Photo ©2015 Esther Martindale I’ve been asked a lot of things in my life, but never what someone inquired of me last October. My three year old granddaughter asked, “Grampy, can you walk on water?” While I was a bit taken aback, I assured her I could not walk on water, but that it was nice to know someone thought me capable of doing so.
We all give and receive adulation in different ways. I remember seeing rock ‘n roll legend Bo Diddley perform at Sienna College in November 1960, wearing his signature black cowboy hat, and playing his custom (his own design), rectangular solid-body Gibson guitar. I was fourteen years old and walked away from that con-cert believing I’d had the greatest night of my life. What public figure receives your adulation? Whoever it is, probably doesn’t know you any better that Bo Diddley knew me.
In the Psalm before us, the congregation prays that God would remember David’s vow to build a house for the Lord to dwell in, (vv. 2-5). In doing so, the psalmist and congregants singing this song of ascents are reminded of David’s capturing the Ark of the Covenant, which had been taken from the Israelites by the Philistines, and bringing it to Zion, (2 Sam. 6). As they remembered the history of the Ark of the Covenant, they would remember God’s covenant with King David, to build his throne “for all generations” (Ps. 89: 3-4).
This song would be used to prepare the hearts of these pilgrims before and during worship at the Temple. It is not too hard for us to imagine them singing this song on their journey back to their homes.
Like the Israelite pilgrims of old, we must understand there is but one person worthy of our adulation, praise, and worship: God in Christ. God alone is worthy of our praise. Celebrities, musicians, athletes, and politicians may “wow” us with their talents, brains and skills, but in reality they don’t even know us, much less care about us. God knows us more fully than even our deepest and most intimate human relationships. We don’t have to chase Him, log on, find a wireless “hot-spot,” or anything else. He’s right there. Always.
As C.S. Lewis once noted, let us “press further up, and further in,” to God. Remember that every day!
- James Harrington
We all give and receive adulation in different ways. I remember seeing rock ‘n roll legend Bo Diddley perform at Sienna College in November 1960, wearing his signature black cowboy hat, and playing his custom (his own design), rectangular solid-body Gibson guitar. I was fourteen years old and walked away from that con-cert believing I’d had the greatest night of my life. What public figure receives your adulation? Whoever it is, probably doesn’t know you any better that Bo Diddley knew me.
In the Psalm before us, the congregation prays that God would remember David’s vow to build a house for the Lord to dwell in, (vv. 2-5). In doing so, the psalmist and congregants singing this song of ascents are reminded of David’s capturing the Ark of the Covenant, which had been taken from the Israelites by the Philistines, and bringing it to Zion, (2 Sam. 6). As they remembered the history of the Ark of the Covenant, they would remember God’s covenant with King David, to build his throne “for all generations” (Ps. 89: 3-4).
This song would be used to prepare the hearts of these pilgrims before and during worship at the Temple. It is not too hard for us to imagine them singing this song on their journey back to their homes.
Like the Israelite pilgrims of old, we must understand there is but one person worthy of our adulation, praise, and worship: God in Christ. God alone is worthy of our praise. Celebrities, musicians, athletes, and politicians may “wow” us with their talents, brains and skills, but in reality they don’t even know us, much less care about us. God knows us more fully than even our deepest and most intimate human relationships. We don’t have to chase Him, log on, find a wireless “hot-spot,” or anything else. He’s right there. Always.
As C.S. Lewis once noted, let us “press further up, and further in,” to God. Remember that every day!
- James Harrington
Today pray for:
Loon Mountain Ministry, Lincoln, NH and pastor Marcus Corey
Lochmere Free Baptist Church and their pastor David Daley
Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church and their interim pastor John Young
Loon Mountain Ministry, Lincoln, NH and pastor Marcus Corey
Lochmere Free Baptist Church and their pastor David Daley
Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church and their interim pastor John Young
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