"Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God. I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." (Psalm 50:7-15 NIV)
For those of us who are task-oriented, it is very easy to get caught up in how much we do for the Lord. We have our daily devotional times; we are faithfully involved with a community of believers, sacrificing both time and energy; we are sacrificing a lot for the Lord. Thus, we can begin to think God should be grateful for all we do for Him.
This was the mindset the Israelites had fallen into. They had grown proud of their sacrifices for the Lord, and thought He was somehow dependent on them. In this psalm He sets them straight. He is God, their God, and He is in need of nothing from them. Anything they have to offer, it is already His. He owns everything and needs nothing.
Our relationship with God is not based on mutual need, as are most human relationships. Because He already owns everything, we have nothing to offer Him, except our thanks and our willingness to depend on Him for everything in our lives. And He doesn’t even need that, but He does want it.
Today recognize you have nothing to offer God that He needs. What He desires is your total dependence on Him and your willingness to acknowledge the One who provides you with everything you need.
© Jim Musser 2013
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