Psalm 113:4-5 "The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,"
Higher Ways
Have you ever been "put in your place"? Maybe a parent or a spouse has put you in your place-that can be a little uncomfortable and humbling! Psalm 113 puts us in our place, but that is not a bad thing. It is always important to remember our place; and the only way to remember our place is to remember God's place.
The only way to see God is to ascend--to look up. God is high; He is above; and He is to be praised (verses 1-5). First, you must ascend to His thinking. In Isaiah 55:9, God tells us, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." To rely on another person's thinking is a horizontal dependence; that is, he or she is a human being just like you, made of the same stuff. However, if God is to be seen, you must ascend (look up) to His way of thinking--that is a vertical dependence. I thank God for parents and grandparents who taught me ways that were not their own; they taught me "higher ways"--God's ways.
Secondly, you must ascend to His way of living. I cannot love my wife as I should; but God can, and He can empower me to do what I ought. I cannot raise my kids the way I should; but God knows how--He created the home and gave us a blueprint! God's way of living is much higher than my own way or anyone else's way.
Who can you name that is on God's level? Nobody! The only way for us to see God is to ascend; but the only way for God to see us is to condescend (verse 6)! Often at Christmas, we mention that the Lord Jesus humbled Himself to be born in a stable. Do you realize that Jesus Christ condescended to be born at all, regardless of the place? Even the most magnificent palace made by human hands would not have impressed the God of the universe!
The only response worthy of our great God is found at the end of this psalm: "Praise ye the LORD." Psalm 113 puts us in our place, and that is a good thing! His perspective, His thinking, and His way of living are so much higher than our own! No one is on God's level, but any child of God can have what he lacks (and what God possesses) if he will realize his own place and God's place.
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