Really, How Big IS God?

I awoke this morning to be reminded that God is so much bigger than we are, so much bigger than a puny nation of mostly non-believers.  But rather than get caught up emotionally in the results of an historical election, it was so clear to me that God desired for me to look even deeper into His Word.  I knew I wanted to read some Psalms, and as I was getting to Psalm 37, where I knew I would camp a bit, I stopped at Psalm 19 along the way.

" The heavens are telling of the Glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."  Yes, this is a familiar sentence, simple and yet it gives a great reminder of who really is in charge.  But look closely at verses 7-13, where God's law, his judgments, and the fear of Him are discussed.  God's rules are perfect, His Word is more pure than anything imaginable.

So in times of crises and dare I say peril, He wants us to turn to the sole source of purity, His Word.  The 2012 election was no surprise, it merely validated what we as Christians see, hear, and experience every day.  So as I sat and read this morning before dawn, I knew I was in the right place, spiritually hearing from God.

And the last verse reminded me of the great peace we possess.  He is our rock, He is our redeemer:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."


Psalm 37 then is so much as relevant now as it was in David's time.  If one cannot see the parallels in light of the state of our society today, one simply is not paying attention.

We have a responsibility to "cultivate righteousness", even in the midst of the "evildoers".  That's not easy, often not fun, but it should be joyful to the believer.  In truth, very plain and simple, this fallen world and it's devices are all the wicked have to take pleasure in.  They have no eternal hope, they have no better existence to look forward to besides this.  So is it really any wonder that "things" here go "their" way?  What should be our response?  Anger, aggravation?  How about turning to God's Word for the answer?

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

Our leaders carry out wicked schemes.  Even Solomon in Ecclesiastes says that thinking it will improve is naive.  Another verse says "The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives."  The wicked are in this for them, and no one else.  Read through the psalm, it is clear that the wicked are given reign over here and now, they will indeed prosper, but only according to this world's standards, never to God's.  Am I to take comfort in this?  Well, no, I am to try to reach those who are lost, who are wicked.  At the same time, I am not to become soiled by them (James 1:27), but neither am I to be envious of them.    Again, it is naive to be amazingly and unexpectedly disgusted with the leadership of this country, or of any worldly governing authority.  And I would say it is sinful to react angrily to such displays of evil, as God repeatedly tells us not to fret over such matters (Psalm 37) or worry (Matthew 6).   What does the church say to these matters?  I'll tackle that one next time.

The Lord indeed loves justice (Psalm 37:28).  How big is God?  Can you sense His greatness an awe in this time of turmoil?  He would really like to speak to you.  Open His Word and listen.     Holding Fast to the Name of our Creator

What Really Matters? Ecc. 7

I digress for a moment to delve into a passage in Ecclesiastes 7.  Our family is still in Acts, but with the recent storm, I've not been able to post anything new, and meanwhile, a study in Ecclesiastes has been taking place as well.  A few points of fresh reminder is what really stood out, worth of comment relevant to today.

An overall theme here, as well as in Proverbs, is that the fool simply will not heed good advice from the wise; in fact, the fool scoffs, mocks, and laughs at the very suggestion.  This really should not surprise us today, it has happened since long before us.

In light of that, it is just as foolish to get angry over the actions of fools, and we often tend to think that times used to be better than they are today, or we hearken back to the "good ole days".  Solomon here, under inspiration of God, says that the wise do not think in this manner.  There NEVER HAVE been those "good ole days". 

Backing up, verses 7-8 talk of oppression and bribes, with politics in mind and as the context.  We should never, ever be surprised at the corrupt activity of politicians.  This, too, is nothing new under the sun, and to be concerned about it is chasing after the wind, to borrow from this author.  To be angry about political corruptness is to be extremely naive.

Overall, what we see here is that it is good to consider one's mortality, to add some seriousness to life.  One's reputation still matters, or it should, and that cannot be solidified until death.  That is, we can still mess up a good reputation while we are alive.  Morbid thought perhaps, but very practically true.

The chapter closes with a great summary/theological statement.  God made men upright (righteous, sinless; up to chapter 7, Solomon has referred back to Adam at least three times).  Men chose to seek another way. 

If we can all remember that day in and day out, we deal with each other, and we are each still sinners, maybe we'll be a bit more bearing of one another.  Then again, we may simply be naive, and be indignant at each other's behavior, assuming that "it never used to be like this."  Believers never used to act like this.  Oh, yes they did.  God says to think otherwise is wrong, foolish, actually.

Holding Fast to the Name of our Creator