today’s passage, we get to see that God doesn’t use heroes. The person God uses in Isaiah 53 is disregarded and despised. Not the sort of person we would choose to save the world. But God has always been in the habit of working through weak and unremarkable people. He does this to show that it is His power that makes us great, not our own efforts. We do not have to be good enough for God - He can use us no matter who we are, where we come from, or what abilities we have.