We know that we need to love God. We
know that He is worthy of our praise. I can't help but wonder
however, if we base our love for Him too heavily on what He has done
for us and not as much on who He is? It's natural to focus on that
aspect of our relationship, it's easier to praise someone for the
things they have done than it is to praise their attributes. Also, I
think we find it more personal somehow to look to what He has done in
our lives specifically. God is more than what He does and has
importance greater than the providence in our lives.
I feel a little weird talking about
this because, well, because the two sides of this particular coin are
admittedly close. What God does is intrinsically tied to who He is
and I would say that it is impossible to completely divorce the two.
I also would not say that we should not praise and thank Him for His
gifts and works; I just think we should be careful not to base our
praise exclusively on the fact that He does nice things for us. We
may be grateful for our ability to sing but God was artistic long
before our voices were heard, we may be grateful for our lives but
God was living long before us and is far more alive than we ever will
be, and we may be grateful for our family but God has existed in
perfect relationship for eternity.
In the Psalms we see a blending of
praise for God's works and for His holy name. David penned songs
that thanked God for the many things He had done in his life and for
the wonder and majesty of who God is. This combination of
perspectives is important. If we focus solely on either one we will
end up with a skewed view of God and our relationship with Him.
Solely thanking God for what He does for us can lead to a Santa
Clause view of God and leave us expecting more and more gifts and
make us upset when things don't go the way we want. If we only
praise Him for His attributes we may come to think of Him as
disconnected and too far away from us to really matter. A proper
blending of both reminds us that He is great and mighty and we are
small and dependent but also keeps us aware of His work in our lives
and His love for us.
“This feeble faith of
mine, wants nothing more than this;
to love You, apart from
what You give. So take from me
the things You give if
purposed in Your will, and I will love you still.”
-”Love You Still," The Tree
©2008 Julianna Zobrist
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