“Listen to my cry for help, my King, and my God, for I pray to no one but You.” (Psalm 5:2 NLT)
Since my husband is an incessant Star Wars fan, this scripture always brings to mind Princess Lea and her holographic message to Old Ben. “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” Her desperation is apparent, even in the poor quality of the projection. She had tucked the blueprint for the Death Star in R2D2 and only Ben Kenobi can get the plans to the right people with the help of the Force.
It’s maybe a bit plainer to our generation, at least at first blush, that there is only on God and He’s our only hope. But remember the original audience for this scripture; the Israelites were living in a land continually bombarded by idols. Thousands of years later, the evidence is still there; shrines etched into the sides of mountains and stone tables for human sacrifices. The people of God had to daily remind themselves:
“Hear O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NIV)
They spoke this prayer four times a day. In fact, the scratched it onto tiny scrolls and tucked it into little boxes strapped to hands and forehead. Why? Because flesh and blood have a tendency to forget. We are all so distracted by the daily and tempted by the demonic.
You might think we have outgrown such a regular reminder in 2019, but you would be mistaken. Our false gods are only more subtle in this era, and far more integrated into ordinary culture. We still struggle with putting our hope in wrong places: a St. Joseph statue buried in the yard to sell our house, the horoscope consulted daily, the local bar when life gets hard or the gambling boat in hopes of winning big. We self-medicate with sweets or snacks or wine or garbage tv or romance novels. We over indulge our senses and fill ourselves with raunchy material and then wonder why it’s so hard to hear from God.
“I pray to no one but You.” (Psalm 5:2 NIV)
Let the psalmist’s words etch themselves deep into our hearts this morning. If we can focus all our hope on the one true God, we’ll know just who to credit when He moves. We’ll be quick to worship when He rescues. We’ll stand in awe when He’s faithful. We’ll weep with gratitude when He’s merciful. We will ‘see’ these things because we’ve refused to let other gods creep in and steal the glory. We’ll be friends and followers of the One True God; the Giver of life and the Salvation of man.
Lord, help us see only You. You are our only hope. Guard our hearts against affection for false gods, especially the more subtle ones of comfort and entertainment. May we look to You only. Preoccupy our hearts. Help us clearly see Your work in our lives
and give You the credit You deserve. Amen.