Who is Like the Lord Our God?

"Praise the Lord!  Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!  Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!  From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!  The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!  Who is like the Lord our God who is seated on high, who looks down on the heaven and the earth?"

This morning as I was reading from Psalms 113, the last phrase jumped out at me.  Indeed, who is like the Lord our God who is seated on high?  The thing that impresses me most about our God is that contrary to every other religion in the world, Jehovah, God, alone has provided a way for His presence to dwell within us.  In other words, Jehovah, God is the only god in the world who has provided a way for those that serve Him to have a personal relationship with Him.

Serving all other gods is a matter of adjusting our minds to some preset list of things to do in order to have the god look favorable upon our lives.  There is no personal relationship!  The image that is worshipped is dead and cold and completely impersonal.   With the follower of Jesus, the Son of God who is the designer and creator of the entire universe, as well as the creator of all mankind, those who serve Him have a personal relationship with Him.  He's alive!  He lives within me!  He talks with me and I talk with Him!  And I my guidance for daily living comes from that relationship!

Indeed!  Who is like the Lord our God?

Why?

This morning I am pondering the "Why" questions of life. 

• Why do we get sick at the most inopportune time?
• Why do we resolve to do something about our overall health but never quite get to it?
• Why did God make us wise grandparents?  Wouldn't you think that as we are raising our children would be the best time to have the limitless wisdom of grandparents?
• Why is up, "up," and down, "down," and why is in, "in," and out, "out?"  Why can't in be "up," and out be "down?"
• Why is blue, "blue," and red, "red?"  Why can't blue be "red," and red, "blue?"
• If it is ordained by God that man lives 3 score and 10 years, why does God take many of us long before that?

This morning I'm wrestling with God over the fact that a close friend of mine is battling with incurable, fast-growing cancer.  My friend is just at the point of his life where he is planning his retirement, planning a future with a wife and children whom he loves very much.  My friend and his wife had many dreams and plans of years together serving the Lord in retirement and now it appears as though God may be calling him home.

Why?  Why does God choose to allow some of us to live extended lives and others He cuts short?  I'm sure that parents who have lost small children have asked the same questions I'm asking?  How do I provide words of encouragement to his wife, also a dear friend?  What can I offer that will make sense?  Do I even try?

I don't know all the answers?  But I do know my Jesus and I know that He has the answers so I will continue to ask, Why? 

Awake the Dawn

Close your eyes with me and imagine being up at 6:00 in the morning in your quiet place (somewhere in your home or favorite spot outdoors) and you either sing your loudest or play your favorite worship CD as loudly as you can (okay, maybe with earplugs so you don't wake the rest of the household or neighbors) and you sing praises to God and "Wake the dawn" with your praises.

That's what David is doing here in Psalm 108.  If you listen closely enough you can almost hear the music.  "My heart is steadfast, O God!  I will sing and make melody with all my being!  Awake, O harp and lyre!  I will awake the dawn!  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the people; I will sing praises to you among the nations.  For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!  Let your glory be over all the earth!" 

There is no time like the early morning to usher in the dawn with our worship and praise.  David understood that it takes time alone with God in the early morning hours to set the spiritual tone for the day.  Our Lord understood that also as he went out early in the morning to pray to His Father.

Start your day (early) with worship and praise to Jesus.  And through that time of submission to him in worship and praise, let Him speak to you, setting the agenda for your day.

I will sing and make music with all my being!

Do You Love the Lord? Say So!

I was reading Psalm 107 this morning and saw this recurring theme.  "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!"  David reviews the many ways that God displays His awesome power and might, the many ways that He lifts us up and gives us a new start, the many ways that He brings healing both to our physical bodies and our emotional distresses.  Four times in this chapter David makes this exclamation, "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of men!"    

I challenge you today to slow down and consider all the ways in which the Lord brings new life to your body and soul today and as you recognize each one pause and give thanks to God.  "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of men!"

Do you love the Lord?  Say so!

Sunshine Through the Fog!

Another dark, dreary, foggy day,
     Another struggle to find my way,
But no, the sun for once begins to shine,

     And through this shadowy gloom of mine,

New hope has come for a better day!

I watch the sun break through the haze,

     The brightness grows; my spirits raise,

New hope arises within my soul,

     With renewed resolve I will reach my goal,

New hope has come for a better day!