Success in God

Painting of David with his Harp, Paris Psalter,
c. 960, Constantinople, Belmont University

Scripture

Psalm 147:1-11

¹   Praise the Lord!
          How good it is to sing praises to our God;
          for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
²   The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
          he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³   He heals the brokenhearted,
          and binds up their wounds.
⁴   He determines the number of the stars;
          he gives to all of them their names.
⁵   Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
          his understanding is beyond measure.
⁶   The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
          he casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷   Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
          make melody to our God on the lyre.
⁸   He covers the heavens with clouds,
          prepares rain for the earth,
          makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹   He gives to the animals their food,
          and to the young ravens when they cry.
¹⁰  His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
          nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
¹¹  but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
          in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Devotion

I come from a family of teapots...we are all rather short and stout.  No one will be shocked to hear that I am rarely the strongest or fastest person in the room.  When kids picked teams for any kind of physical activity, I was never among the first to be chosen.  I have to admit that I feel a little vindicated when Psalm 147 says that God's delight is not found in things like physical strength or swiftness of foot.

Of course, the psalmist is talking about much more than physical might.  They are talking about earthly power in general.  Daily life was hard in the ancient world, and there were very few social safety nets to help people if their family could not.  As if it wasn't hard enough for people just to stay alive, there was always the looming specter natural or political disasters.  Drought, famine, plagues, and war regularly brought even vast empires to their knees.  The people of tiny nations like Israel lived in fear of being wiped off the map by forces that were much bigger and stronger by them. 

 

The psalmist reminds these constantly threatened people that they can take courage in their faith.   The gods of other nations may seem to favor the strong and the swift, but the God of Israel--the one true God--delights in caring for those who are weak.   Describing Israel as God's gathered nation of outcasts, the psalmist says that the Lord heals the brokenhearted, binds up those who are wounded, and lifts up the downtrodden.  God builds up the nation by blessing those who love and obey him and removing the wicked from power.  Our gracious Creator delights in brings nourishment and abundance to all those who love and rely upon him...be they the human beings, the birds of the air, or even the ground itself.  The people need not be afraid of their weakness in comparison to other nations, because God takes pleasure in building them up in ways they cannot even begin to fathom.

This psalm speaks to modern Americans a little differently than it did to the ancient Israelites, but it is still rife with meaning. We live in a competitive environment that tends to tie someone's worth to their personal achievements.  Society teaches us that "success" means being the best or most powerful person/organization around.  What's more, we equate attaining money, power, or wealth with love, fulfillment, and happiness.  We don't feel blessed until we prove that we are personally "winning" at something... and we don't like to admit that the deck is often stacked against people.

In this context, Psalm 147 reminds us that God does not judge our worthiness by the things we have or the power we attain.   For while those things may distract earthly eyes, the same God who numbers and names each star in the sky judges us by looking into our hearts.   When someone shows that they are full of love, faithfulness, and a desire to follow God's teachings, then their success is found in filling God with delight.   When those qualities are missing, then all of a person's trappings of worldly success ultimately mean nothing. 

So how do we redefine what it means to be successful?   We do so by modeling our own lives and ministries after what God takes delight in doing.  When we help heal the brokenhearted, bind up the injured, and lift up the downtrodden, we pattern our hearts after God.  Such actions may not make us the most money or garner us a large social media following, but our obedience to God's desires will make us successful in a different, more lasting way.  For, the God of the Israel will take pleasure in providing our ministries with what they need and combining them with the work of others in order to build up a new world.  A better world.  The Kin-dom of God.

If you worry that your best efforts to follow God's will seem like nothing in comparison to the worldly success of others, do not fear.  The God of Israel's delight is not found in large stock portfolios or the number of "likes" we get.  The Holy One delights in the hearts of those who are obedient and who find their hope in God's steadfast love.  We can trust that when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us, the same God who gives rain to the land and food to the birds will bless our efforts.  And the pleasure that God takes in our obedience is the best kind of success there is.

Prayer

God, help me see the world through your eyes.  May I find my success not in wealth, power, or privilege, but in obedience to you.  Bless my desire to fulfill your commandments so that I too may see the day when the downtrodden are lifted up and and those who were once oppressed sing and dance for joy.  Amen.