Psalms 44:4-8
You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
It is so easy to believe that the great things we have in our lives are ours because we are so talented. Our society tries to conform us to the image it has for success. Doing good in school, going to college, getting a good paying job, buying two nice cars for your two-stall, new home and being the president of your local community club, have all been determined to the measures of success. Christ had none of those. There is certainly nothing wrong with those "things" - today I write this devotional in our new condo. It is easy to say, "By my wealth this was purchased." Or, "My skills as a communicator produced the wealth." Yet, David, in the above Psalm tells us to not consider our own efforts as producing something good in our lives. God has produced within us, by His outstretched arm, all that David had good. "Through your name," David states his safety and prosperity was afforded him, he says to God. Even when he was in the midst of the army to walk out against Goliath, David was careful to give God the praise for any victory he had. David was a great archer, but did not want to trust in his bow. David was a great musician but did not want to trust in his harp. David was a great king but did not want to trust in his efforts, skill, or thoughts. Rather, David states, "In God we have boasted continually." God gave us our condo our of the graciousness of His character. We are stewards of this home until God moves us somewhere else. God gives us our skills to do what we do in life and in Him we out to boast, continually. The truth is that without God we can do nothing. He is the one who saves us and the one whom we need to "give thanks to your name forever. Selah"
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