“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.” Psalm 115:3 NIV
When I first read this verse, I was confused. I wasn’t sure what the author was trying to say with this statement. After doing some research, I found that there are few different interpretations of this verse. This is one of the verses that is not a ‘stand alone’ verse because it could be taken out of context and made to look like it means something that it does not mean. However, when it is read in the context of the rest of the passage, it makes sense, at least to me, what the author was saying.
The one interpretation that sticks with me is the one that says that God is able to do what He wills where as the other gods of the time, the idols created by humans, were not able to do anything. Obviously that is because they were just pieces of metal or wood and were not the Living God, they were not our God.
Once I let that take root, the account of the creation of the world took on an even greater significance for me. It was by His will, His desire that the heavens and the earth were formed on the first day as it is recorded in Genesis 1:1. Without His approval this would not have happened. Without His approval or will, we would not have been created in His image as it is recorded in Genesis 1:26-27.
I can only imagine that if God had not decided to create the heavens and the earth or the animals and us at the time that He did, that we may not be the people we are today. It is hard to imagine because if He had not created the heavens and earth and us, we wouldn’t be here to even think about this. If He had decided to wait and do it at another time, the situations that occurred in the garden may have been different, Eve may have said no to the serpent.
None of that matters though because God chose to make the heavens, the earth, the animals and us when He did. He can make those choices because He is the real Living God. The psalm that this verse is a part of is only one of the Egyptian Hallel psalms, psalms 113-118, that were sung during the Passover celebrations after Jesus had ascended. Normally Jesus and His disciples would have sung a certain part and since they were no longer there, this collection was used in their place.
Psalms 113-118 talks about how God is the Living God and can do what He pleases because He is real. Since He is real and not a piece of wood or metal, He has choices and can exercise them. In Genesis 6:9-22, God made a choice to save one family when He destroyed all the living creatures on the earth. He didn’t have to save that one family, He very easily could have started over and created everything again just like He did the first time, but that did not please Him. He wanted that one family to remain and so they did.
No idol or other made up god that we could possibly choose to worship can do that, only our real, Living Lord and Savior can do that.
Heavenly Father, Thank You very much for desiring to create the heavens and the earth. Thank You for wanting to have a personal relationship with us even after all that we have thought, said and done that is not in Your will for our lives. You are so patient with us and we do not deserve that. I am in awe of Your magnificent love for us. Thank You for being willing to be our Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen