Psalm 47:1-4 (NIV)
1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
If you could choose the best possible scenario for your life, what would it include? A steady job with a reliable paycheck? Good insurance and a healthy family? Early retirement, adventures across the globe, national recognition for an accomplishment, feeling fulfilled? Maybe you'd be satisfied with low-stress workdays and experiencing deep connections with others. Whatever desires you hold, these are the utopian ideals that we wish, even demand, for our lives.
We'd all like to choose what's coming to us, to be prepared for all outcomes. Unfortunately, this doesn't work too well, because our human perceptions are so limited, and we miss a lot. Take the ideal of comfort, for example -- many pursue money, relationships, and silence in order to escape being uncomfortable. When we try so hard to stay in this, well, comfortable box, we miss out on the opportunity to be agents of truth, change, compassion, and even adventure! We will never know what's best if we can't understand the benefit of taking risks.
Long story short, everyone traps themselves in their own perceptions. We think we know what we want, but we are caught up in cultural trends, traditions, our own fears. Consider all of the people pursuing this career or that college degree because of the pay-off alone, not the passion or purpose. Do we actually know anything at all?
Probably not, or at least nothing in comparison to God's understanding. In Psalm 47, verse 4 states, "He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved." The Israelites, mind you, have been through it. Their shortcomings are vast, their desires are often unholy, and yet God never gives them up. Instead He makes exorbitant promises to provide a help and a future -- not to make everything easy-peasy and polished. Not to give them what they want so they can be "happy". There's something about this future conceived through love that allows the author of this psalm praise so ardently!
God makes superior choices for our lives beyond what we can ever conceive for ourselves. It may be difficult to follow His way, but if the loving Creator has an inheritance prepared, our narrow dreams for health insurance and high-paying jobs just can't compete. And, truly, that's something to celebrate.
Comments