Devotion by: Art Evans
Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said: ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor
‘But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill-offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep for ever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts towards you. Grant to my son Solomon that with single mind he may keep your commandments, your decrees, and your statutes, performing all of them, and that he may build the temple for which I have made provision.’
Then David said to the whole assembly, ‘Bless the Lord your God.’ And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.
This Biblical verse is known as David’s Prayer and clearly states his desire for his son, Solomon, and all his people to constantly praise God and give thanks for his many blessings. David expresses his thanks by acknowledging that his own kingdom belongs to God. This is often quite different from our own perceptions. Many of us attribute our worldly mental and physical gifts, talents, or strengths to our own hard work or dedication and the power of our intellect and motivation. Of course, upon turning to Christian thought, we are well aware that even who our parents were and how they raised us and who directly helped develop all our positive attributes which shaped our future decisions were also granted by God. Even our physical powers and senses are not of our making. We are nothing without God and we have nothing except what God has granted us. God made and owns all people in this world. In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus makes clear that everything in this life is on loan. And so we come to gratitude or simply put, giving thanks. As Ezra, the author of 1 Chronicles, writes for David, “Now, our God, we give you thanks”. And we must do the same. David’s prayer goes further, while acknowledging his thanks to God, he wants to ask his people to be generous in their praise of God by giving either labor or gifts which will glorify God and not the things of this world. David is so grateful that he can give so much. He had come from humble beginnings. As described above, everything already belongs to God, and we are simply returning it to him. In Deuteronomy 8:18, Moses writes, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth”. Finally, David is proud of his people who have chosen to give and given willingly.
Each day when I rise, I remember Psalms 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. I give thanks for another day and ask for his mercy for the next. I never take anything for granted. Even a hot shower or automatic garage door opener can elicit a quick glance upward to express awe in the luxury of our existence and to give thanks. And at the end of each physical workout I, expressly give sincere thanks for another day of health. Why do I take my thanksgiving so seriously? Each day I am deluged with reminders of our physical frailties and the economic disparities of our world, and it affects me deeply. I often joke that if I were Bill Gates, I would probably have a small altar in every room of my mansion in order to prostrate myself before God and give thanks for my disproportionate blessings. I doubt if that would be practical; instead, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of $34,000,000,000 for worldwide charitable giving.
PRAYER:
We thank you for this day Dear Lord,
It is a day like no other,
It is a new day to glorify you,
It is a new day to reach out to others,
It is a new day to see others as you see them,
It is a new day to love others as you love them,
It is a new day to become new in your love,
In the name of your Son, My Savior, Christ Jesus.
Amen.
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