my sticky finger praise

Do you remember when your kids were little...
you learned to never leave the house
without some sort of snack.

Because often,
empty hands, can become
those "too busy hands"
that get toddlers into trouble.

Whether your destination
was the grocery store,
the dentist, or
the library...
you always had
a snack at the ready.

And then, it never failed...
whether you were hungry or not,
those sweet sticky fingers
would stretch forth the very bite
you just gave them, getting it as close
as possible to your mouth
as if to offer this gift to you.

And you'd give them that...
nnnuumm-nnnuumm-nnnuumm
sound pretending to partake,
but barely parting lips
​to keep the slimy snack
from sneaking in.
Then shaking your head
ever so slightly,
as if it to say...
How very precious, are you
trying to feed me, as I have fed you. .

And our child thinks themselves
so very generous to offer
a couple crumbly crackers,
an open paw of pretzels,
a fist full of fruit snacks...
without so much as
a nibble of knowledge
that this nourishment came
from the owner of the very mouth
it now reaches forward to feed.

How ironic.

Here too is where we find David...
In the middle of this same sort
of contemplation.
Only this, about our Lord.

He had spoken to the assembly of Israel,
proclaiming as the new king, his son, Solomon.
Then he told of the plans for this new tabernacle,
and all the provisions of which he had stored.

He asked the elders and leaders,
and all the assembly to give, as he had.
And then he addressed the people of Israel...
Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”
1 Chronicles 29:5 NKJV

And the leaders stepped forth.
They gave with willing hearts as well.
As did all who gathered in His name.

Then the people rejoiced,
for they had offered willingly...
with a loyal heart...
and King David also rejoiced greatly.
1 Chronicles 29:9

What a beautiful celebration in spirit...
giving freely, willingly to the Lord.

And David also wrote and sang
his praises in worship...
Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel,
our Father, forever and ever.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11

This worship began as we would expect.
But then David reflected,
as we did on the toddlers.
That while, indeed it is good to give,
and a willing and loyal heart we may have.
We are often like that child
handing back to the dutiful mother...
a snack she actually thought ahead to bring.

And David says it thus...
Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And of Your own... we have given You.

O Lord our God,
all this abundance that we have prepared
to build You a house for Your holy name
is from Your hand, and is all Your own.
1 Chronicles 29:14, 16

Now I know that David's treasure
was much more precious and valuable
than the crumbly cracker
that the toddler totes.

But to God...
all we have to offer
when we open our grasping hands,
has often become a sticky human mess.

For our understanding of Him
is so very limited.
And there is nothing on this earth
that we have made,
that we can truly own...
that was not originally from the Lord.

For we are His workmanship...
even our will and determination
to create and invent,
our genius, our intellect,
our imagination and design,
all are from the Lord.

Nothing good exists outside of God.
So all that we give to Him,
is actually from Him.
We are simply giving it back,
in part, to show Him
that we know He is the Giver,
the Originator, the Creator,
of all good things.

But David was especially keen
on knowing that they were building
a temple to house the ark of God
with precious elements
the people held dear.
And anything they gave to Him...
had actually been prepared
mand planned ahead by Him.

This was his true heart of humility
and understanding.

Word of God,
train me, today...
to consider all that I have as not my own, but all unto You, a gift given,
to hold loosely all that is in my life, not grasping, not mine, but Yours to do with as You will.
​
O Lord,
I stood here
humbly holding
what I once thought
was mine to give.

But now it seems
I am barely a
teetering toddler,
stretching forth
my sticky fingers...

Lord, will You receive
the praise I offer...
even in it's messy
human form?

Everything I am
​I offer up to You!
For You have made me,
given me, formed me...
all to worship You.