Psalm 96:1-9 … “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” vss. 4-5
Religious folks and American politicians regularly speak of God, but we can’t always figure out what they’re talking about. Sometimes the word seems to be thrown into conversations or speeches haphazardly, and is used in a way designed to make the speaker look good. Seldom are any of these persons asked to describe the God that they have invoked–and if they were, we’d likely get an amazing variety of answers, ranging all the way from the profound to the ridiculous. Lots of people in the psalmist’s day were talking about gods too, but the psalmist doesn’t take them seriously. In his estimation there is only one God, the One who brought all things into existence, and who then sustains them from day to day. He’s obviously spent some time thinking about the Lord, something that can be enormously helpful for us too. The process isn’t as easy as it sounds–it can be difficult to describe God in ways that are satisfying even to our own minds, especially since the bible describes God as unknowable. Often it’s just easier to say what God is not–an exercise that can be amazingly helpful in finding clarification. But it is worth it to meditate on God! At the very least we will discover that God is more than we’ve ever imagined, and a very present help in times of trouble.
Thought for the Day: Who or what is God?
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