Psalm 149:1-2 - Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
In our country we rightly celebrate our independence. We treasure the many freedoms we enjoy, especially the freedom to worship as we choose. But in our fallen sinfulness we may be tempted to go too far with our freedom. We may think of ourselves as entirely independent, as in "No one can tell me what to do!" That kind of independence finds expression in a stubborn attitude of the heart and in harmful words and actions. The sinful heart does not want to acknowledge a Maker. Fallen, rebellious people want to be independent of the God who made them. It is uncomfortable and unsettling to be responsible or accountable to the Creator.
Our psalm expresses a very different attitude, the attitude of faith: "Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!" When in our fallen sinfulness we do not want to be accountable to our Creator, when we want to run and hide as Adam and Eve did, God calls us to repentance. He sent His own Son to die in our place, to suffer the penalty we deserved for our proud, rebellious ways. He graciously calls us back to Himself and forgives us for Jesus' sake. God in His grace creates us anew in Baptism and day by day conforms us to the image of His Son. We are His "chosen race ... a people for His own possession" (1 Peter 2:9a). "Chosen" and "possession" are not very independent words. We are called to submit to God's will and obey His commands, but "submit" and "obey" are not always popular words among proudly independent people. Yet moved by the Holy Spirit, we follow our Lord as we seek to live according to His will. We rejoice to serve our King!
We trust in our Lord and we depend on Him, happy to be called His people, people who are also His sheep: "It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture" (Psalm 100:3b). We are clay to be shaped by the Creator's hands: "But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand" (Isaiah 64:8). We are God's workmanship, created in His image. Just as artists sign their work or mark a clay vessel to show it as their creation, we bear the image of God; and in Baptism we are marked with the sign of the cross. We belong to our Maker, and we are glad!
WE PRAY: Lord God, I rejoice that You are my Creator, my Redeemer and my King! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
1. Are there things in your day-to-day life that make trusting in God difficult? What are they?
2. To what extent does God want us to depend on Him?
3. How has God shaped your life in the past? What are some ways He's doing so currently?
Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 49, 13-22 Hebrews 3
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