During 2025, Peachtree Church is focusing on the Book of Psalms with a series called Dwell, through which we seek to deepen our conversation with God and open ourselves to hearing his response. The practice of praying three times each day will unite the voices of our hearts and souls as we seek the day when we will see the full realization of the Kingdom of God, promised in Revelation 21:3: “…Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
We will email devotionals twice weekly with Monday’s providing an overview of the Psalm as a whole, and Wednesday’s focused on that week’s Daily Dwell.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
Psalm 135:15-21
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
What does it mean to praise God above false idols? How does that look in our day-to-day lives? On Monday, we talked about how inviting God into our struggles and remembering that our cares matter to him is often the first step in laying down false idols, but how do we take the next step into praise?
The people of Israel went through a lot to get to where they were. They experienced a great deal of trial and tribulation, but throughout their story, they always turned back to praise God. The Israelites knew that no matter where they were in life, God was with them.
I used to run half marathons frequently. Every day was dictated by my training plan and I praised that plan because it worked. As I started to get older, though, following my plan became more and more challenging. This mortal thing that I held onto was really just an idol of silver and gold. It started to fail me and wasn’t worthy of my praise.
So now here I am at 32, and I want to start running again. (Pray for me!) It will feel natural to turn my praise toward my training plan or my own strength. There are a ton of different plans out there for runners who want to get back in the game. But what would it look like to follow a plan while giving God the praise instead?
Maybe there is something in your life where you are not giving praise to God or where it feels impossible to do so. It all starts with a choice. When we choose to move through life giving praise to God, we begin to shift how we view the world around us. Our work, social, family, and inner lives cease to be about idols of silver and gold and start to center around the living God. This choice is what moves our praise in the right direction. So how can you choose to praise God today?
For Reflection
- Is there anything in your life that you praise before you praise God?
- How can you actively choose to praise God in every area of your life? What would that look like and who can you lean on to begin this process?
Prayer
Father God, we know that you are the living God and that no idol of silver or gold deserves our praise. Help us to see the reality of who you are this week and turn our praises toward you in all that we do. Amen.
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Devotionals