GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The king rejoices in Your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories You give!

You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and You gave it to him — length of days, forever and ever. Through the victories You gave, his glory is great; You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath, and His fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed. You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.

Be exalted in Your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise Your might.

Psalm 21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

There is little doubt that life brings us trouble we need to cope with. It happens to us all. But we need to also see that life brings us our share of successes as well as we accomplish things that make us feel good about ourselves and our lives.

Take a minute to consider all the good things you have managed to accomplish. If you do, I think you’ll find that you’ve achieved a lot even if you have also made mistakes or endured hardships.

Now for the question the 21st Psalm would ask us: When we succeed, to whom do we give the credit?

We see a variety of approaches here if we listen to people talk about their successes.

Sometimes people give themselves credit. Their success came as a result of their effort and/or intellect. They would tell you to work hard or think like they did and you too can find success.

Then there are those who would share the credit for their success with others. They would take credit but also share credit with someone who may have helped or inspired them along the way.

Finally, there are those who give all credit to the Lord, the One who makes all things possible. They understand that every good and perfect thing comes from above (James 1:17), from the hands of a Lord from whom all blessings flow (words of the Doxology). They realize that any good thing they do is ordained by the God who is perfectly good and passes His goodness onto those who seek it. And in the wake of their success, ultimately, they glorify and magnify the only One who is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

The people of Israel understood this. For as we look at the words of this psalm, we find them proclaiming that David’s success was not from his own hands but rather granted to Him by the God who ensures His will is done.

Indeed, David’s successes were not of his own doing. His people knew it and David knew it too. David, a man after God’s own heart, wouldn’t think to factor God out of the circumstances surrounding his gains. Much to the contrary, David called on God, knowing He and He alone would lead His king to success. And when the success was gained, David credited everything to the One who deserved it – God.

Look at the words of the Psalm.

It wasn’t about David succeeding through his might. It was about the Lord’s strength.

It wasn’t about how David defeated his enemies unaided. It was about the Lord granting victory.

It wasn’t about David achieving his wishes through his skill, ability, or wisdom. It was about the Lord granting the heart’s desire of David and considering his requests.

It wasn’t about David working his way up the political and military ladder to lead. It was about the Lord blessing David by anointing him as king.

It wasn’t about David’s uncanny knack to survive despite threat. It was about the Lord sustaining David’s life.

It wasn’t about David winning over the hearts and favor of his people after heard fought battles. It was God bestowing glory, splendor and majesty on David after victories gained.

It wasn’t David feeling blessed by his own accomplishment. It was God who brought David joy by His presence.

And it wasn’t about David inspiring his people to great displays of strength and might exacted on the enemies of Israel. No, it was all about God who was the source of strength and might, not just for David but for all of Israel.

Yes, it was all about God then – and it’s still all about Him today.

Friends, we would be well served to follow the lead of the Israelites and adopt and attitude of always giving credit where credit is due. We need to give thanks for God’s many blessings - the way He listens to our prayers and grants our requests in accordance with His will, for His sustenance and protection, for His ever presence with us that leads us toward joy, and for His strength and might through which we can do all things (Philippians 4:13).

In the end translation, all things happen as a result of God. May all glory, honor and praise ever be given to Him forever and ever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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