Then David praised the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said, May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
…for every animal of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is Mine. Psalm 50:10-12
My words…
Praise
In the spring, I bought a hibiscus plant, a bag of potting soil, and a pot. I planted the hibiscus in the pot, watered it, and watched it grow. It’s lovely. But it’s not mine. When guests come to my house and admire my hibiscus, I say, “Oh, thank you.” What I should say is, “Oh, it’s not mine. It’s God’s.” I mistakenly believe that I actually own stuff. I don’t. It’s all Yours – on loan to me. You gave me a house to use as You would use it. My precious children are Yours – gifts for me to raise as You would raise. My aging body is not even mine. You indwell it. It’s Yours. Now for the intangibles: All of the greatness of Your creation belongs to You – the greatness of space, of man’s innovation, of government and law, of amnesty and peace accords, my greatness (my ability to think and grow). All power is Yours – the power of weapons, of titles, of nations, of corporations, of fame, my power. (If I withheld water from my hibiscus, it would die. That is power.) All glory is Yours – the glory of family, of birds’ nests, of funerals, of hymns, my glory. (I am a child of Yours, made in Your image.) All splendor is Yours – the splendor of art, of waterfalls, of joyful tears, of friendship, my splendor (my robe, white as snow). All majesty is Yours – the majesty of eagles, of canyons, of cathedrals, of rainbows, my majesty. (I am a daughter of The King.) I praise Your glorious name.
Prayer for me
I enjoy making things. I gather raw materials and turn them into useful or decorative objects. I take words and weave them into stories and prayers. But these “things” are not creations, for to create something I must make something from nothing (like You do). You supply the raw materials, so even what I make myself is not mine. I am a selfish being. One of the first words I learned to say, after mama and dada, was mine. Help me embrace and be comforted by the wonderful truth that absolutely nothing is mine.
Forgive me
Forgive me for grasping tightly onto what I think I own. It’s a pride issue. Surely I can take care of this person better than You. I worked really hard for this – it’s mine. Hands off. With Your forgiveness and strength, I will be at peace when I release my grip on those “things” I hold dear.
More praise
My Spirit twirls at the thought that one day You will return and gather up what is Yours. On that day I will no longer care about my house, and my stories, and my hibiscus. I will be rejoicing that I am among those whose name tag reads Yours.
