Tag Archives: God’s Presence

August 28 – Hidden

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Ezekiel 5-8

The Bible often warns us about living double lives. Ezekiel saw in his vision, the priests who served God in public, yet worshiped idols in their homes. Jesus called the pharisees out more than once about their outward piety and their sinful hearts.

The priests, in Ezekiel’s vision, believed “The Lord does not see us…” (8:12) They must have been thinking about those wooden statues on their dressers.

Dear one, God does see. He not only sees what we do in church, He sees what we do in the privacy of our own homes. He sees what we do in daylight and in the cover of darkness. He hears what we say to our friends, and how we talk to our spouses behind closed doors.

And  beyond that, He hears what we think, watches our daydreams, knows our hearts. There is nothing God doesn’t know about you. Nothing He hasn’t seen.

There is nothing – NOTHING – hidden from God.

August 21 – Destroying The Temple

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2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36

Solomon’s Temple is destroyed. The building burned, the pillars broken in pieces, all the gold and silver utensils stolen. That beautiful place where God had made His earthly home was nothing but ruin.

How could this happen? Was God powerless before King Nebuchadnessar?

Hardly!

The destruction of God’s dwelling place was actually a slow process. It started almost the minute Solomon had completed it. Over the years, sin had takin its toll on the temple and on God’s people. One king after another did “evil in the sight of the Lord.” The Jews began worshiping other gods. God’s own people were the ones responsible for what happened to the Temple more than the Babylonian king.

I am reminded, as a heart where God dwells on this earth, to protect this temple, to obey God, to worship Him only, serve Him gladly. God’s will is that this temple stand until He calls me home.

May He find me faithful, my heart a place that welcomes Him in, a life that radiates His Presence. I don’t want to neglect the temple that is my heart, or give Satan a foothold. I want to choose every day to be a temple as beautiful as Solomon’s, and occupied by my Lord and Savior.

 

May 3 – Lovingkindness

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Psalm 106-107

I’ve never really thought much about the word, “lovingkindness.” I know what it means, I suppose. I think I have a pretty good picture in my  mind what it looks like. But as I sit here this morning, I can’t think of an example I’ve read or heard where “lovingkindness” is used to describe anyone but God.

The psalmist uses the word a lot. Even when speaking about God’s discipline of His disobedient children. On one hand he tells of Israel’s struggles in the wilderness, their worship of idols, their constant whining. Then he tells them to thank God for His lovingkindness.

So here’s what I want to take away from these Scriptures today. God is perfect in love and in kindness. He’s like a nursing mother who gazes into the face of her child, heart bursting with love while she holds him close, touches his cheeks, examines his tiny fingers. God is like that daddy who puts those tiny shoes on his daughter’s Barbie because her little fingers can’t do it herself. He’s like the parent who plays catch with the kids in the backyard, even after an exhausting day at work. God is like the grandparent who kneels by the bed ever night to pray for grandchildren through tears of joy or sorrow.

God’s perfect love and perfect kindness cannot be separated. And His lovingkindness is directed toward me. It envelopes me.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so… (Psalm 107:1-2a)

April 28 – All Glory To God

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Psalms 81, 88, 92-93

I was watching an NBA game the other night, and one of the players was being interviewed after helping his team with the win. He answered the question asked him, but before he did he said, “First I want to say thank you, Jesus. All glory to God.”

Now I don’t remember the player’s name, and know nothing about him personally. I pray his relationship with God is as real as it sounds. I have no reason to believe otherwise.

Then, reading these psalms today and remembering what this young basketball player had said, got me to thinking about how important it is to praise God, to recognize His hand in the events of life, and to purposefully acknowledge Him with a grateful heart.

God, through the psalmist, says that if we listened to Him, and walked in His ways, He would “feed us with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock (He) would satisfy (us).” (81:16)

And if we obey Him and are blessed by Him, people will want to be associated with us. In other words, we would be the cool people, the ones everyone else wants to be like.

God wants us to make Him an integral part of every day, a Presence in all we do or say. He really wants to hang out with us.

I want to praise God because He deserves to be praised. And especially when good things happen to me, I want to always give the glory back to God.

It’s what He deserves.

April 26- Pity-Party Free Zone

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Psalms 73, 77-78

Sometimes we might be tempted to throw a pity party for ourselves when we see the successful, easy lifestyle of wicked, ungodly people. Most days we know how blessed we are. We can even admit we know that what we see on the surface of anyone’s life often masks heartache and pain.

But seriously, it would be nice to experience wealth on the scale of some who seem to have everything going for them. At least for a day or so. Right?

The psalmists asks if he has kept his heart pure in vain. Have I? The psalmists also reminds us that thinking those thoughts are “senseless and ignorant.” (73:22)

Read verses 25-28 of the 73rd psalm for an attitude check. Instead of throwing that pity party, let these verses be your encouragement.

“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good…”

The nearness of God is really all I need, and it blesses me more than any dollar amount.

My heart is a pity-party free zone.

 

April 22 – It’s A Great Day

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Psalms 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21

Reading these psalms this morning has my heart praising God for my salvation. Even when there is no good in me He loves me. He forgives even my secret sins. He has written His love letter to me, my owner’s manual, my guidebook.

He walks with me. He defeats my enemies, those things which would come between my God and me.

I rejoice in my salvation. How majestic is God in all the earth.

“Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power.” (21:13)

“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your Presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (16:11)

It’s a great day to walk with my Savior!

April 20 – Ain’t No Mountain

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Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130

Several of these psalms speak about mountains. For one thing, a mountain isn’t going anywhere. During the days these psalms were written, living close to a mountain provided protection from invading enemies. And if you lived surrounded by mountains you were extra safe.

Very often in Scripture mountains are used to represent problems, something to be conquered, or to get over. These psalms had me looking at mountains today in a different light.

God is asking me today where I go for protection from my enemy Satan. Do I turn on Dr. Phil, read a self-help book, talk to a friend, take a pill or have a drink? How is that working for me?

Psalm 121 reminds me God made heaven and earth, that He won’t let my foot slip, that He’ll protect me and keep my soul. Psalm 124: “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 125 tells me if I trust in the Lord I can be as immovable as Mt. Zion. It also says God surrounds me like the mountains around Jerusalem.

Today, I want to seek shelter in God who is more sturdy than any mountain He created. I want to live in the shadow of the mountain that is God Himself. He is my shield and safety. He is my protection and strength. None of my problems are too big for Him.

And He’s not going anywhere. He is as immovable as a mountain. And if I go to Him by reading His Word and praying, He is there.

You see, there “ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough” to keep God from me. That’s where I get my help. That’s where I get my strength. That’s where I want to be.

 

 

April 18 – Out of the Darkness

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Psalms 17, 35, 54, 63

When you read these psalms you can almost hear the sadness in David’s voice. Life is not being fair. He is in despair. His enemies are real and fighting hard to destroy him. For no reason.

But you can also get a sense of the trust David has in God. David is not without hope. You can read about his torment. But listen to his words of faith:

17:15 As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I wake.

35:28 And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness and Your praises all day long.

35:54 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. 

And here is the key to what I believe is David’s ability to completely trust God during the worst time of his life, during his darkest hours:

63:1  O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

If you don’t read anything else today, I hope you’ll read Psalm 63. If you are beaten down by the cares of this world, if you are being treated unfairly, if it seems like Satan is winning the war, turn your eyes toward Jesus.

The more you dwell on the problems in your life, the more power they have over you.

Does your soul thirst for God, or for something else? Does your flesh yearn for God? David tells us God’s lovingkindness is better than life itself. Do you believe that?

Allow yourself to rest in the shadow of His wing. Cling to God because His right hand can hold you up through these dark days. You’ll begin to see the light because Jesus tells us HE is the Light of the World. He’s the light of YOUR world.

When you take your eyes off the problem, when you spend time in God’s Word and allow Him to carry you, the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of the Savior’s glory and grace.

My Dear Comforter, I pray for hurting people today. I thank You that You inspired David to write these beautiful psalms that express what many of us are going through thousands of years later. And I thank You that David reminds us that You are able. You are righteous. You have our backs. And when we cling to You, You are able to give us exactly what we need to face today. May hurting people spend time in Your Word today. May they talk to You, the One who loves them to death. And may they allow You to bring them out of the darkness of the situation, into the light of Your Presence. Comfort them. Strengthen them. May we all look to Jesus only today.

April 16 – Tears In A Bottle

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Psalms 56, 120, 140-141

Have you ever felt the need to shut the door to your room and just cry? (And men, I’m talking to you, too.) You can put up a brave face for only so long, and you realize you have arrived at your breaking point. You are alone. Not even your loved ones understand. You need to be by yourself and let it all out.

But you are never alone. There is Someone right there with you who loves you beyond what you know. And it’s at our lowest points that God wants to hold us, comfort and strengthen us.

I love what David said in Psalm 56:8:

You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in your book?

There isn’t a tear that falls from your eyes that God does not see or consider important. And he doesn’t forget a one of them.

David’s circumstances did not change. Saul still wanted him dead. The Philistines held him captive. But listen to David’s words in the midst of his pain:

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You, in God whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

If you are sad, or alone, or fearful, or all of the above, get alone with your Savior. Read the psalms. Let God gather your tears and replace them with Himself.

He loves you so much.

March 29 – Come On In

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Joshua 22-24

They built a replica altar. The two and a half tribes that chose to live close to, but not in, the Promised Land built an altar as a sign to those in the Promised Land that they were their equals. They wanted everyone for generations to know they had the right to worship at the tabernacle, that they were the children of Israel, too.

They were. And they did have the right to worship with their brothers. God hadn’t forced them to enter the land. And He blessed them with their own land on the other side of Jordan.

But they had settled for second best. They never experienced the abundant riches living inside the Promised Land afforded. It wasn’t that they weren’t happy, or that they couldn’t call themselves Jews. They just missed having everything God wanted them to have.

Is it possible to be a Christian and not experience the abundant life? I believe Scripture tells us it is. Can you be a Christian and not read your Bible every day or pray? Can you be a Christian and not be involved in a church fellowship? I believe so. But hear me when I say non-Christians don’t read their Bibles, either. They don’t pray. They don’t go to church.

Can you be obedient to God as His child, and not nurture a close relationship with Him?? I don’t see how.

God wants you to live in the Promised Land of fellowship with Him, enjoying the abundant blessings that come when you walk with Him. Why would you be satisfied living within arms reach and not grabbing hold of the best God has to offer?

God won’t force you. But that door is wide open, and He’s standing there inviting you to come on in and be blessed beyond what you can even imagine.

Ans speaking of blessings… Thank you for praying for Sheri yesterday. Her daughter reports that surgery went better than they had hoped. There will be radiation and chemo for Sheri in the days and weeks ahead. But God is in this and we are just praising Him today for answering prayers with this successful surgery.

Sheri lives in the Promised Land. She faces her cancer with hope and confidence and assurance beyond what many people can imagine. She walks with Jesus. And she knows she’ll walk with Him today either here on in eternity.

I trust you can say the same.