Sabbath Psalms - Belonging to God

Psalm 24:1 The Earth belongs to the LORD, including everything in it, the whole planet, and every living being.

I’d like to make a banner of this verse and super-impose it on a photograph of a hungry child in Appalachia. It would remind me that the least in our community, like those who sleep under the overpasses on the interstate, are still counted as belonging to God. I want to be challenged that the things I take for granted – my health, my home, my work, my money, and my resources – are all gifts from God. It’s very easy, in fact, too easy for me, to forget about such things, which causes me to neglect to remind myself that everyone is a child of God’s grace.

The psalmist tells us clearly that everything belongs to God – the world, the nations, and all of the people. Not one of us is a self-made person or an independent being. We might think that our actions, our deeds, our accomplishments, as well as our achievements come naturally because of our abilities; but we delude ourselves if we do not assign all of those qualities and successes to the grace of God. The source of all our blessings is the real owner of our planet. Without God, we would not exist. Without God’s power to create, we would not have life. 

Without God’s constant grace, we could not maintain ourselves. As Jesus so masterly puts it, “Which one of us can add a day to our lives?” We cannot. It all boils down to the fact that we are created, sustained, and completely owned by God. And when we understand this, we begin to care for other people, joining God in the work of being mindful of the Earth and all its inhabitants.

This is why I regularly support the work of the World Central Kitchen. Wherever natural disasters, human conflict, or famine takes place, chefs from the WCK organize food for people who are displaced, persecuted, and hungry. They encourage local restaurants and food truck owners to help them prepare and distribute meals. It’s a fantastic international mission of compassion which recognizes the urgent needs and upholds the dignity of different people across the Earth. To me, they epitomize the belief that everyone is a child of God’s grace and deserves the right to food, as well as shelter and clothing.

Point to ponder: If the whole Earth belongs to God, including everyone in it, what am I doing to help God’s work of sustaining this planet?

Prayer: Lord God, You challenge us every day to be faithful, but sometimes we thoughtlessly forget to also care. In the place of helping others, we often just help ourselves. Forgive us for being neglectful; grant us the strength to see and to support those who are hungry and needy across Your world. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

A Worldly Psalm - Psalm 24:1

Psalm 24:1      The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (NIV)

            Psalm 24 has always been one of my favorite passages of the Bible, ever since I first read today’s highlighted verse. To me, this line epitomizes how God sees the world and all of the people on Earth. He doesn’t see boundaries or nations. He doesn’t look at economic classes or intellectual elites. He sees a beautiful blue planet with billions of people. He sees everyone as a special creature and a child of His grace.

            Sadly, human history is littered with events which depart from this divine outlook. Human beings have treated each other with disdain, disrespect, and disinterest, forcing the poor and powerless to become helpless and hopeless. Tyrants have often dismissed and inhumanely treated other people just for being weak and wallowing in their misery. Wars and famines continually break out in areas where people are downtrodden and life is worth nothing. To escape these tragic hardships and cruel conditions, people sell their children into slavery or abandon their communities completely to the aggressors. How God can look down and see what we’re doing to ourselves is incomprehensible to people of faith. We believe we are better than this, and that the world is truly worth saving, no matter where people come from, no matter who they are.

            As Christians, we are held to a higher standard by God than those of other religions. Why? Because we call ourselves the followers of Christ, the Son of God, who gave His life for everyone. He didn’t cast people off because they were poor. He didn’t castigate folks for where they came from – remember, Christ was born in a dirty stable because His parents were forced to leave their home by a greedy and oppressive Emperor. Jesus, the center of our faith and the King of our lives did not disparage people whose lives were wrecked because His family experienced this, too; instead, He told marginalized people everywhere, ‘Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.’

So, if we still dare to continue to call ourselves Christians, are we not obligated by Christ to do and show the same?

Point to ponder

Who did Jesus die for? Why? Are we as Christians willing to love other people in the same ways as Christ? Are we willing to welcome those who are so much different from ourselves?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we call You the Lord of our hearts, so we seek to serve You with our lives. There is not one person on this Earth that You do not love, for we are all equal in Your eyes. Keep us from the sins of self-piety or of justifying unbridled prejudice. Enable us to see all others as children of Your grace, just as we hope that we are in Your eyes. In Your Holy Name, we pray.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to send feedback on today’s devotional, John would be delighted to receive your email at Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s early drawing called ‘Face to Face.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Face.