Tuesday 26th May

Psalm 21:5 
"Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendour and majesty.”

We know that one word sometimes has several shades of meaning, and here something similar happens, one word in the original language is translated in 2 ways by bible translators as victories in the NIV or salvation in the ESV and AV. They are not in opposition but to me show the same events seen on the one hand from a historical perspective and on the other from a spiritual perspective. In the end though they speak of the same thing, to David God’s salvation, total blessing, was experienced as victories on the battlefield which ensured the safety of Israel and secured his rule. The important point is that he attributes his victories and the glory they brought to him firmly to God.  Few of us will ever be in a position of real prominence outside perhaps our local scene or achieve fame on a national scale, but how we understand and deal with success and the fame or the material blessings that sometimes follow is really important and says a lot about our faith.

As a successful sportsman or woman would pride and recognition, the acclaim of people go to our head and would we end up believing that others owed us deference in some way? Though you can’t always believe what you read in the papers we have read stories of arrogance from famous people and behaviour that really didn’t fit their position of influence especially over the young. Is someone successful in business? Maybe not you of course but you never know who in the providence of God reads these things; has success tended to fill you with gratitude and make you appreciative of those who helped you along the way, in other words work colleagues and the workforce?

The rewards of these and other forms of success, even in moderate careers, how should they be seen as “all my own work or ought we acknowledge the help of others and more importantly the help of God?  Well, to help us answer that let me ask another question, (nothing like answering a question with a question) who does David, though speaking as a third person, acknowledge as the author of his success or victories and the blessings that came from them, salvation which is from God’s perspective total blessing?  The answer is simple, in the second part of the verse he acknowledges God as the giver and author of his success, “you have bestowed on him splendour and majesty.”

We have recently remembered the victory over a great evil represented in VE Day. I was interested to hear the address to the nation and commonwealth of King George VI on that day which began with the words. “Today we give thanks to Almighty God for a great deliverance...” and ended like this... “In the hour of danger we humbly committed our cause to the hand of God and he has been our strength and shield. Let us thank him for his mercies and in this hour of victory commit ourselves and our new task (which was building the peace) to the guidance of that same strong hand.” That is not something we would tend to hear a head of state say today.

In your employment or business, in whatever role, from giving “humble” domestic help, to chairman of a multinational company and everything between remember and acknowledge that God has granted you success in his grace.

PRAY
Give God thanks for all the ways in which he has blessed you and given success to you in your daily work or employment.

LISTEN