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He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. Psalm 103:9
Are you afraid of God? I don’t mean a healthy respect for God and his power. I mean a nail-biting, goose-bump raising fear of God.
There are two extreme answers to that question. One is to focus so much on the ‘God is love’ idea that we see God as a kindly old grandfather type. You know the kind of guy that wants nothing more than to hang out at the ice cream shop with you and give you all the ice cream you can possible hope for.
The other extreme is to be so terrified with the concept of an almighty, all knowing, all powerful God that you walk on eggshells your entire life because you ‘know’ that one small slip and you’ll be spending eternity in hell!
God isn’t some cop looking to catch us at doing something wrong, nor is he an ogre hoping to keep us miserable our entire lives. On the other hand, he isn’t an eternal Santa Clause whose only goal in life is to give you nice presents and keep you happy.
God has rules. But his rules aren’t to make you miserable, but to help you be the very best you can be. He wants you to excel, but he also knows that certain lifestyles and certain activities may seem fun at the time but will cause problems in the future.
Zephaniah 3:17 says “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
When you fail (notice I said ‘when’ not ‘if’) don’t forget that God isn’t concerned about pointing out your faults or making you feel guilty. When we fail we remember how we failed last time. God doesn’t keep score. Rather than pointing a finger at us to accuse us, he puts his arm around us to guide us along the way. He delights in you even though you fail. He sings joyful love songs to you. We need never fear coming into God’s presence because we bring a smile to his face every time he sees us.
God’s goodness guides us and never condemns us because of his great love for us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your patience with me. I confess that many times my failure is rebellion more than mistakes. Help me to see your goodness in the midst of my struggle and accept your guidance for my life. In Jesus name, Amen.
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the Eagle’s! Psalm 103:5
She sat in my office in tears. After telling her husband for weeks that something was wrong with the car, it finally broke down on her way to work. Her husband was out of town so he was unable to help her.
When she was able to compose herself, I gently asked her a few questions. I knew this marriage was in trouble and sometimes, in a strained relationship, the smallest things can be tinder for a bigger fire.
“Were the boys still with you?”
“No, I’d already dropped them off, so I was alone.”
“So, I offered, it’s a good thing they weren’t with you isn’t it?”
“Yes, a very good thing.”
“Where did the car stall?”
“Just after I crossed the highway.”
“Good thing you got across that road! If the transmission had failed as you crossed it could have been tragic.”
“True.” (You could see the wheels start to turn)
“How did you get the car to the shop?”
“I called a couple guys from work. They towed it to the shop for me and since they were very close it didn’t take long at all.”
“That’s good, isn’t it? I mean, a towing bill can be pretty expensive.”
“Yes, and the weather was warmer today than last week. I’d have hated for those guys to work on my car if it had been as cold as it has been.”
“And, you made it to work in time?”
The light finally broke through.
“True. You know, the whole situation was frustrating to be sure, but it could have been so much worse if it had been colder or the boys would have been with me, or I broke down further from home. God was definitely taking care of me wasn’t he?”
Her story wasn’t really any different than ours. So many times in life we come across situations that frustrate us, make us angry, or make us afraid. Sometimes, to be sure, they are serious things that could be life threatening, but many times they are just small annoyances in the journey of life.
God is good. He allows things to come in our lives to test us, but he promises to walk with us along the way. Most of the time we don’t see God’s goodness because we are focusing on the things we want and not seeing how he has provided the things we need.
I’m convinced, from life experiences and scripture, that God’s angels watch over us daily. Who knows how many car accidents we’ve been rescued from because of a slow driver or missing a light. Take time each day to thank God for the little blessings he’s provided throughout the day. Thank him as well for the things you don’t know he’s done to protect and guide you along the right path.
PRAYER: Father God. You have blessed me far beyond what I deserve. Thank you for watching over me daily. I especially praise you for the many ways your hand has protected me from unseen dangers and turmoil. Amen.
“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” Psalm 103:3
“I used to believe in God when I was little,” the man in the airplane seat next to me said, “but as I grew older and saw the mess this world is in, I changed my mind. IF there is a God, and IF he’s good, then t
here wouldn’t be so much sickness and war.”
Even those of us ‘Christians’ can get sucked into questioning whether God is really good or not. Especially when we watch our homes being destroyed, or get a bad doctor’s report, or lose our jobs, stand beside the grave of a loved one who ‘died too soon’, or are served divorce papers.
Forgiveness is one of those areas in which it’s easy to forget Gods’ goodness. When we play the comparison game and see our own weakness it’s easy to think God won’t forgive me because I’ve let him down too many times. When we look at our own sin, more than God’s grace, we can live in defeat emotionally and physically.
The good news is that God’s goodness isn’t dependent on circumstances or our own behavior. God’s goodness is dependent solely on his character. God is good because God is good, not because of anything we’ve done.
Psalm 103:3 is a great reminder of that. The psalmist writes “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” He doesn’t just forgive some of those sins. He doesn’t wait to see if we really mean it when we confess. He doesn’t have a score card. He forgives because he is good!
Don’t allow the mistakes of your past keep you from experiencing God’s goodness. You can never out-sin God’s grace. His forgiveness is like a healing balm for the pain of your failure.
God is good because he good. His goodness is shown through forgiveness.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you today for your goodness even in light of my failures. Forgive me for the times I doubt your way is best and choose my own way. Empower me with your Spirit to live in the victory your grace can give. Amen.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:5
Several years ago a friend of mine decided to add on to his home. His family had outgrown the present house but they liked the location and there was little available in their price range. So the addition was the best way to go. I spent quite a bit of time with him in the process. I’m not a builder by any means and it was interesting hearing him talk about the project. I’d never realized how important it was to have the whole plan in place before the actual project began. If the details weren’t right, the whole project might be in jeopardy. Once the details were worked out, the whole picture seemed to make sense.
To be honest, even looking at his blueprints didn’t help me see the whole picture because I wasn’t trained to understand all the intricacies of a building plan.
Those blueprints remind me of how we can gain a deeper knowledge of God and his goodness. When we look at individual situations we may think God doesn’t care or that he isn’t involved in our lives. When we have the beauty of gaining the overall perspective of things it’s much easier to understand.
The first four verses of Proverbs chapter two have given us the details, so to speak, of getting a grasp on knowing God in all his fullness. Some may say, “Can we really know God?” After all, we can’t see him, how do we know he exists? We are surrounded by more and more examples of evil seeming to triumph over us.
To know God fully we must make persistent communication with God a priority by looking at nature, reading his word and looking at the example of his love as shown through his son, Jesus Christ. When all those pieces fall in place then we can gain an understanding of God that allows us to see the whole picture and not be misled by the details of life. When you question what God is doing, step back and by faith remember that he is good and only has your best interest in mind. No matter what has gotten you into the situation you are in, God can help you see a way through.
PRAYER: Father God, I confess to you that I don’t always understand why you allow things to happen as they do. With my lips I proclaim your power, but with my heart I doubt your ability to help me though. Forgive me for my doubt, give me courage to trust you and wisdom to see the whole picture. Amen.
Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Proverbs 2:4
Several years ago I was attending classes at a University about two hours away. I would leave Sunday night and return on Friday. One Sunday, I was just getting ready to leave. The car was packed and all I needed to do was grab my wallet and be on my way. THAT was the problem. My wallet had disappeard!
We looked in every conceivable place and a few other places as well. Some were checked numerous times. I HAD to have that wallet in order to leave. Nothing else mattered at that point. Finally I resigned myself to the fact that it may have been dropped in a park we were at the day before. Most likely someone had found it and taken my cash and credit cards. Trying to find it in the park would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I called the credit card company and was in the process of canceling my card when all the sudden, my wife called from the other room, “Found it!” Somehow my wallet had fallen off the bed and gotten weirdly wedged between the frame and the mattress. How she happened to see it there remains a mystery. However, the crisis was averted and I was on my way in a matter of minutes, very relieved at the outcome.
The things we see as the most important are the things we search for the hardest. When we make knowing God a priority, he responds by revealing himself more fully. Growing deeper into God takes more than casual church attendance or quick, thoughtless prayers. Growing deeper in God means spending as much time with him as we possibly can by spending time in his word, spending quality time with his people and serving him with our God-given gifts.
Your Father is earnestly seeking to reveal himself to you more fully. The enemy will do whatever he can to keep you from that source of power. Make your relationship with God a priority.
PRAYER: Father, my simple prayer to you today is that you would reveal yourself to me in ways I’ve never seen before. In Jesus name, Amen.
