Our First and Ultimate Priority

Scripture: Psalm 33:1-9 (NRSV)
1  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
2  Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3  Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4  For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7  He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses.
8  Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Reflections
There are so many things that can distract us from God and God’s love. So many things that claim priority in our lives. Work. Family stresses. School. Concerns for our nation. News headlines. You name it. So many distractions. It is so easy to succumb to the pull of these competing priorities that, before we know it, God’s voice and place in our lives becomes smaller and quieter. These priorities, and others like them, are important. None of them, though, are more important than God.

The Psalmist knew that. The Psalmist knew a variety of competing priorities, too. War. Slavery at the hands of defeating nations. Family and friends abused and killed by those same nations. Yet, the Psalmist still found it essential to place first and ultimate priority in God whose power and love created and sustained them. “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants stand in awe of him,” the Psalmist wrote. In the midst of competing voices and priorities, the Psalmist still clung to an abiding trust and loyalty in God who deserved to be the priority above all priorities, the voice above all voices.

As we begin this year’s Advent journey, let’s commit ourselves to renew our commitment to God who loves us with a love that will never let us go and whose power sustains us through any crisis, change, or joy that life brings. Let’s embrace Timothy Keller’s challenge to “draw our hearts from fixation on other things” that we might “become enraptured with the beauty of God.”

Meditation
• What priorities in your life compete with placing your first and ultimate priority in God?
• How can you love God more nearly and more dearly this Advent Season?

Prayer
Loving and powerful God, thank you for your creating and sustaining presence in my life. Allow me to hear your voice above all the other voices in my life that I may look to you as the ultimate source of my strength and praise. In Jesus’ matchless name, Amen.

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