| “You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” |
| —Nehemiah 9:6 |
One of the happiest days in a toddler’s life comes when he or she can say to mom or day, “I did it myself!” Likewise, when a kindergartener learns how to ride a two-wheeled bike without the training wheels, he or she might also exclaim, “I did it myself!” Even a teenager who takes the car out solo for the first time and returns home triumphant might well say, at least in his or her heart, “I did it myself!” There is something about accomplishing some task without any outside intervention that brings a particularly sweet joy.
On the other side of this coin, men and women become very frustrated when they come to a place where they have to ask for help. In fact, recognizing that they have much that they cannot control seems to drive most of humankind a bit crazy. I suspect that’s why a certain segment of the scientific community is always looking for alternative theories of how our universe was created. They want to try to discern some explanation other than acknowledging that a being far superior to humankind actually created all things.
In offering a prayer of thanksgiving to God, the Prophet Nehemiah does not hesitate to give credit where credit is due. He recognizes that humankind alone can really accomplish very little in the largest scheme of things. Notice this part of his prayer, as recorded in Nehemiah 9:6:
You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
This new day, we should not hesitate to acknowledge that God, and God alone, is the creator and sustainer of all things. His love, breathed into us by the Holy Spirit, empowers us to do His will.
When we look around us and consider all the beauty in nature, we should give a word of thanksgiving to God for His creative genius. When we consider our relationships with others and admire certain qualities in the people God has placed in our lives, we should also praise Him for the way He has created these dear ones and given us the privilege of knowing them.
A spirit of genuine thankfulness, a heart full of praise, a mind focused on the greatness of God is the way we should live each day. Let’s joyfully say to God, along with Nehemiah: “You alone are the Lord.”
Based on a blog originally posted on Tuesday, October 31, 2017
