TAKING IT PERSONALLY


DAY 142:  In recent years, politics has become more like roller derby than an exercise is civic responsibility.  Candidates spend more time elbowing each other for the advantage then they do considering the common good.  And once they are elected, a cynic might say they spend more time serving their own interests than those of "we the people."  Yet it was not always so.  Consider our noble beginnings as a people who fought and died for the right to establish a more perfect union.  We the people passed to the first American politicians a charge born from sacrifice and service.  Together the young nation had already paid such a high price corporately, it was inconceivable that any would squander our blood-bought country on self-service.  George Washington reminded his compatriots of their charge in the first Inaugural Address ever given by an American president when he addressed it to those first American politicians- the congress.

". . . it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect... In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency . . . since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of government for the security of their union and the advancement of their happiness, so His divine blessing may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations, and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend."  George Washington, Inaugural Address, 1789

George Washington realized that the nation he was given stewardship over was a divine gift "to favor the American people. "It was for their "security" and their "happiness" so that God's "divine blessing may be equally conspicuous."  In his view, the American nation and government were Divinely established "of the people, by the people and for the people."  Sadly, our country has come to operate as if it were created "by the people, for the benefit of those who get elected."

But before I am too harsh on our modern aristocracy, they are not the only ones who fail to recognize the purpose of blessings.  I do it all the time.  When good things come my way, whether that is talent, treasure or triumph, it is easy to forget the "enlarged views" and think that the blessing is all about me.  The reality is, God may have blessed for reasons I failed to recognize. 

Thankfully, today's Bible reading, if not our politicians, gives me a reliable example to follow. 

David is the perfect example of someone stepping back long enough to see that enlarged view so that the blessing didn't stop with him. 1 Chronicles 13 & 14 tells the story of David finally becoming King.  It had been a long and arduous journey to get to this point.  Saul was now dead and after still more waiting it was finally God's timing. Warriors from every tribe in Israel joined David and were eager to see him become king.  The country was united.

12:38  In fact, everyone in Israel agreed that David should be their king. 39 They feasted and drank with David for three days. . . There was great joy throughout the land of Israel.

Then David gave an address to the entire assembly suggesting that with his rise to King they should also bring the Ark of God to the City of David.  Unfortunately, David didn't ensure that the Ark was handled according to the directions God gave in the law and that endeavor ended in disaster. For just a moment, with everyone cheering him on, David bought into the idea that he was given charge of a kingdom for his own purposes. The Ark was a lesson he heard loud and clear and he adjusted.

 13:12 David was now afraid of God, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of God back into my care?” 13 So David did not move the Ark into the City of David.

More than that, the incident seemed to give David the "enlarged view" he was lacking.  Even while another opportunity presented itself to convince David that he was the sole object of God's blessing, he did not make that mistake again.  

   14:1 Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar timber, and stonemasons and carpenters to build him a palace. 2 And David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had greatly blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

George Washington and King David were not the only ones who understood that the blessings God bestowed on them were meant for more than personal benefit. 
  • Abraham knew that through him all the nations of the world would be blessed. 
  • Hannah thanked God for baby Samuel, then released him to God's work.
  • Noah was blessed to be spared, and he saved human and animal kind. 
  • Esther was made a queen with every comfort, which she leveraged to save her people. 
  • Elizabeth cherished the son of her old age, but accepted God's bigger role for John. 

Following all of those examples, I pray God will open my eyes the same way he did David's.  Thinking that God's blessings are so limited that I would be the sole object is to think too small of God and too much of me.  Blessings are never meant to be taken so personally - God always thinks and works bigger than that.  Enlarging my view to make the most of His blessings is as simple  as filling in the blanks:  

And Kim realized that the Lord had confirmed her as/with ____________ and greatly blessed ______________ for the sake of _____________. 
Whenever we are blessed, it is most certainly also "for the people." We just have to figure out which people God intends our lives to bless. 



Day 142 of 365
1 Chronicles 12:19-40
1 Chronicles 13
1 Chronicles 14
Romans 1:1-17
Psalm 9:13-20
Proverbs 19:4-5

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