URC Daily Devotion 11 January 2026

Psalm 115 

Not to us, Lord, not to us,
but to your name give the glory
for the sake of your love and your truth,
lest the heathen say: “Where is their God?”

But our God is in the heavens;
he does whatever he wills.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.

They have mouths but they cannot speak;
they have eyes but they cannot see;
they have ears but they cannot hear;
they have nostrils but they cannot smell.

With their hands they cannot feel;
with their feet they cannot walk.
(No sound comes from their throats.)
    
Their makers will come to be like them
and so will all who trust in them.

Israel’s family trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.
Aaron’s family, trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.

You who fear him, trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.
He remembers us, and he will bless us;
he will bless the family of Israel.

(He will bless the family of Aaron.)

The Lord will bless those who fear him,
the little no less than the great:
to you may the Lord grant increase,
to you and all your children.

May you be blessed by the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.                                    
The heavens belong to the Lord
but the earth he has given to people.

The dead shall not praise the Lord,
nor those who go down into the silence.
But we who live bless the Lord
now and for ever. Amen.

Reflection

You could misuse many of the lines of this Psalm as justification for ungodly behaviour. Some who call themselves Christian probably do!

We can think of Christians who don’t take seriously the call to care for creation and who instead abuse the planet and its creatures, stripping it of every resource they can for their own benefit, treating it as their personal plaything.

We can think of Christians who believe that the bombing and destruction of Gaza, with the deaths of thousands of innocent people, is justified because they seek the ‘blessing’ of the modern State of Israel.

We can think of Christians who militantly foist their beliefs on others because they fear that ‘the heathen’ might wonder ‘Where is your God?’

We might even know Christians who say that blessing is a birthright – through inherited wealth or genetics – and that those who face poverty, racism, transphobia, homophobia or lack of opportunity deserve no better.

Have we fallen into a similar trap? Have we used a prooftext from scripture to justify harmful beliefs and behaviours that we were brought up with or have acquired along the way? Do we hold resentments or commit violence through our words, neglect or activity towards those in our family, congregation or neighbourhood who have offended us, hurt us or don’t measure up to our expectations?

This psalm is a warning that those who worship idols become like them: unspeaking, unseeing, unhearing, unfeeling, unmoving. When did you last speak up for justice? When did you last notice injustice? When did you last seek to do something about it? What are the idols in your life that have consumed or arrested you?

For those of us experiencing injustice right now, or who are attuned to the injustices experienced by many, we might find ourselves asking ‘Where is our God?’, not because we don’t believe, but because we are waiting for a chorus of Christians to stand with us to cry out and take action for justice.

Prayer

Maker of Heaven and Earth,
thank you for the hope of blessing
for those who revere your name.
When we have allowed idols
to curtail our voice and actions,
may they be smashed
on the altar of your mercy.
May we who live bless the Lord,
now and for ever. Amen.