Conduits without clogs

“As [the women] danced, they sang, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’  Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him.  ‘They have credited David with tens of thousands,’ he thought, ‘but me with only thousands.  What more can he get but the kingdom?’”  1 Samuel 18:7-8

How many times have we seen this scenario?  A young person finds fame, usually from acting, music or athletics ... with it comes applause, adulation and wealth, all in staggering amounts and at lightning-fast speed ... followed by an outlandish lifestyle of free-flowing drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and cash ... and right on cue come the addictions, the neuroses, the divorces, the troubled children and financial struggles.  Though rich in talent, the “stars” among us yet lack the ability to handle the acclaim that follows.  After all, they’re only people.  Gifted, yes, but only people.

It’s not just celebrities.  Our scenarios may not play out on as grand a scale or to such extremes, but we, too, struggle with praise – be it too much, too little, or not worded quite right.  I think the reason is this: We weren’t built to be the end-point of praise, rather, we are designed as conduits through whom praise flows on its rightful way to God.  Every blessing comes from him and all praise is due him.

Saul didn’t see it that way.  Had he glorified God in his heart for his battlefield successes, he would have worshipped him, also, for David’s.  To Saul, however, adulation stopped at the person and success was measured by comparison.  And by comparison, he lost 10 to 1.  Joy gave way to jealousy.

But David’s response to victory?  Pure praise.  Listen to his battle hymn ...

“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.... He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great....  You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.  You made my enemies turn their backs in flight and I destroyed my foes.” Psalm 18:32, 34-35, 39-40

God’s blessings to David flowed through him to others ... and the victories for which the people praised David, he ascribed, in turn, to God.

The same is true for us when we live as conduits without clogs: his blessings flow out through us and his rightful praises flow up from us.

In 1674, another hymn writer, Thomas Ken, beautifully captured this flow of blessings and praise in a single verse.  And he inserted it as the final verse into two separate hymns, written for morning and evening worship at Winchester College: “Awake, my soul, and with the sun” and “Glory to thee, my God, this night.”

We know it today simply as “The Doxology” and with it, we praise the God who first blesses us.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen!

[Read today's text, 1 Samuel 18:1-9, in the NIV, or The Message.]