YOUR REASON THE REASON –

When David arranged for the Ark of the Covenant to be brought to Jerusalem, he enthusiastically orchestrated an awesome ceremony to accompany it to the tent he had erected to cover and protect it. Try and imagine the spell-binding atmosphere that surrounded the bearers of the Ark as they slowly made their way up Mount Zion. Each time the Ark moved the sound of shouting and trumpet blasts filled the air. Think of multitudes lining the road and thousands gathered at the gate to welcome this sacred object. And as it entered the city, David turned, and with a smile and glow on his face as he chanted out this Psalm he had written just for this occasion. How it must have warmed his heart and the hearts of those who heard it to know that they welcoming their God to His new home to be the center of their daily lives.

“Everybody, give our One True God a victorious shout of praise like you really mean it! Oh yes, sing songs that extol the splendor of His majesty, and do it with all your heart and soul! Tell our One True God, ‘Everything You’ve ever done is awesome!’ And one day everyone who opposes You will acknowledge Your supremacy and kneel in submission before You; they will join the others already rejoicing as they bow before You; yes, they will all unite in singing hymns of praise to celebrate You for who You are. Let us take a look at all the wonders performed by our One True God; miracles that cause men to stare in disbelief. He once transformed a sea into dry land; then dried up a river so His children could walk across on dry ground after which they then celebrated Him in worship. His reign of sole authority will never end; thereby keeping unbelievers and those who are rebellious from ever gaining the upper hand. So let everyone begin praising our One True God; praise Him with enough enthusiasm so it can be heard everywhere; oh yes, praise the One who gave us life, and did not let us die lost and alone. O my One True God, we knew You were testing us; refining us like silver is refined. Even when we were imprisoned, with chains around our waists, by those who had control at the time; still we passed through the fire and we passed through the flood; coming out with more than we had before we went in. So I call on everyone to pay attention, especially those who have reverence for our One True God, and I will testify about what He did for me. When I needed Him the most I called out to Him, lifting Him up with words of praise. Had I not been sincere, my Divine Lord would have paid no attention to me. But my One True God did pay attention; He did listen to my call for help. So now I’m lifting up my One True God in praise because He neither turned away my call for help nor did He withhold His steadfast love from me.” Psalm 66:1-12, 16-20

Reflection: In 1977 the completed New York Citicorp Tower stood tall and gleaming. Onlookers, hailed the 59-story building for its technical elegance and singular grace. William LeMessurier, one of the country’s most distinguished structural engineers designed the steel superstructure. But one year after opening, LeMessurier received a message that exposed a terrifying truth. Experts found critical flaws in the tower’s design. During construction contractors decided to avoid the high cost of welding the steel beams joints, and used bolted braces instead. What made this so perilous involved the fact that strong side-winds could sway the building back and forth until the joints gave away. LeMessurier weighed his options. If he blew the whistle on himself, he faced potential lawsuits, possible bankruptcy and professional disgrace. But lives were at stake and LeMessurier did the right thing. He informed Citicorp and the corporate leaders; they all agreed to approve the needed welds at the cost of millions of dollars. Instead of destroying LeMessurier’s career and reputation, it enhanced it because of his courage to admit a mistake had been made and needed to be fixed. David dreamed of constructing a holy place for the Ark of the Covenant to sit among God’s people as the centerpiece for worship. On his first try he designed a fancy wagon that almost toppled over and cost a priest named Uzziah his life when he reached out to steady it. But this did not stop David from fulfilling his dream. He did not walk away in disgust or try to hide his mistake. He did what LeMessurier did, admitted an error had been made and then followed God’s instructions on how to do it properly. As a result David’s reputation grew and people’s faith in him increased. What a wonderful example these two men offer us when we face similar circumstances. The question is, do we possess the same amount of courage to do the same?