THE MAGNITUDE OF GOD’S OMNISCIENCE

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ‘For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?’” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:33-34‬)

 Meditating on the magnitude of God’s omniscience leads us to reverence and wonder.  Paul uses the word, “depth” here to measure the magnitude of God’s wisdom and knowledge.  As soon as I begin to think about this subject I realize that I am out of my depth—that God’s knowledge far exceeds not only my understanding but even the ability  to understand how great is God’s understanding.  I don’t even know how much I don’t know—and neither do you!

God’s judgments are described as “unsearchable”—that is, begin today and make it your lifetime pursuit—combine that with the knowledge of every man and angel—and you will not even have scratched the surface of what God knows!  We will never know all that God knows. The Scripture speaks of God’s omniscience as, “His ways past finding out!”  We will have all eternity to relentlessly pursue knowing all God knows and never know it all!

This should fill us with reverence and wonder—to be in awe of such a God.  Worship Him today. Let Him direct your path. He already knows the end of your day before you take a step!

REFUGE IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD

“You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence…” the Psalmist confidently declares of our good God in Psalm 31:19-20. There is a hiding place where we may run when the storms are raging—and that is in God.  This is another mark of His goodness.

The goodness of God does not prevent us from experiencing some badness in life.  We live in a broken world, under the curse of sin.

First, and most importantly, in His goodness, God has provided us a refuge from judgment.  That secret place is in Christ.  In a personal relationship with Him, we have salvation—in a place of no condemnation and no separation, as Romans 8 begins and ends.  Right in the midst of that chapter is the glorious promise of Romans 8:28, of how God will take all things, even bad things, and work them together for good.  That ultimate good is to shape us and make us like Christ (Rom.8:29).

Why is it a secret place?  It is a place unknown and unreachable to the enemy.  Paul says our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col.3:3).  Saul chased David all over the Judean wilderness—and could never catch him.

It is a place we must diligently search for.  That which is most valuable is most rare, and attained with diligent effort.  Diamonds are not scattered like dust on furniture and gold is not discovered all over a gravel driveway.  Neither is the secret place of God’s good presence known without seeking Him with all our heart.

Yet, that is an issue isn’t it?  Too often we are captivated by the things of this world, and God needs to remind His children of the best things—the greatest good that alone will satisfy the need of our heart—His sweet presence!  What if God allows the bad to drive us to the good—and especially the greatest good which is Himself?

The song, “Blessings,” by Laura Story reminds us of this truth,

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

An old Chinese parable conveys this truth:

A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away.
His neighbors said, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses following. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses.

His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs.

His neighbors said, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.

His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”

The man just said, “We'll see.”

The reality is that we see through a glass darkly (1 Cor.13).  This is why Scripture says we walk by faith and not by sight.  We’ll understand it better by and by.  When we are tempted to doubt God’s goodness all we must do is run to the cross, and see the refuge He provided for us there.

GOD’S GOODNESS DEMONSTRATED

“So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Mark‬ ‭10:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). Only God is inherently and utterly good. He is the source, substance, and sum of all goodness. Jesus was not denying His goodness here, but affirming His deity. If He is good, then He is God, for only God is good.

• Demonstrated in Creation.  In the Genesis 1 record, we find God fashioning the world and at the end of each creative day declaring His handiwork “good,” until day 6, and the completion of it all with the pinnacle of His creation—man made in His image—and pronouncing it all, “very good.”

What else could a good God do but good and very good? We see even in a fallen world that it can be breathtakingly beautiful—a golden sunrise and a blazing sunset; a majestic mountain and a verdant valley; a lovely lily and a beautiful butterfly—and on we could go.  God gave us eyes to see in color, a mind to comprehend what we see, ears to hear a baby’s laugh and fingers to touch their soft skin.  God could have made everything gray and made all food taste like gruel—but chose to demonstrate His goodness in creation.

• Demonstrated in Redemption.  In Creation, God exhaled a breath, but in redemption, He expended His blood.  He was not content to leave us in our sin, but His goodness sent His Son and sought us out.  His goodness demanded punishment on the guilty.  A good judge does not let a criminal off.  Instead, our good God enforced that good justice by pouring out His wrath on the Son of God—and our good Savior was willing to suffer in our place.  The good Holy Spirit sought you out.  What good was there in you to commend you to God?  None! The good was all His!

• Demonstrated in Providence.  “Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things.” (www.gotquestions.org) Study the story of Joseph in Gen.37-50 and you will see God’s providence in bringing Joseph from the pit to the palace, from ruin to reign, and from suffering to glory.  Here is the New Testament phrasing of this truth, “And we know that all things work together for GOOD to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom.8:28, emphasis added).

God, you are so very good!

POWER FROM OUR PAIN

We have likely heard the expression, “No pain; no gain.”  That is true in getting physically fit.  Working out is exactly that—work!  If muscles are to be built they are first made sore.  It is the exertion that produces the stamina and strength.  There is no easy way.  This is a spiritual axiom as well.  Faith muscle can only develop through resistance.  Pain produces power.  It is for our profit if received as such.  We have the notable example of the Apostle Paul as he shared it in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10:

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord:  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.  And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.  Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.  For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul is speaking of an experience he had—unsure whether it was a vision or transported physically into God’s presence.  The occasion is uncertain, but the destination is said to be, “the third heaven.”  The first heaven is our sky—the atmosphere where clouds form and birds fly; the second heaven is space—where the stars shine and planets pursue their courses; the third heaven is Paradise where God sits on His throne—the object of worship by angels and departed saints.

It is of note that Paul refused to give details of his trip to Heaven, unlike many who have found great profit in writing books and making movies about “near death” experiences.  If Paul was forbidden to speak of what he heard, then why are people free today to describe such?  I am making no judgment, just asking the question.

Be that as it may, what is known is that God put a governor on the Apostle, lest he run away with pride and wreck his ministry.  Conceit over his experience would potentially prove his downfall, so God moved to preserve his servant—and in a most unusual manner.  God sent Paul “a thorn in the flesh…a messenger of Satan to buffet me….” 

We do not know the nature of Paul’s affliction—a myriad of ideas have been proposed—and we simply cannot say with confidence.  Perhaps this is God’s intent, so that whatever affliction we may face enables us to identify with the Apostle, and it would prevent pride from those who had the same problem were it defined, perhaps prompting the boast, “I’ve got Paul’s disease!”  That is how sinister pride can be, and that is why God would afflict his choice servant with pain so he would not fall.

Notice the source of Paul’s pain—God!  It was, “a messenger of Satan,” to be sure, but dispensed by a sovereign God as a gift!  He says this was “given” to him.  Strange gift!  Not exactly what you would want to find under your Christmas tree!  Yet, the omniscient and omnibenevolent God gave Paul precisely what was needed when he gave permission for this demonic buffeting to occur.  This is reminiscent of Job’s experience, where God initiated the waves of disaster that would sweep over him as a result of the Lord’s challenge to Satan and subsequent permission to attack him.  Always remember that God is in charge.  Satan and his imps have no power but what God permits, and if he permits them to bring problems then it is to fulfill His purpose with that very evil generating good (Rom.8:28).  The Old Testament story of Joseph is a perfect illustration.  All the harm that was meant for him would become the very vehicle that would carry him to power!

Paul described this as a “thorn,” literally, a sharp stake driven into him.  That is most suggestive.  It recalls the sharp spikes hammered into the flesh of Christ and the spear thrust into His side.  What an awful evil was done; what agonizing pain He felt!  Yet, this is how God wrought His most wondrous work as the satanic act of killing Jesus would be the very means of crushing the Serpent (Gen.3:15).  This is God’s mysterious and glorious way.

Still, Paul was human and not a masochist who found pleasure in the pain itself.  Normal folk would not.  They would do what he did—pray for deliverance!  Jesus prayed that if there would be any other way to accomplish His mission than to drink that bitter cup, then that would be His desire.  There was not, and He submitted after praying three times.  In this, Paul followed the Lord’s example.

Beware those who claim that if you have enough faith then all your problems will vanish.  Faith often creates more pain than it removes!  It was true for Jesus.  It was true for Paul.  It was true for Job.  It was true for Joseph.  It will be true for us.

God had something better in mind for His servant.  He promised something superior to physical deliverance.  God gave him abundant, amazing grace.  The Apostle’s pain that drove him to his knees in submission would enable him to rise clothed in power!  The affliction would not limit him, but enable him to tap into God’s limitless might.  So, instead of expressing grief, he exuded gladness.  Paul’s contentment in his circumstances was found in being in the will of the Lord.  There is no better place to be!

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel….  (Philippians 1:12)

Christ’s mission to earth was to seek and to save lost souls.  The Great Commission calls us to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  Paul certainly understood this responsibility.  He knew that all roads led to Rome—and from it.  The capital city of the empire had to be evangelized if the world was to be reached.  So, this great old missionary wanted to get there desperately.  Yet, how he arrived was in an unexpected manner!  He refers to “the things which happened to me.” Seized in the Temple, narrowly escaping a conspiracy to kill him, languishing in jail in Caesarea, on trial and appealing to Caesar, taken in chains to Rome, shipwreck and now in jail awaiting his court appearance.  There’s goes the missionary activity!  Not so—God was at work!

In Philippians chapter one we see THE EXPANSION OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE (v.12-14).  The word,“furtherance,” in the Greek speaks of pioneers who blazed a trail.  Paul did this in missions. Today there are thousands of unreached people groups who have no access to the Gospel.

Paul’s adversity prepared the way for the advancement of the Gospel.  Sometimes when trouble comes we may be tempted to question God’s love.  But we must remember that love is not self-focused, but for others, and what is happening to us is God preparing the way to share love with others.  Susannah Spurgeon became an invalid at 33 and couldn’t even attend church to hear her famed husband’s sermons.  She wrote, “the moment we come into any trial or difficulty, our first thought should be, not how soon can we escape from it, or how we may lessen the pain we shall suffer from it, but how can we best glorify God in it . . .” and she did by starting a book fund—giving away hundreds of thousands of theological books to poor preachers.

Paul had a captive audience in the Praetorian Guard.  He turned the prison into a pulpit!  As a result some of those soldiers were converted.  His captors became captivated with Christ!  He saw the sovereignty of God in his suffering—“my chains are in Christ.”  It was love for the Master and lost souls that forged the fetters!  Paul’s courage enabled him to encourage—to put courage into others!  Are people encouraged by the way you respond to adversity?  “The sermon of your life in tough times ministers to people more powerfully than the most eloquent speaker.” (Bill Bright).

Thus, there is THE EXULTATION IN THE GOSPEL MESSAGE (v.15-20).  Paul exults in the spread of the Gospel.  How exciting it is!  Some were preaching the right message but with the wrong motive.  Apparently there was some division in the church similar to what plagued Corinth.  The opposition to Paul was seeking to win more converts and have a bigger following.  Did Paul get into the politics of this?  No—he was just thrilled people were being reached!  How jealous do we get of the church across town that God is blessing?  We're not in competition, but on the same team!  The Lord draws people to Himself despite the flawed instruments.  If God had to have perfect people to get the job done, then none of us would qualify.  May God use us to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth—whatever it takes!

THE ROMANCE OF REDEMPTION

“The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”  (Ruth 2:12)

When our children were small, we would say, “How much do you love me?”  We taught them to spread their arms way out and say, “I love you this much!”  How much does God love you?  Jesus spread His arms out on the cross and said, “I love you this much!”  The second chapter of Ruth illustrates this wonderful truth—the romance of redemption.  The romance of Boaz and Ruth picture how God’s love reaches out to us, wins our heart, and brings us into salvation.

All through the story of Ruth we see God writing the plot line in His providence (2:1-3).  There are no dramatic miracles recorded in the book, yet we observe God’s mighty hand directing all the circumstances.  Ruth—from the human perspective—just happens to wind up gleaning grain in the field of Boaz, right where she needed to be.  This was not luck, she was led—the sovereign Lord orchestrating the events.  That a famine came, a family moved to Moab, three funerals brought Naomi and Ruth back to Bethlehem, a field was selected that belonged to their near kin Boaz, each event was a link in the chain to bring Ruth to the man who was her redeemer.  With God there are no accidents, just appointments.  Looking back at how we came to faith in Christ, the direction of God to get us to redemption is a testimony to providence.

So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.”  (v.2)  She sought favor—or as we might say, she was seeking grace.  Grace is God’s favor given to the undeserving.  Ruth fit that category.  She was a Moabite—a Gentile outside the covenant relationship of God with Israel.  She was a poor widow unable to meet her own needs.  That is representative of our spiritual state before meeting our Redeemer (see Eph.2:1-14).  When Ruth meets Boaz, everything will change (v.4-16)!  His name means strength.  He gave to her what she could never provide for herself. Boaz was man of power and possessions—his wealth was abundant.  Jesus is our Boaz—the Redeemer who is worthy and wealthy.  Ruth wasn’t looking for Boaz, but Boaz saw her and took the initiative.  That is what grace does.  It sees us, seeks us, summons us, and sustains us.  She came under the wings of God (v.12).  That is a wonderful place to abide!  Are you there?

When Ruth returns and shares her amazing story, Naomi rejoices (v.17-23).  She blesses the Lord because she recognizes God is at work.  Ruth brought home an ephah of grain—equivalent to what a working man might collect in ten days!  She didn’t return with a little, but with abundance!  That is the nature of grace!  When Naomi discovers that it is Boaz’ field where Ruth gleaned, she is overjoyed.  The man can be their redeemer because he is their relative!  Thus it is that the Son of God became the Son of Man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God.  That happened in the incarnation—and the place of our Redeemer’s appearance?  Where Ruth met Boaz—in Bethlehem!  Blessed Redeemer!

GOD OF ETERNITY, LORD OVER HISTORY

That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting

That there is none besides Me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other….  (Isaiah 45:6)

Isaiah 45 is one of the most remarkable prophecies that is seldom discussed.  You may have never heard a sermon about Cyrus.  Yet, Isaiah tells us this man’s name, predicts his reign, and speaks of his greatness and conquests around 150 years before Cyrus was born!  Furthermore, he is a pagan whom God will appoint to deliver His people.  Astonishing is it not?  There is no record that the king ever submitted to the King of glory, but he was not without ample testimony to the God of eternity.  Cyrus would be the Persian monarch who would bring down the Babylonian empire that had subjugated the Jews, freeing them from captivity.  His decree would assure their eventual liberty and afford those who desired the opportunity to return and rebuild Jerusalem.

We see that God is the Lord over history.  People make decisions.  Powerful persons arise to reign and for a season they exert influence in human affairs.  Standing above and orchestrating all things, however, is the Sovereign God.  Man proposes, but God disposes.  People are responsible for their choices, good or bad, but guiding all is the great God who only does good, overruling human rulers—and all for His glory!

There is none like our God!  As Gospel singer Sandi Patti put it,

For He's more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He's more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams.

The Lord over history is the God of eternity.  He stands before history commences and will go beyond when it consummates.  From everlasting to everlasting, He is the great I AM.  He transcends time and space, but is not aloof—intervening as master of both.  Even events that we would consider to be bad—dark times and calamities are no surprise to Him and, in fact, are used for His righteous purposes.  Resisting His will is like the folly of clay trying to resist the potter or a baby seeking to resist conception.  The Creator does as He pleases and what He pleases is always glorious!

There are many things mysterious about the ways of God, but we are to ask Him to reveal His purposes and He will show us much.  When our petitions are grounded in His purposes then our prayers have power to move His hand, for what He is accomplishing is already in His heart.  Amazing!  The infinite Maker chooses to partner with finite man is working His will.  He has ordained it, and so it must be!

The deliverance and preservation of Israel is a testimony to the greatness of God.  Against overwhelming odds, the Jews have survived.  That is because God has decreed it, and no man can thwart it.  This is not a testimony to the ingenuity of the Jews, but the sovereignty of God!

Eventually, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Isa.45:23b), encompassing both Jews and Gentiles.  For now the gracious offer is extended,

Look to Me, and be saved,

All you ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other.”  (Isa.45:22)

Have you looked in faith to the cross?  Will you look to Him for salvation?

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

 

“For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand.  He knows your trudging through this great wilderness.  These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” (Deuteronomy 2:7)

If you are not acquainted with the words of that grand old hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” you ought to be.  It is based on the text in Lamentations 3:22-23,

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not. 

 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness. 

In our text for today’s devotional, Moses echoes that same refrain.  Moses is 120 and facing death.  He rehearses God’s faithfulness to a new generation of Israelites who will cross Jordan and enter the Promised Land.

GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL IN HIS PROVISION, “For the LORD your God has blessed you…you have lacked nothing.”  God gave them bread from heaven—manna every morning.  In the desert, he gave them water from a rock.  Their clothing and sandals did not wear out.  They were sheltered from the sun by day by the cloud, which became a pillar of fire to light and warm the camp by night.  I have come to the place where my hair has turned white as a morning frost, where I start the day with a groan and end it with a sigh, where my steps are neither as swift nor steady as in youth, and I can actually access my retirement funds!  Despite all the challenges aging brings, I can face tomorrow without fear, for I have see God’s faithfulness in the past.  I am not a rich man, by any means, but God has always blessed me with enough—more than enough!

GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL IN HIS PROVIDENCE, “He knows your trudging through this great wilderness.”  Trudging—that is a picturesque term, which describes my gait so well!  Life is tough.  The Jews journey through that great wilderness was filled with difficulty and fraught with danger.  There were some stumbles and setbacks on the way, but trudge on they did, because God was leading His dear children along.  That is what providence is all about.  God knows the way we travel; He sees ahead the road we are taking; He has a predetermined end for our pilgrimage.  What God knows of the future is fixed and certain, but what we know is by faith and conviction.  We live life forward, but we understand it backward.  Surveying my life story leads me to testify that God has directed my steps and gives me confidence He will guide me into the future.

GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL IN HIS PRESENCE, “These forty years the LORD your God has been with you….”  In all places and at all times, God had been with them.  They failed Him, but He did not fail them.  As we get older, things change.  Friends and family we have known begin to die—the circle of relationships shrinks here and grows larger in heaven.  The unchanging God has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us!  If our path takes us into the hospital, the nursing home, or hospice as a prelude to the funeral home, God will shelter us in His arms and secure us in His love.  “Great Is Thy faithfulness!” is our testimony now and will be our theme forever!

THE GREAT SHEPHERD

 

The LORD is my shepherd….  (Psalm 23:1a)

In John 10, Jesus identified Himself as the shepherd of our souls.  He spoke of His goodness in laying down His life for the sheep, but he also spoke of His greatness saying, “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”  (v.17b-18a)  On the cross Jesus gave His life for the sheep, but on the third day, He arose from the tomb. He has ascended and ever lives to make intercession for us.

HE IS A POWERFUL SHEPHERD.  Focus on the first two words, “The LORD.”  Scripture presents Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is the Lord God Almighty, the one who in eternity spoke and the worlds came into existence.  Yet, His power was never more vividly demonstrated than when He reached out a lifeless hand and seized life and pulled it back into Himself.  The earth quaked and strong soldiers fainted and the stone was rolled away and out came Jesus swinging the keys of death and hell. Believe Him when He says, “Because I live, you shall live also.” (John 14:19b) 

HE IS A PERSONAL SHEPHERD.  Look at the first three words.  David says, “The LORD is,” not was.  Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed—each one was, but only The Lord Jesus is!  Then consider the first five words, “The LORD is my shepherd….”   David didn’t say, “He is a Shepherd to the world” but “He’s mine.”  If He is a Shepherd to no one else, He is to me.  He knows me by name; He cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. As sheep prone to wander we may wander outside His will, but never outside His care. Jesus knows our trials, tears and temptations. We must be able to claim Him as our personal shepherd.  Can you?

HE IS A PROVIDING SHEPHERD.  The next phrase says,  “I shall not want.”

I SHALL NOT WANT IN LIFE (v.2-3).  Sheep will not lie down when hungry.  Jesus provides green pastures for us—physical and spiritual nourishment.  What refreshment is found beside still waters!  There He restores our soul and gives the strength we need to follow Him.  He leads us in right paths.  The guidance of the Shepherd is stressed here. Thank God for the times we are led through great blessing, but sometimes the right paths are hard paths.  We may be sure the road leads to glory—and that is the main thing!

I SHALL NOT WANT IN DEATH (v.4).  Jesus died such a death that we will never have to die like that.  He trod the winepress alone, that we might walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death.  The Psalmist describes death as a shadow. We need not fear a shadow.  It is just a dark valley we must pass through—but note you go through—light into brief darkness and into the light of eternity! 

I SHALL NOT WANT IN ETERNITY  (v.5-6).  Goodness and mercy in this life brings us into glory and majesty in the world to come.  Christ has a banquet table spread and is waiting for the marriage supper.  How long is forever?  Our home awaits.  Come, Great Shepherd and take your flock to that eternal sheepfold!

CONFIDENCE TO CONFRONT LIFE’S CHALLENGES

 

I will love You, O LORD, my strength. (Psalm 18:1)

After watching TV, I am convinced that there is nothing good happening anywhere!  Do you ever feel that way?  The fact is life is not easy.  God never promised it would be. We enter the world with nothing and exit the same way.  We are born through great trauma, as we struggle to catch our first breath, and often die in great trauma as we struggle for our final breath!  That sets the tone for life on a planet ravaged by the curse of sin.  The author of this Psalm, David, could attest to that.  Life was not easy for him, yet, the difficulties made the deliverance all the sweeter.  His testimony can inspire us to have confidence to confront life’s challenges. 

He sings of CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S PERSON (v.1-3). This confidence is expressed in OUR WORSHIP.  David expresses His love to God.  God had proven His love to David.  “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)  Love is an act of the will foremost—more than a feeling, though emotion is certainly important.  It is a promise to love forever—an oath of loyalty.  He is Yahweh—and David is in a covenant relationship with Him.  Out of this relationship flows strength.  David’s strength would have proven insufficient for the challenges he faced, but it did not depend on him—and God’s power is more than enough!

David expresses CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S PERCEPTION (v.4-6).  The Almighty God knows OUR WEAKNESS.  Not even a little bird flutters and falls to the ground without His notice.  Do not think God is unaware and uncaring.  David felt as though a tsunami of trouble would drown him.  Perhaps you can identify.  Fear was threatening to supplant faith.  David was in a dark pit of depression.  Sometimes we seem in a hole we cannot escape.   Not only troubles, but tears are part of our path.  Still, there are no tears unseen by God (Ps.56:8).  He keeps them as a memorial; He acts in His time. Troubles, tears and traps—it is a perfect picture of peril.  Distress has a way of driving us to God, however—and that is a good thing!   

The Psalmist declares CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S POWER (v.7-45). We face the reality of OUR WARFARE.  In most of his battles, David was outmanned and overmatched.  Remember the words of William Carey, founder of the modern missions movement, rightly said, “One with God is a majority.”  In poetic language, David recalls the mighty deliverances of God in the nation’s past—the deliverance from Egypt’s slavery in the Exodus and the victories in Canaan under Joshua.  David had experienced his own deliverances.  Recalling such past help inspires confidence in our current conflicts.

David’s lyrics voice CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S PURPOSE (v.46-50).  David’s personal triumph leads him to a public testimony.  He is the living God—eternal and unchangeable—a Rock that cannot be moved.  That which He has purposed concerning us moves inexorably to its completion.   He is the Lord God—all powerful and unconquerable.  He subdues our enemies.  His purposes cannot be thwarted.  David in essence sings, “How great is our God!”  He wants the world to know—even the Gentiles should know.  Our world is a desperate place and we alone know where hope is found.  Like David, having experienced deliverance from sin, we extend this witness to others.  This is how to have confidence to confront life’s challenges.

RESTORED

And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.  (Job 42:10)

Old battered furniture—a secretary, wardrobe and dresser from my wife’s mother and a dish cabinet from my grandmother—these came into our possession, were sent to a skilled craftsman who restored them, and now they adorn our home!  Job was battered by the Devil with cruel blow after cruel blow.  Looking at him, you would have said, “That’s it—he’s seen his best days.”  Yet, there is a Master Restorer—God Almighty—that would not abandon him in the ash heap where Job sat!  He is in the restoration business, and that is what He does with Job.  God not only restored Job, He doubled his worth!

In this climactic conclusion of Job’s story we see HIS REPENTANCE (Job 42:1-6).  It was not sinful acts against God for which he needed to repent.  That was the false accusation of his friends as time after time they assailed his character.  They believed that Job’s sufferings had come as Divine discipline for his sins, and if he would just repent then he would be restored.  That was not the case!  God Himself testified to the righteousness of His servant—having thrown down the gauntlet to Satan, concerning Job’s integrity—which Job maintained even in the withering fire of trouble he entered.  What did happen, however, is that as time went on, Job felt abandoned by God and sought answers.  That is understandable, and not even wrong.  Somewhere along the way, this moved from confusion to complaint—no longer desiring answers alone, but demanding them!  In the presence of a Holy God, Who turns the tables and demands an answer from Job—and He has the right—Job repents of his bitterness with brokenness.

There follows GOD’S REPROOF (Job 42:7-9)  God does not go so easy on Job’s friends.  They are facing His fury.  When they ought to have comforted Job, they instead condemned him.  Thinking they knew it all, they presumed to speak for God, when they knew very little, and had no business becoming judges.  God can handle that Himself.  The Lord is sick of hearing them, and so asks Job to pray for them!  While I might have not wanted to pray for them after they way they had been, Job again displays his spiritual excellence in his intercession.  God hears and answers the prayer of his servant Job.  God always does—just not always in the time and in the manner in which we expect.

Job didn’t get the answer to all his prayers, expressed throughout the book, as he wanted, but he got something better!  We see HIS RESTORATION (v.10-17).  God not only gave him as much as he lost—He doubled everything!  You might protest—pointing out that is accurate except concerning the children he lost.  God blessed him with the same number.  NO—they were doubled too!  Something is not lost if you know where it is!  Job knew he had ten children in Heaven, and now God gives an additional ten—so that in glory the family circle would be twenty—double what he would have!

God is in the restoration business.  Often we experience restoration in this vale of tears—the ultimate is coming in the city of gold!  For the child of God, no matter how good or bad now—the best is always yet to be!  Job’s story teaches that truth.