Never Alone

     There are times in  our lives when we all feel alone.  Perhaps a friend is moving away, we  may have lost a loved one or maybe, we have lost our employment.  Any of these situations can often make us feel isolated.  However, there is good news for all believers in God's Word.  In reality we are never alone.

     Psalm 139 has always been one of my favorites and it really came to life for me during our Sunday School lesson on the omnipresence of God.   The prefix "omni" means "all"; so to say God is omnipresent means that he is everywhere present since he is not bound by time or space.  This is a hard concept for those of us who are bound by both time and space with our physical bodies.  Yet, God is both transcendent and immanent.  Unlike pantheism that believes God is in everything, Christians believe He is everywhere present at all times.  What good news for the believer who at times feels alone or deserted in life.

     As the Psalm opens, we see David acknowledging that God knows him in an intimate way (vs.1).  God sees him when he rises up or is seated and more than that, God knows his thoughts.  He also knows how David behaves and what he is about to say even before he says it (Vs.2-4).  This is a picture of just how well God knows not only David but also each one of us.  In some ways, it is a bit frightening to know that God is acquainted with each one of us to this degree of intimacy.  For the Christian, this is a comfort, however.  David exclaims in vs. 6 "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it."

   

 When we turn to verses 7-12, we begin to realize that there really is no place we can go to get away from God's presence.  He resides in heaven but also in Sheol (the place of the dead).  He is in the morning and at the same time, in the depth of the sea.  Even darkness cannot cover us or keep us from God's presence.  While there are times when we may not feel that God is near, these words provide us with the picture of His abiding presence.  

     Perhaps the most intimate picture painted for us in the words of David's Psalm are these in verse 13-14:  "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."  The very fact that God intricately formed us to be who we are physically, spiritually and mentally means He knows us and cares about us like a mother knows her newborn infant.  There is nothing that would surprise God about us, and He delights in walking with us through this life.

     What we need to learn to do is remember that God, our all powerful, all knowing, all holy, all loving and ever present Redeemer will never leave nor forsake us.  This should inform our conduct in His presence and reassure us in times when we feel alone.  There is virtually no place where we can go that He is not already there for us.  Take comfort in knowing this today. Let our prayer be like David's closing words in vs. 23-24:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" Selah!

Surely Goodness and Mercy....

     One of the advantages to growing older is the ability to look back across our lives and see all the places where God has intervened for our benefit and His glory.  At the time we are in the midst of a crisis, we often miss the superb timing, the loving touch, and the grace that allows us to emerge from a fiery trial unscathed.  David, the Psalmist and Shepherd King of Israel, knew the comfort of God’s unending care and memorialized it for us in Psalm 23.  This is a Psalm well known to most of us if not memorized when we were young.  In fact, I learned this Psalm in French during high school language class, and in any context, it brings comfort to the speaker and hearer alike.

 

        As we approach Thanksgiving, we need to stop and think about the message of this simple Psalm.  God is likened to a shepherd who makes provision for us on a daily basis.  He cares for us, leads us and takes us to places of rest.  The opening verse tell us:  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  We need to pause and think about all the ways that God keeps us and cares for us.  Unfortunately, we often take daily blessings for granted such as food on the table, a place to sleep, a job, and our family.  Instead, the enemy wants us to concentrate on all the things we don’t have. To Psalm 27:35, I add my “amen”:  “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” Though times may look difficult, the Lord walks with us even as He did with the children of Israel when they wandered for forty years in the wilderness.  Their clothes did not even wear out!

          Secondly, not only is the Lord with us during the good times, but He walks with us even in the valley of the shadow of death.  How well, I remember that there was an eleven year span where I lost my 39 year old aunt, my grandparents and my father who died much too young.  Then, came a long struggle in keeping watch for ten years as my mother went through Alzheimer’s Disease.  Never did we think we would lose a grandson in 2014 at age six, but again, the Lord provided His extraordinary grace to us.   No family in this world is spared from the walk in this valley, but when we have Jesus Christ, we have comfort, solace and strength to make it to the other side.  Of course, we all know that one day we will walk in this valley as we prepare to go home to the Lord, but we can say “I will fear no evil” as David declared because Jesus will usher us into His presence.  What we must remember is that a valley may have shadows, but they also can be very fruitful in comfort.  I love what Matthew Henry has to say about this section of the Psalm:  “Death is a king of terrors, but not to the sheep of Christ. When they come to die, God will rebuke the enemy; he will guide them with his rod, and sustain them with his staff. There is enough in the gospel to comfort the saints when dying, and underneath them are the everlasting arms.”

           Finally, we must remember that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life. (vs 6).  God has made this a promise to us.  Goodness walks along side of us each day in the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us.  Mercy guards our rear flank and keeps us from stumbling over the roadblocks of life.  Oh, I know.  It may seem like neither is there at times, but if you live long enough and look back over all you have been through, you will see the tracks of mercy and goodness behind you.  God doesn’t always let us see all the dangers He has kept us from until a later time or until we see Him face to face.  Yet, His promises are certain and His tender care unequaled.

           As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we need to take time to go around the dinner table and ask everyone to share one thing for which they are thankful.  Then, read Psalm 23 and think about God’s total care and provision for each one of us.  May our hearts be filled with His praise for we are the sheep of His pasture.  Selah! 

No Job is Unimportant

     

Going off to college, I had stars in my eyes.  Drama, public speaking, oral interpretation of literature, radio broadcasting and debating were areas that came easy to me in high school.  My goal was to become a teacher in the area of communications with a minor in English.  So when I started my college courses, I immediately tried out for theater productions.  Having done well in high school, I expected to get a substantial part on my first try.  When I learned that I had gotten a small part, I was disappointed.   

     At our cast meeting, our Theater Professor told us something I will never forget.  He said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.”  He emphasized how important every detail, every character and every line was to the whole production.  We were painting a picture through our drama.  After the meeting, I looked at things very differently and took his advice to heart giving my best effort to the part I had been assigned.  For Christians, we all would do well to remember that same advice when it comes to using our talents in serving the Lord.

     Every believer is given gifts by the Holy Spirit  to use for God’s glory.  Likewise the Lord has designed us in such a way to fulfill all the good works He has for us to do using our talents and abilities.  We have only to look into God’s Word to see a great example of this.  

     In Exodus Chapter 35 and verses 30-35, Moses describes two craftsmen that have the special qualifications to help in building the Tabernacle:  “Then Moses said to the people of Israel, ‘See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.  And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahinamach of the tribe  of Dan.  He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver – by any sort of  workman or skilled designer.’”   Just as Moses pointed out, God had prepared Bezalel and Oholiab to carry out the intricate work of designing cloth and engravings for the Tabernacle.  

     Notice that it was God who had given these men great skill which He wanted them to use for His glory.  Prior to this time, we had never heard their names, but God knew them and the plan He had for their  lives in service to Him.  Just as our Savior took the five loaves and two fish multiplying them to feed the 5,000, so our God takes what skills we bring to Him and multiplies the blessings.

     Frequently, I hear people say that they do not have anything to offer the Lord.  They do not see that their job is important in His eyes.  So I would remind them as my college professor did that day:  There are no small jobs, only small faith and trust in our omnipotent God!  He is able to muliple the talents we bring to Him.

     Whether you are a baker, a butcher or a candlestick maker, God has you in a position where He can use you.  Never buy into the lies of the enemy that want you to believe that your job is unimportant.Remember that we are to do all to His glory.  In this, He is well pleased.  Selah!