Recently we were able to go on a trip to Israel with some other folks from our church. We started in Jerusalem area and moved to the Galilee area. When we arrived at our hotel in Galilee (which just happened to be right on the Sea of Galilee), I was in a state of amazement. I had never seen such a plush hotel before in my life. After we went through the lobby and up to our room, I commented to my wife that I was sure that at any time now, someone was going to tap me on the shoulder and say; “How did you get in here? You don’t belong in a place this nice!”
I will be completely honest with you when I say that each morning as I open my Bible to read the precious words it contains, I feel the same way. I have no right to have such an incredible book in my possession. I have not earned the right to have a relationship with God. I do not deserve one ounce of His mercy that has been pour in abundance on me. I have no right to stand before the God of the universe and have a conversation through prayer. I have been given these privileges, because God loved me first. I did not beg Him for His love. He simply gave it to me when He offered Jesus Christ on the cross to die in my place.
Today I read a great passage in Psalm 8. It begins by declaring the glory of God. “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1). This is the palace! There is nothing higher. There is no one stronger, wiser, or more loving. God is the King of all the kings, and the Lord of all the lords. A relationship with Him is better than staying in a hotel right on the edge of the Sea of Galilee.
As the psalmist continued writing, he moved from the palace (the splendor of God) to the pit. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him” (Psalm 8:3-4)? This is the question on my heart and mind today as well. This God Who cannot be contained even in the expanse of the heavens, put His energy into saving wretched sinners like me. How is that possible?
When I begin to become impressed with my accomplishments, and find myself demanding that God give me the recognition I think I rightfully deserve, I come to verses like this that remind me of who I really am. I am this man, who deserves no attention. I am this man that has value only in the fact that God loved me enough to send His Son to die in my place. Because of that, I can move from the pit to the palace! It is because of Him!