Psalm 115:1-3 "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake."
"Unto thy name give glory." What does it mean to "give
glory" unto the name of the Lord? The word, glory, carries the
meaning of having the spotlight shining upon someone or something. I
think we all feel good about ourselves when we do something that is worthy of
being noticed. Hopefully we do not do it simply to be noticed, but there are
times when appreciation is shown for something that is done. It is at that
moment that we have the ability and opportunity to deflect that appreciation
from ourselves unto the very One Who gave the talent that was used to
accomplish the good deed. Can we see what David is now meaning when he said,
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory."
It is at that very moment when someone shows appreciation to us that we
can simply say, "I thank the Lord for working through me." It
is then that we are giving glory and gratitude unto the Lord. We are turning
the spotlight upon Him.
The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson the hard way. He felt
that all the glory of Babylon was due unto him and he enjoyed people giving him
praise for the city and He enjoyed bragging about himself. UNTIL
.... There came a time when the Lord warned Nebuchadnezzar about the
self-glory that he relished. When the king persisted in thinking it was
his power and might that had accomplished the greatness of the city, the Lord
took his understanding from him and drove him out into the fields. For seven
years, he fed with the animals and his appearance was that of an animal or a
wild man. You can read this account in the book of Daniel, chapter four.
But in verse 34 of that chapter, we read, "And at the end of the days I
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned
unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that
liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is
from generation to generation."
The Lord will not share His glory with another. It isn't that He is guarding
His ego; rather, He is guarding our ability to live rationally in this
lifetime. Giving glory unto the Lord takes away the pressure that we might feel
if we are constantly trying to be praised by others. Deflecting that praise
unto the Lord (turning the spotlight upon Him) relieves us from the pressure of
trying to constantly outperform anything else. It gives us the peace and
contentment to know that we are in the hands of the Almighty God Who loves us
unconditionally and His mercy and truth shines through us. "Not unto
us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory."