Psalm 115:1-3
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased," Psalm 115:1-3. The world in which we live is constantly changing. Nothing stays the same. You can testify of this by looking in the mirror or at old photographs. Governments, nations, ideas, etc. rise and fall. Some changes bring major changes, others minor changes. Some are gradual, some are immediate, and everywhere in between. We can easily be driven from one extreme to another by our feelings and emotions. Change is all around us; even how we view God changes as we continue studying the Scriptures, but our God never changes. "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed," Malachi 3:6. God is not moved about by feelings and emotions. There are anthropomorphic terms in the bible about God which helps us understand some things about Him, but the biblical fact is that He does not change.
Our God is faithful, faithful in all things, faithful at all times. No matter what is going on in our lives, our God is good and faithful. "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower," Psalm 18:1-2. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in whom I will trust," Psalm 91:1-2. "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night," Psalm 92:1-2. Read all of Psalm 93.
We tend to run after those things in this life which bring us happiness and a sense of satisfaction, and we even picture heaven having those things which make us happy, but heaven is about God, not us. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever," Psalm 73:25-26. How sad and terrible would it be to gain the whole world yet lose your own soul? What a waste of time to seek after earthly temporal pleasures, yet we get hung up in that rut and are caught in that rat race. "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward," Genesis 15:1. Abraham loved the Lord. God called Abraham out of Ur and from a lifestyle of pagan worship. By faith Abraham believed the promises of God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Abraham loved God the same reason we love God, because He loved us first. "We love him, because he first loved us," I John 4:19.
God loving us first is a big deal when we understand what we were before the Lord saved us. We know that we were dead in trespasses and sins, we know we were children of the devil, and all this means that we were the enemies of God. This is how we are in our lost state. "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement," Romans 5:10-11.
We live a fast paced life and in this fast pace we are also bombarded by sights and sounds which try to take our focus away from our God. It is a constant battle to remain focused on things above and not on things of this earth. But how much worse is it for those who are not saved? You and I have help from our God, but those who are lost have no help. "This world's propaganda is incredible. The signs leading to hell are absolutely gorgeous…but the real thing is sin, death, the grave, and hell" Paul Washer. Those who die and go to hell do not see God as good and faithful; no, they actually hate Him even in hell. They are living life for the moment, seeking pleasure now, but they will suffer under God's wrath for eternity. They do not see the grace and love of God which is in Jesus Christ. When they look at a cross they do not see God's eternal Son taking on Himself our sins and God the Father pouring out His wrath upon His only begotten Son. The cross to them is a piece of jewelry or ink on their skin. They have no idea that on the cross God's goodness and faithfulness was proclaimed. God did what He said He would do. Christ accomplished what He came to accomplish. All praise, all honour, and all glory goes to God, not us. "We are living in a world of sin, and the fearful havoc it has wrought is evident on every side. How refreshing, then, to fix our gaze upon One who is immaculately holy, and who passed through this scene unspoiled by its evil. Such was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God incarnate." A.W. Pink.
Back in our text in Psalm 115, the Psalmist leaves no room for man to boast but gives all glory to God. This glory is ascribed to God because of His mercy (grace) and His truth's (faithfulness) sake. God is gracious, and God is faithful. When this lost world sees us go through trials and sufferings, they like to mock and ask the question in verse 2, "Where is now their God?" They think that since God is a loving God that nothing bad should ever happen to us. They think that we should be healthy and wealthy. They do err not knowing Scripture nor the power of our God. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world," John 16:33. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution," II Timothy 3:12. "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips," Job 2:10. Our faith is in our God, no matter what is going on around us. We praise Him, we worship Him, we glorify Him. Why? "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased," Psalm 115:3.
God is God, and He does whatever He pleases to do. Our response should be, Lord, help me to praise you in all things all the time. He is worthy of our praise. Also, Lord, how can I glorify You and magnify your name in this time of trial, tribulation, heartache, or prosperity? Our God is good and faithful in all things, all the time. He is mine, and I am His. How wonderful it is to know these truths, and how much better to put them into practice. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose," Romans 8:28. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
