1 Chronicles 29:14 — But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

I was educated in schools that, one way or another, were mainly Anglican foundations. From time to time, although the faith didn’t really stick, I heard a lot of the Church of England Book of Common Prayer. A lot of those texts, it seems, did stick — and since I got saved, and as I get older, they mean more and more to me. The scripture at the start of this piece is one of those texts. It’s one of the “offertory” scriptures — one that might be read before an offering as part of the service of Holy Communion.

One of the themes that I find running through my faith is the idea that there is a spiritual power circuit running from God, to us, and back again. So many things run over that circuit — love, especially, and worship, and even material blessing.

David sees something extraordinary in the idea of him, and his little people, giving anything to an almighty God. Of course he’s right. There is nothing God needs from us. Nothing He needs, and nothing He wants — or at least nothing material. But I believe there is something He wants passionately. 

God wants us to be plugged into His power circuit, to love, to worship, and to give. I don’t really understand it but that’s why He created us. Somehow, when we plug in we give glory to God and increase the amount of love in circulation.

David makes another point too. It’s not just that we can give, but that we can give willingly. It is some sort of miracle that our hearts and minds can turn to an almighty God and find a willingness, a desire, to give to Him. How is it that we can imagine that there is value and point in little insignificant us giving to infinite all-powerful God?

This giving circle is an amazing thing. God gives us what we need, and we give back what we can. We give back what we can, and God gives us the next thing we need. Of course it’s not, now, a perfect circle. When Eve was seduced by satan and Adam stood idly by a fault was introduced. Now we can’t always accept that God is giving us what we need, and we can’t always give back what we should. Jesus came to repair the fault. I don’t understand it — but I know it is so, and the circle will be healed.