Only God Should be Placed on a Pedestal

Verses: Psalms 115: 1 - 18

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

People have a great tendency to put things on pedestals and look up to them.  We look TV and Movie Stars and we elevate them to a super status in our lives.  We look at world leaders and we put them on elevated pedestals and many worship them as if they were God.  People put ideas on pedestals looking up to their ideology as the right and only true way.

Yet, people and things that are put on pedestals will eventually fall.  When they fall off of their pedestal our dreams and ideas are broken.  We often are shocked and are in disbelief.  We wonder how could this happen.  Were they not helping people?  Were they not leading a life that others should envy?

I can remember my friend who a pastor was telling us that she was only human.  People have a great tendency to look at religious leaders as the ultimate example of Godliness here on earth.  They assume that the religious leader does no wrong.  How can they lead a church if they sin?  How can they teach others about God and at the same time do wrong?

Yet, what we miss is that humans will always be human.  We all have character flaws that make us less than perfect.  Only Jesus lived on this Earth and did not sin.  Therefor when we attempt to compare leaders to God we are often disappointed.  We feel as if they have done us an injustice because they did not live the perfect life we expected.

This does not only hold true for religious leaders but others that we put on pedestals.  Just think about all the movie stars that people have looked up to.  One by one they fall off the pedestals that we have placed them on.  We saw them as heroes in our life yet when they do something that is different than we thought they would be we are disappointed.  How many stars have gone from the top of the box office to the wasteland of stardom?

This can also be true for world leaders.  People all around the world have leaders that they have placed on pedestals.  They assume that the leader is trying to do the best for the people.  Yet, when something goes wrong and people do not reap benefits they turn on the leaders.  They are ready to get rid of them for one simple action.

Yet, some world leaders make themselves into demigods.  They take on the role of the absolute figure of authority in the countries that they serve.  They punish people that do not believe in their power.  They take steps to ensure that the masses will think of them in high regard.  They use intimidation and fear to rule with an iron glove.  The people then see them as something more than they are.  Yet, eventually their pedestals fall and the people that were under oppression turn against them.  They too are subject to being eventually replaced by a new leader that the people hope will be fair and just.

We as people are searching continuously for the perfect person.  We want someone or something to be the perfect thing to follow.  We place people on pedestals because we desire them to be as just and fair as our Savior.  We place ideas on pedestals because we dream that they will solve the issues in our world.  Yet, we have our hearts broken over and over again by the things that we look up to.

We have to come to the point that we realize that there is only one who can be placed on the pedestal that we build.  We have to come to that point when we realize that God is the only who is true and just.  We have to understand that the things of this world will never truly satisfy all of our needs.  We have to come to the point that all of our days are spent worshipping the Creator and Savior of our life.

Yet, we find this hard.  We want something that we can visually see.  Yet, in our search we miss the wonderful works that God does each and every day.  If we would only look around us we would see the miracles and the reasons to worship only God.  We have to come to the conclusion that our life will complete when we offer our praises up to God. 

Prayer:

We praise you Dear God for your wonderful ways.  We thank you for being there when we were searching for peace and justice.  We praise you for loving us just the way we are.  Help us today not to put people on pedestals.  Help us remember that people and our ideas all have flaws.  Help us show others the reasons why they need to serve and worship you.  Be with us this day so that we may be a light that shines brightly for you.  In the name of the Almighty we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you place people on pedestals in your life?  Have you ever been disappointed by someone that you looked up to?  Do you follow an idea that has led you astray?  Have you come to that point in your life when you realize God is the only one to look up to?  Are you willing to worship God with all of you heart, mind and spirit?