Psalm 89:8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

David is the most famous Psalmist, several are credited to a particular branch of the Levites, and some are simply anonymous. However, this one is specifically ascribed to “Ethan the Ezrahite.” That seems like a high honor to me! This Psalm is one of many places in the Old Testament where we are reminded that society in general was polytheistic back then. The Jews had Yahweh, but every other nation had their own gods, and who was to say they weren’t real? Ethan allows that point, but he insists repeatedly that Yahweh is by far the greatest and strongest of them all. From the standpoint of genuine monotheism, that goes without saying. We need to remember that the Creator is totally transcendent. The spiritual world is real, with angels and demons and whatever else Paul might have been referencing in Ephesians 6:12. The point is, nothing compares to the omnipotence of the Creator, and we should never forget it. That’s why it’s sad when Christians pray to Mary or various saints. Jesus Himself said, “I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:26-27) There is no reason to pray to anything or anyone other than the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That covers all the bases, and the Father’s love is great enough to listen to us.

This is one of my major sticking points with Catholics. I do believe that anyone who believes that Jesus is fully divine as well as fully human, and that He died for their sins and rose again for their justification, (Romans 4:25) is saved, a child of God, and my brother or sister in Christ. That doesn’t mean I agree with them in everything, or with any other denomination, for that matter. I have always liked C. S. Lewis’ statement that we can be sure that when we get to heaven, we will discover we were all wrong somewhere. We aren’t saved by the purity of our theology, but by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) My concern is that people know that the God who loved them enough to send His Son to die for them is indeed omnipotent and omniscient, and we can trust Him with absolutely everything.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me be an effective conduit of Your grace and truth, so that many will be liberated by that truth to receive that grace, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!