2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
El Elyon, the Most High God, is very clear about how far His sovereignty goes. He is also clear about the parallel truth of our responsibility to it. Now, that sounds pretty authoritarian if we don’t take the time to examine the citations that allow us to see the righteousness of these realities. We are asked to subordinate our human agendas to that of El Elyon and to trust him totally. If He were like a human, that would scare me to death. However, He is not. He is perfect, righteous, loving, and compassionate toward those who are faithful. Let’s look at some citations that He has given us to further reveal Himself to us.
DN 2: 20-23 is in a passage in this remarkable book in which God shows Daniel what King Nebuchadnezzar’s giant statue dream means. [Daniel’s words to his friends] “God is wise and powerful! Praise Him forever and ever. He controls the times and the seasons; He makes and unmakes kings; it is He Who gives wisdom and understanding. He reveals things that are deep and secret; He knows what is hidden in darkness, and He Himself is surrounded by light. I praise You and honor You, God of my ancestors. You have given me wisdom and strength; You have answered my prayer and shown us what to tell the king.” From the demeanor of these words, it can be seen that Daniel felt God’s presence with him wherever he was. He begins speaking to his friends, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Mishach, and Abed-Nego) and very naturally switches to directing his comments to El Elyon. Since we are told that God is omnipresent, we need to ask ourselves if we feel His presence wherever we are, as Daniel obviously did. This is such a rich passage that God directs me to say more about it than originally planned.
I accept the words of the Bible as 100% true. There are very few absolutes in my life, but this is one of them. God is revealed as wise and powerful. Just look at how He interacts with the people of the Scriptures and in our own lives. How can we ever question that? He certainly deserves our praise, and that’s why all the prayers I write include that. Let me give you a list of citations to look up which when done in the chronological order given will shed light on God’s wisdom and His system of gradual revelation of mysteries as mankind is ready to receive them. [DT 29: 29; DN 2: 22; LK 18: 31-34; JN 13:7; JN 20: 9; AC 1: 6-7; RO 16: 25; 1 COR 15: 1-8; 1 COR 15: 51-54; EPH 3: 3-6; COL 1: 26-27; REV 10: 7]. Please believe that this list is worth our time, because of what it reveals about El Elyon. He teaches us through the Scriptures and the law what is darkness and what is light. He challenges us to allow His light to reflect through our thoughts, words, and actions. That is not to be a power broker who wants to manipulate us for His own entertainment. It is because His love for us is so profound that He wants us all to end up glorified-sharing in His glory! God has given a very important assignment to Daniel, that of correctly interpreting the king’s dream and thus, revealing to all of us the future. I have often cited DN 10: 13 where Gabriel makes it plain that God holds Daniel in esteem. I witness to the fact that at least part of the reason for this was Daniel’s understanding and respect for God’s sovereignty and his responsibility to it. We must examine what is our own understanding of it.
DT 32: 39-41 further reveals God’s omnipotence. “I and I alone, am God; no other god is real. I take away and grant life, I wound and I heal, and no one can oppose what I do. As surely as I am the living God, I raise My hand and I vow that I will sharpen My flashing sword and see that justice is done. I will take revenge on My enemies and punish those who hate Me.” From the time of the creation, God has consistently detested both people who make a career out of being His enemies and the practice of idolatry in any form it takes. As I mentioned yesterday, there is a relationship between how often a precept is mentioned in the Bible and how important to God it is. This is one that is stated all over the Scriptures. Let me mention some modern problems we face that bring God’s way face to face with the adversary’s. God had made it plain that He and He alone has to right to grant or take away life. Yet, genetic engineers are monkeying around with this very concept. In doing this, they are opening a Pandora’s box of legal, ethical, and physical controversy. I am not saying that all the work they do is evil, but the idea of cloning or genetically engineering mankind is nothing short of scary. Americans have been raised with the idea of a democracy. Yet, what is going on with the election of our president may very well be mankind trying to interfere with God’s will. If this election decision is dragged out in the courts, how good for our country can it be? Please understand that I am not criticizing the good work that genetic engineers do in finding the causes and cures for diseases, nor do I think we shouldn’t be careful, open, and honest about determining the outcome of a close election. What I am saying is that we must bear in mind what God has revealed about what constitutes His sovereignty and our responsibility to it.
PRAYER: O Lord, Your wisdom is infinite and Your power beyond human imagination. The same can be said for Your righteousness. When we were deemed acceptable to You by coming to faith as Abraham did, You imputed righteousness to our accounts. You woke us from the immoral depths of our sinfulness and gave us the ability to choose not to sin. But there was more, Dear Lord. You showed us how to discern what is Your will and what is not. You gave us a conscience, so we could make choices and know the extent of Your sovereignty. When we choose to accept our responsibility to it, You bless us by equipping us to be victorious against the trouble, temptations, and lures of the devil. As mankind struggles in the process of sanctification, through Your mercy and compassion, You have revealed Your mysteries as we are ready to receive them. These mysteries continue to help us to better understand the plan You have to separate the ungodly from the righteous and to eventually call those who are faithful home to be with You for eternity. You have revealed the future to us through the prophecy line of the Scriptures, so that we can be prepared when Your Son comes again for us. For that and so much more, we humbly offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise ,and utmost thanksgiving. In Christ’s name, amen.
It is plain to see that the Lord is directing me to remain on the subject of El Elyon until He has revealed all He wants. For that reason, I urge You to be patient with me as He takes all of us along the path He has charted for us. I am finding it to be a real spiritual adventure, one directed by our Abba Who loves each of us with all His heart. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn