Reflections on Psalm 115

What is your favorite Psalm? We have been reading through the Psalms in our Bible study and it's always neat to be reminded of these beautiful poems/songs of praise! I wrote a post on tips for approaching the Psalms here if you want to check it out. 

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?”

Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. 

But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.

They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.

They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.

They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield.

House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield.

You who fear him, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield.

The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the Lord—small and great alike.

May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.

May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.

It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 115

The book of Psalms is full of many wonderful passages, but this one particularly struck me when I read it the other day. I love the beginning. Not to us, but to Your name be the glory. How often do we as humans try to grasp at glory for ourselves? But really the glory is all due to God. Without Him, we are nothing. People are often faithless, but He is always faithful. 

In this day, when it is so common for unbelievers to mock our God, I am comforted to find that this is no new experience. These days, people might not worship actual idols, but we definitely have a world full of things that pull us away from God. It's SO tempting to live for the things that fill this world, but this passage reminds us that they are fake and perishable.

It is so much better to put our trust and our time in the Lord. He promises that He will bless those who trust in Him-- not always in the ways that we expect but always in the way that is best. What could be better than this awesome promise? 

So if we have this promise, then it is our job to praise God. If we don't spread the gospel, who will? Who will do the work if we don't hold ourselves responsible? I'm often tempted to give myself a free pass because "someone else" is doing the work. This psalm is reminding us that that's NOT okay. If we know these things about God, we must praise Him and we must share with others!

What Psalms are you reflecting on lately?