Friday, November 4 – Psalm 115:1

Not to us, Lord, not to us,

But to Your name give glory,

Because of Your mercy, because of Your truth.

Has someone ever tried to give you credit for something you did not do? Or give you more credit than you deserved? When we’re in such a position, our default may be to receive the credit. Receiving any amount of glory makes us feel a sense of satisfaction and purpose; it’s hard to give that up! We may eventually come around to say, “No, I don’t deserve the credit,” but it often takes a powerful motivator like guilt to drive us to this point.

Psalm 115 shows us a different picture, though. When the psalmist reflected on God, specifically His mercy and truth, he couldn’t imagine keeping any glory—it all had to go to God where it rightfully belonged. The Hebrew words for mercy (hesed) and truth (‘emet) both describe core attributes of God’s nature. God is merciful—He is loving and kind to all, regardless of who deserves it. God is true—as the creator of life, He has designed the world according to who He is and everything else is based on that reality.

Reflecting on the reality of who God is should lead us to do what the psalmist did: give glory to God. We don’t grudgingly give glory to God—we joyfully give glory to Him in all things because of who He is. Knowing God should not only change the things we do but how we desire to glorify Him each day. May God transform our hearts, giving us eyes to see who He is and how He is truly worthy of praise.

• How has knowing who God is changed your relationship with Him?
• Have you ever desired to give God glory for something? What was that like?
• Pray and ask God to transform your heart to see the value in giving Him glory in all things.