Ownership
by Faye Schmidt
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You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you (Psalm 118:28).
Read Psalm 118:14–29
Through our baptism, we become children of God, heirs to his kingdom. God adopts us and owns us as his children, and for this, we humbly come to him in our prayers, entitled to call him ‘Father’.
Our text challenges us to say with the psalmist, ‘You are my God’. This is a reversal of baptism, where God claims ownership of us, and puts the onus of ownership on us.
Are you possessive of God? Do you claim him as your own? We pray, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven …’ It is collective, communal.
But what about you personally? Are you able to say ‘my’ God? Do you have a one-on-one relationship with God? If you attend a worship service, it is often very easy to slip into a mindset of being one with those around us, sharing in a common understanding of our faith and participating together in joint worship and praise. And this is a wondrous thing, and being part of the body of believers is a blessing.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he regularly addressed those gathered to hear him. He also regularly spoke to his disciples as a group as he taught them about the purpose of his life on Earth.
However, the New Testament contains many examples of Jesus speaking with just one person, such as the woman at the well. Jesus also tells many parables about the one who is lost – the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son.
‘There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance’ (Luke 15:7).
Through Jesus’ life and teaching, we know that it is God’s will that we love, praise and worship him, not just collectively but individually. Our text today is a reminder that I will praise God and that I will exalt him.
Holy Spirit, increase my faith so I may praise and exalt you as my God and Lord. Amen.
Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board and currently as chair of her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others and responding to needs.
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