Friday, July 13th, 2018
Mostly Satisfied, or Most Satisfied?
We seem to be on a theme lately, with regards to giving thanks. Because this is one of my favourite topics as a worship leader, I'm going to use today's post to connect glorification of God with giving thanks to God.
We read in scripture that our ultimate ambition, joy, and satisfaction are all found through glorifying God, but how do we do that?
Many passages in the Bible remind us that we should seek God's glory, but since “glory” is kind of archaic language, I think many people haven't processed exactly what that means. How do we glorify someone who is already ultimately glorious? When we say, “Oh God, we give you glory,” that seems redundant to one who has all the glory already!
I think it's like this: we glorify God when we ENJOY Him. (I didn't come up with this on my own- it was John Piper who first wrote of “Christian Hedonism.")
While that term seems slightly indulgent to me (and possibly prone to abuse), I do appreciate the concept. Piper summarized it with the phrase, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
Read that again.
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
Are we satisfied in God?
I think I can use my general attitude as a measurement stick. Am I fulfilled? Am I constantly longing for something else? Am I full of thanksgiving?
It's that last one that I want to highlight today.
If one fails to notice the beauty of the world around them, fails to appreciate the tastes, smells, sounds, and experiences of simply being alive, then I think that person is failing to glorify God.
As we enjoy the world, and remember to give thanks for it, we give glory to God! That is worship.
So you can see now why I think glorifying God is intimately connected with expressing thanks to God. When we notice, and appreciate God for the many things he's done, for the moments we experience pleasure, for the people who make us happy, that's when we glorify him.
That's what this Psalmist is doing today. He encourages us to thank God for his faithful and steadfast love, which never ends.