Big God
He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth - the Lord God Almighty is his name. Amos 4:13 NIV
If you can believe it, I occasionally forget about the mass of God. He is more expansive than my imagination can possibly conjure. In fact, God is so immense that it is truly a very difficult proposition to get my mind wrapped around the expanse of his being and thoughts.
God sometimes seems small in my mind. I know I have tried to shrink God down to size when my prayers consist mainly of my desires, even if my thoughts are for good. My mind attempts to shrink Him when my primary focus is on what I think His duty is towards me. Sometimes I think that God might be sort of a slacker, He may not be living up to His potential. And the only thing that will cause Him to do what is necessary is to “pray” Him into action... And this is the mind set of either a depraved person or a person that has forgotten the sheer size of God the Father. Consider this; we can't even process how much is on God's mind, much less the work of His hands or even the plans He has for us. In Psalm 139 the author says that if I tried to count His thoughts about me (just one person), they would outnumber the grains of sand! And the scripture goes on to rhetorically ask, "Who has given counsel to God?" (I Corinthians 2:16) In other words, do you have such a mind as to be able to give God advice?
The fact is that I can't think God's thoughts until I have the Spirit of God residing in me. I can't correctly approach the Father until I have entered His presence with praise and a right attitude. And I admit that after I have grasped a proper perspective, in my mind, God grows to something beyond infinity.
When we pray, we should take a moment to contemplate the reality of God. He is the one that makes mountains, creates wind and reveals His mind and heart to mankind. He is the one that knows where darkness and light lives and walks them home. He keeps a storehouse of snow, hail and lightning and knows if rain has a father (Job 38). And this great God has cast His eye and heart upon me... upon you.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Deliverance
Deliverance
From the LORD comes deliverance. Psalms 3:8a NIV
Some may ask; “Where are the good deeds of the Lord?” You may be hard pressed to find them in days like these. You may look at the changing conditions of the world and think that God has forgotten His creation. You may examine your own circumstances and conclude that God is no longer interested in you.
I want to say with certainty that God will always make things better in this life, but I am cautious. I am careful because I have experienced unanswered prayers when I thought I needed God most. I know what it is like to struggle to maintain faith when there is no longer a reason to trust. Sometimes I think we look to God and expect Him to provide exactly what we request. And sometimes He does answer us in a way that is consistent with our expectations. But at other times, God’s plan and subsequent actions seem out of step with our needs and out of step with this world. And that should be the case. This world is not (and neither are we always) attuned to God. Who can know the mind of God in painful and destructive times? Who can see His plans clearly when we are twisting in pain, confusion and loss?
God’s plan is for deliverance. He has always intended to bring us out of this world of loss, disease and death. He is always, by the blood of Christ, bringing us into His world of direct contact, healing and life. And if you are leaving this world for His world, some loss is unavoidable. But what the Lord has for us will be worth whatever we lose in this world.
From the LORD comes deliverance. Psalms 3:8a NIV
Some may ask; “Where are the good deeds of the Lord?” You may be hard pressed to find them in days like these. You may look at the changing conditions of the world and think that God has forgotten His creation. You may examine your own circumstances and conclude that God is no longer interested in you.
I want to say with certainty that God will always make things better in this life, but I am cautious. I am careful because I have experienced unanswered prayers when I thought I needed God most. I know what it is like to struggle to maintain faith when there is no longer a reason to trust. Sometimes I think we look to God and expect Him to provide exactly what we request. And sometimes He does answer us in a way that is consistent with our expectations. But at other times, God’s plan and subsequent actions seem out of step with our needs and out of step with this world. And that should be the case. This world is not (and neither are we always) attuned to God. Who can know the mind of God in painful and destructive times? Who can see His plans clearly when we are twisting in pain, confusion and loss?
God’s plan is for deliverance. He has always intended to bring us out of this world of loss, disease and death. He is always, by the blood of Christ, bringing us into His world of direct contact, healing and life. And if you are leaving this world for His world, some loss is unavoidable. But what the Lord has for us will be worth whatever we lose in this world.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Getting Acquainted with God
Getting Acquainted with God
13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13-14
Sometimes I think we view the experience of life as a series of accomplishments or achievements. Later, we say of those things, "I've been there and done that." as if these achievements make up the whole of our value and identity. It is unfortunate that we bring this same attitude to our relationship with God. We want to look back on our time as believers with a sense of accomplishment instead of a sense of relationship.
When we look at our relationship with God only as a means to acquire stuff and accomplish tasks, our view of Him becomes artificial. We will ultimately try to make Him into something He isn’t. And that will lead to all sorts of hell.
The truth is, knowing God should be like a great adventure! In the adventure we get tossed around, experience the highs and lows and come out the other end with a fantastic story to tell, lessons learned and a nearness to God. If it is really God you are seeking, you should find a force to be reckoned with. You should find that God is fierce, untamable and madly in love with you. If you find that God is anything other then that, then it probably isn't God you've been experiencing.
13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13-14
Sometimes I think we view the experience of life as a series of accomplishments or achievements. Later, we say of those things, "I've been there and done that." as if these achievements make up the whole of our value and identity. It is unfortunate that we bring this same attitude to our relationship with God. We want to look back on our time as believers with a sense of accomplishment instead of a sense of relationship.
When we look at our relationship with God only as a means to acquire stuff and accomplish tasks, our view of Him becomes artificial. We will ultimately try to make Him into something He isn’t. And that will lead to all sorts of hell.
The truth is, knowing God should be like a great adventure! In the adventure we get tossed around, experience the highs and lows and come out the other end with a fantastic story to tell, lessons learned and a nearness to God. If it is really God you are seeking, you should find a force to be reckoned with. You should find that God is fierce, untamable and madly in love with you. If you find that God is anything other then that, then it probably isn't God you've been experiencing.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Life-Song
Life-Song
I will sing a new song to you, O God. Psalm 144:9 NIV
What life-song do you sing? For some, that may depend on the circumstances that they find themselves in. Some of life's challenges cause us to sing a dirge of lament. At other times, circumstances may indeed cause us to celebrate. But should we let our circumstances write the lyrics of our lives? You may not always have control over the circumstances you are in, but you always get to decide your response to those challenges. You can choose to lament, or you can sing praise.
A friend of mine named Bob Lewis once said that, "Whenever difficult things come into your life, consider it God's vote of confidence that you can handle it." In other words, God will not give you more than you can bear. And, if it has happened to you, God has also equipped you with the power to overcome.
I get the feeling that not only can we respond to bad with good (1 Thess 5:15 or 1 Peter 3:8-9), but we can respond with confidence. Not that we go out looking for bad or enjoy difficulty when it comes, but we can face the difficulties of life with the assurance that God will be with us. He will help us carry it to completion and make it work for good.
What life-song do you sing? Maybe, the one song you can sing in any circumstance, the one song that no circumstance or person can steal from you is the “Song of the Redeemed”. We have been purchased out of our sin and brought into a positive and close relationship with God. No one can take that away from you. Sing a new song to the Lord of praise and joy! You are no longer held down by the varieties of this life, but your life-song is one of the over-comer, the redeemed!
I will sing a new song to you, O God. Psalm 144:9 NIV
What life-song do you sing? For some, that may depend on the circumstances that they find themselves in. Some of life's challenges cause us to sing a dirge of lament. At other times, circumstances may indeed cause us to celebrate. But should we let our circumstances write the lyrics of our lives? You may not always have control over the circumstances you are in, but you always get to decide your response to those challenges. You can choose to lament, or you can sing praise.
A friend of mine named Bob Lewis once said that, "Whenever difficult things come into your life, consider it God's vote of confidence that you can handle it." In other words, God will not give you more than you can bear. And, if it has happened to you, God has also equipped you with the power to overcome.
I get the feeling that not only can we respond to bad with good (1 Thess 5:15 or 1 Peter 3:8-9), but we can respond with confidence. Not that we go out looking for bad or enjoy difficulty when it comes, but we can face the difficulties of life with the assurance that God will be with us. He will help us carry it to completion and make it work for good.
What life-song do you sing? Maybe, the one song you can sing in any circumstance, the one song that no circumstance or person can steal from you is the “Song of the Redeemed”. We have been purchased out of our sin and brought into a positive and close relationship with God. No one can take that away from you. Sing a new song to the Lord of praise and joy! You are no longer held down by the varieties of this life, but your life-song is one of the over-comer, the redeemed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)