2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2 NIV)
Before I read this verse I would have given a different answer to the question, “What does God value more than anything else?” I would have immediately begun to search through the images and experiences of the wonders of God’s creation. I would have thought about all of the amazing things that He has placed “under the sea.” I love to scuba dive because there is a world that God has created down there that will take your breath away, even if you have a tank full of oxygen. Another of God’s marvels that is etched in my mind is watching the sun set over the Grand Canyon. Unbelievable! I can still see the canyon walls dancing with the most amazing colors. One more thing I would have taken a hard look at when considering what God most values would be the children that He “knits together in their mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) What an amazing sight!! I still can’t explain it, but each time I held one of my newly born kiddos the tears of amazement poured downed my cheeks. God has done some amazing things!
Asking God to choose what He values most would be like asking Michelangelo which he loved more–the Sistine Chapel or his sculpture of David? Or asking Picasso or Beethoven to choose which of their works was their favorite? How would they make such a choice? Well, we didn’t ask God which of His “pieces of art” He values more than any other. We are simply told, “…for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”
What does God value more than anything? What does He esteem above all else? His Name and His Word. I’ve heard many times that we are only as good as our name. What comes to people’s minds when they hear my name? Is it integrity or shiftiness? Is it a servant’s heart or selfishness? Is it tenderness and compassion or judgmental attitudes and harshness? Well, God’s Name represents everything that He is. He is holy. He is faithful. He is righteous. He is full of compassion. He is forgiving. He is perfect integrity. He is just in all of His ways. We know that when we hear God’s “Name” we not dealing with One who like us–we are not dealing with One who changes like the shifting shadows. Secondly, God has exalted His Word above all else, along with His Name. In an ever-changing society with shifting “norms” and changing “values,” where what was true yesterday is not longer regarded as true today, God’s Word testifies to the fact that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) His Word, the Bible testifies to God’s unchanging character.
I am so grateful that God values His holy character and His unchanging Word rather than something we might place great value on. We value our accomplishments while God values His character. Maybe if I would place the same emphasis on the value of my name and the trustworthiness of my word others might be able to see Him more clearly in and through me.
My prayer today, Lord, is that I would possess the same passion on the value of my name, my character, and my word. Grow me, convict me, and transform me so that others might see You through my daily living of life.