Not to Us (Psalm 115)

Picture Jesus on the night of His betrayal. He and the disciples are celebrating the Passover Feast. Gathered around the table, praying, singing, breaking bread, laughing, and enjoying conversation as the closest of friends. I often think of this time as I’ve seen it portrayed in the famous Last Supper painting - somewhat dark, dimly lit, and mostly somber. However, when I close my eyes and think of Jesus’ last night with this group of men with whom He has lived over the past three years, I can’t imagine it being a time of anything other than brotherhood, unity, joy, and even gladness as they remember what the Lord had done in the Exodus of His people from Egypt. 

 

Psalm 115 finds itself placed in the very center of what is known as the Passover Psalms (113 - 118). Psalm 115 was a passage of Scripture that would have been sung in its entirety on the night of Passover as the people of God remembered His steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness toward them in times of hardship, confusion, and pain. This Psalm would have been sung by Jesus Himself, along with the disciples, as they reclined around the table. Imagine that moment with me. Jesus, seated at the head of the table, looking around at His brothers, seeing and hearing them praise the Lord with the words, “Not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth,” all the while knowing exactly what is to come later that night and the next day. Jesus knew full well what He was to face on the cross - the pain, the ridicule, the shame, bearing the weight of our failures - yet He was also willing to sing those words; “…to Your name be the glory, because of Your lovingkindness.” 

 

Like the Passover in Egypt, Jesus was willing to shed His blood so that you and I could stand here today and remember what He has done. He took on the cross to defeat our enemy, cast down our idols, and make us clean and pure before the Lord who rules the Heavens and the earth. We can stand today and bless His name for who He is, what He’s done, and all He will do in the future. Psalm 115––like every other story of redemption, grace, mercy, and love in the Scriptures––is not simply a Psalm of what God did one time. It’s a way for us to remember who He is and how He works and to trust that He is a miracle-working God with great things still to come. As you listen to “Not To Us (Psalm 115)” today, we pray that you will remember and rest in the promise that God is still working, still on the move, and longs to do a work in your life.