Worship and Wonder through the Lord's Creation

Worship and Wonder through the Lord's Creation

Psa 8:1-9 NLT - [1] For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. [2] You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. [3] When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-- the moon and the stars you set in place-- [4] what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? [5] Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. [6] You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority-- [7] the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, [8] the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. [9] O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

If the power of God is in the earth, then His majesty lies in the heavens.  Ironically, looking up at the infinite dance of celestial balls on a summer night sky does not invoke doubt of a Creator somewhere out there in this nebulous abyss, but instead yields to us confirmation that everything is perfectly orchestrated by the Grand Conductor of whom all things flow.  Truly the Psalmist is right when he proclaims that the Lord's "glory is higher than the heavens."  How wondrous and powerful the night sky appears; how much more wonderful must be God if He is even above that! 

Not only is God's majesty portrayed in the heavenly portrait, but the Psalmist says that he can "look at the night sky and see the work of [the Lord's] fingers--the moon and the stars [He] set in place."  When in doubt of God's promises or His creative capacity, look up!  It all works together, so why can't He work out your circumstances?  It is easy to wonder, "what are mere mortals that [God] should think about them, human beings that [He] should care for them?"  It is such a wide universe!  How could God care about us?  It is because He has "made [us] only a little lower than God and crowned [us] with glory and honor."  Think you're insignificant?  Think nothing you can do can make a difference?  God says you matter.  The fact that you, a soul embedded within a tiny biological mechanism operating on a small, uniquely and perfectly habitable rock orbiting somewhere around one of billions of giant, nuclear balls ought to show that God cares for you.  He has a purpose for you and I!  

It is good to worship God through nature.  Sometimes we need to spend time to stop and consider all that He has done in the universe.  Doing so not only helps us appreciate His care for us and His plans for all of creation, but it reveals His nature and consequently causes us to recognize our continual need to praise Him for all He is and all He does.  Find something God has created today and thank Him for it.  You'll feel significant and will feel His presence as you worship Him!

Weekly Devotion 5.30.2011

Remembering Those Who Made a Difference

Genesis 23.17-20

17So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. 18It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. 19Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). 20So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is the burial of Sarah.  Why?  Because it emphasizes God's care for all those who make a difference in the world, regardless of their social status.  Contrary to popular notions, the wife of a patriarch such as Abraham was held with incredibly high value.  Not only was she responsible for continuing the family line, but the nurture of her children and husband was paramount to the ancient middle eastern territories.  It is no surprise, then, that Abraham takes such care in burying his beloved.  He buys "the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees."  Sarah's burial place was not merely a tomb, but a memorial likely similar to a garden planted in remembrance of a loved one.  

Memorial Day, similarly, involves cherishing those who have made a difference in the world, specifically our military men and women.  Millions of Americans have given their lives over the past 200 years to protect the precious concept of freedom we hold near to us.  Genesis confirms that God wishes us to honor such people who have made an impact on the world.  Today, as we remember the many who have given their blood that we might have freedom running through ours, let us hold with sacred blessing the same attitude of which Abraham held in regards to Sarah.  Thank the Lord for all those who have made a difference in the world!

Weekly Devotion 5.22.2011

God has a Plan

Deu 2:2-7 NLT - [2] "Then at last the LORD said to me, [3] 'You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north. [4] Give these orders to the people: "You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. [5] Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land. [6] If you need food to eat or water to drink, pay them for it. [7] For the LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."'

If one were to spend forty years wandering in a desert, he would be ill inclined to believe  the one guiding him had any sort of reasonable plan.  What faith it would take to trust God during all those years!  And yet that is exactly what God asks Moses and Joshua to  do.  Alas, God tells them that they "have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north."  God didn't forget.  He is always faithful to keep His promises.  I've never known the Lord to turn back on His word.  His direction is clear and firm:  "turn to the north."  He tells the Israelites to pass through the land of the Edomites, heading north towards the Promised Land.  This would mark the end of the wandering and the beginning of a series of campaigns the Israelites would undertake to take the land God promised them.  

Regardless of how long God commands us to wander, if we follow Him, He will direct us.  He told the Israelites that "during these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."  God promises to lead His children and provide for them.  Remember that whatever plan God has for your life, it has a clear purpose and direction, and you will have all the resources you need to accomplish His purposes.    As He led the Israelites, so will He lead you.  Listen and obey!  He will lead you to the Promised Land!

Weekly Devotion 5.15.2011

God Has a Plan During Destruction

Amos 3.7

"Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets."

Jer 29:10-14 NLT - [10] This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. [11] For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. [12] In those days when you pray, I will listen. [13] If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. [14] I will be found by you," says the LORD. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."

I drove through Concord, AL yesterday and today.  The most devastating horror of the entire scene is not merely the destruction, but the fear of the unknown.  What is next?  How will the state and Southeast rebuild?  The loss of familiarity haunts man the most.  Times of uncertainty are certainly the most painful and trying spans of our lives.  I think of the Israelites and all they went through when I consider times of great destruction and distress.  Here in Jeremiah the Israelites have lost everything.  They had been exiled to Babylon with no hope of returning to their homeland.  Much of their family had been killed, their homes wiped out, their possessions plundered.  Uncertainty loomed in their minds.  And yet, through all of this, God did not forsake His children.  He writes in Amos, in the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem, that "the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets."  

Refreshing!  God's plans are always well-thought and well-executed.  His allowance of this storm to destroy lives and homes ultimately had a purpose drawn out in the midst of the wreckage.  Like a Picasso painting viewed close up, we cannot perceive any meaningful semblance, but after we are drawn back from it a moment, the image is clear.  Driving through the disaster area, little order aside from the government and charity efforts is visible.  Yet years from now, when hearts have learned to heal, when homes have been rebuilt, when order is restored, we will step back and recognize some wonderful, blindingly obvious facet of God's plan that He had all along.  Trust in Him.  I promise from experience in a situation such as this, He has wonderful things planned!  
  

Weeky Devotion 5.8.2011

The Honor of a Mother

I Kings 2.19

When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

On Mother's Day we honor those who have given birth and brought up each one of us.  While generally conceived as a western convention, the honor of the mother is widely held throughout the world, and is especially evident in the Bible.  Solomon and Christ are two figures widely seen to hold great love and admiration for their mothers.  In I Kings we read that, "When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat on his throne."  Solomon honored his mother by lavishing on her the gifts worthy only of the kingship, and in this notable act we see him regarding his mother as higher even than himself by bowing down to her and "[having] a throne brought for [his] mother."  

Solomon's act teaches us something fundamental concerning mothers:  that God has charged us with honoring, respecting, and loving them.  In some pagan religions, the woman is seen as superior to the man, as is evident by the incredible power and honor bestowed on the goddesses.  This is because the woman is seen as the giver of life--she who births and protects all the world.  

God has provided all of us, me especially, with wonderful mothers.  They deserve their own thrones, and we should honor them every day.  Have you thanked your mother today for all that she does?

Weekly Devotion 4.24.2011

The Resurrection Brings Hope

2Cr 4:7-14 NLT - [7] We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. [8] We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. [9] We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. [10] Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. [11] Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. [12] So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. [13] But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, so I spoke." [14] We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.

Just as Christ suffered unto death at the Cross, so Paul outlines here in 2 Corinthians that the Christian, too, must suffer a similar crucifixion.  In Paul's time and in many places of the world today, it was and is in the literal sense.  But for many of us today, living the Christian life means enduring the emotional, mental, and spiritual temptations which surround us.  Thankfully, we are given a great hope, for "we now have this light shining in our hearts."  We "are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure."  What has Christ's resurrection given us?  Salvation, yes, but continual salvation! We are so weak and unworthy to receive the great treasure of salvation, but we are given it, and we must use it.  In Paul's time, Christians literally "share in the death of Jesus so that te life of Jesus may also be seen in [their bodies."  It is comforting to know that Jesus has endured what we must endure.  If he, God but full man, could endure death without sin, we know that we may endure death without losing our faith in Him.  That's such an incredibly powerful and hopeful message!

Ensure this day is not just another Easter to you.  Recall what the resurrection means:  what it gives us as Christians.  In it we have hope and security that, regardless of what life brings, Christ has been there and is here with us.

Weekly Devotion 4.3.2011

The Instruments in God's Hands

Exd 31:1-6 NLT - [1] The LORD also said to Moses, [2] "Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. [3] I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. [4] He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze. [5] He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. Yes, he is a master at every craft! [6] "And I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things I have instructed you to make"

In Exodus 31 God explains to Moses how he will provide the resources to build the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant.  It is here in Exodus that a major shift occurs.  We begin to see God using people as instruments of His will, rather than the more frequent miracles he portrays in the first part of Exodus.  Why is this?  I believe it is a lesson to the Israelites, and consequently to us, that God not only uses plagues of nature, pillars of fire, and manna from heaven to achieve His goals.  Most importantly, He uses us. 

Notice that the Lord says that He has "chosen Bezalel son of Uri" because He has "filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts."  God also explains to Moses that he has "appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant."  God not only has a leader assigned to the position of building these places of worship, but he has an assistant and has "given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things [He has instructed Moses] to make." 

Beloved, God has a plan to use us, just as He used the artisans in Exodus.  We often falsely believe Satan's like that God only uses missionaries and pastors, but Paul writes in Ephesians 4.11-13 that "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."  We are each a cog in the infinitely complex and perpetual machine of God's divine plan.  The machine won't run unless every piece operates.  Sure, we might compensate while others slack.  There are many Christians who are far overworked because they step in to fill void tasks left unfilled by those God is calling.  But God is calling us!  Just as He instructed Moses and the artisans, He is instructing us.  We are the instruments in His hands.  We are the love of God that the world sees.  If we are not love, then they see God not at all.

It is vital that we recognize the gifts God has provided us, and regardless of whether or not we think them useful, we must use them to the glory of God.  God equips us at just the right time for just the right purpose.  He knows when that time will come.  You must only listen to His voice and be the instrument in His hand.  Amen.