An American painter and inventor, Samuel Morse, found the roots of his interest in the field of electricity while a student at Yale University. He would go on to spend twelve years attempting to perfect a working telegraph, during which time he composed his Morse code and secured the financing for the first experimental telegraph line. In a demonstration witnessed by Congress, Morse dispatched a telegraph message originating at the U.S Capitol in Washington DC, sent to a railroad station in Baltimore, Maryland. His simple, yet profound message, “What God hath wrought!” from Numbers, chapter twenty-three, became the first official Morse code message on May 24, 1844. His experiment, and those words, found their spot in American history on that day.
Isn’t it amazing how the roots of our country were so embedded in the Word of God, with many of our founding fathers giving Him the glory for what was accomplished in our newly-formed country. I’m saddened as I ponder how far we have drifted from those humble roots? God has somehow faded from the scene and now we determine our successes. The prophet Isaiah delivered a stern warning about the “lofty looks of man.” God had blessed His people, “Their land, full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures,” and sadly, they were filled with “haughtiness.” In their prosperity and abundant blessings, they left the worship of Jehovah, God, and worshipped “…the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.” The land was “…full of idols” stealing the honor that belonged to the true God. Isaiah reminds them in powerful language that those “lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down” and “the LORD alone shall be exalted…”
I fear that even as Christians, we can be tempted to take the glory for the work of our hands, our abilities and talents, instead of reflecting the praise to His glorious hands. All that we are and all that we possess is given to us from the deep well of His grace and blessings. I want to be reminded daily to bow my knee to the One Who is deserving of my praise, so that I, along with Mr. Morse, praise the Lord for what HE hath wrought!
Psalm 105:2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him; talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Lord, help me to always talk of YOUR wondrous works, YOUR mighty hand, all that YOU have accomplished in my life. Help me to always reflect the praise back to YOU.