2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Have you ever asked yourself: Who is God to me? Recently, He put this deceptively simple question in my mind. When I began to think about it, I realized the answer to it is not nearly as simple as the question. For that reason, I won’t attempt to answer it completely in this message. But, I will encourage you to begin thinking about your own answer to it. As I struggled with this question in an effort to understand what our Lord was leading me to believe, He spoke to me (as He often does) in more than one way. When I relax, I like to read a well-written novel like Jan Karon’s “A New Song.” I got to chapter 16, and the author had the main character mention a quote from St. Francis de Sales that he treasured. “Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father Who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield: my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped. He is not only with me but in me and I in Him.’ “ The Lord just won’t leave me alone, and am I glad of it!
Of course all the answers that I get to that question don’t come from a novel, so I was led to go to my favorite source, the Scriptures. It is what I found that I want to share with you in the hopes that it will bless your life as it is blessing mine. In Genesis 15: 1, Abram had just come back from his victory at Chedorlaomer and paid a tithe to the king of Salem, Melchizedek. “After this, Abram had a vision and heard the Lord say, ‘Do not be afraid Abram, I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward.’ “ Moses prays for Israel in DT 33: 29. “Israel how happy you are! There is no one like you, a nation saved by the Lord. The Lord is your shield, your sword to defend you and give you victory.’ “ David understood that his faith in God made him eligible for this protection and mentions it repeatedly in the Psalms. Here are two examples: PS 3: 3 , “But You, O Lord, are always my shield from danger; You give me victory.” PS 28: 7, “The Lord is my shield and my strength. I trust in Him. He gives me help and makes me glad. I praise Him with joyful songs.” We are reminded that God deserves our praise and thanks BEFORE we come to Him with our requests, by David’s example. A wise king Solomon reminds us in PR 30: 5, “God keeps every promise He makes. He is like a shield for all who seek His protection.”
We are blessed even more than Israel was in the past, because we are living in the age of grace. Thanks to the public ministries of Christ Himself, Who revealed the Gospel of the Kingdom and Paul, who revealed the Gospel of Grace, we understand the further implications to our lives of the victory that comes from faith in God through His Son and the Holy Spirit. We know that we can take comfort from whatever suffering we must endure in faith, relying that God will provide victory over spiritual death. The implications of that to us are huge! When Paul wrote to the Ephesians in EPH 3: 16, he was praying about the love of Christ. “I ask God from the wealth of His glory to give you power through His Spirit to be strong in your inner selves…” To the Colossians, Paul wrote in COL 1: 11, “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience.” In Romans 5: 3-4, which I quote often for good cause, Paul tells that church, “We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and His approval creates hope.”
Paul understood God as his strength and shield well. That is why he said to Timothy, his young companion and the one he chose to take over leadership of the church at Ephesus in 2 TIM 4: 17, “but the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength so that I was able to proclaim the full message for all the Gentiles to hear; and I was rescued from being sentenced to [second] death.” We can learn a lot about the Lord’s attributes and responses to our demonstrations of faith from the testimonies of all the faithful ones of Bible. We can also learn a lot from listening to the testimonies of our faithful friends in our own lives too. I suspect that one of the reason the Lord encourages us to be an active part of our congregations is that so we will come in contact with other believers who can share their testimonies in one way or another with us, thus edifying our faith. Because we know from the Scriptures the extent of Paul’s suffering for the cause of spreading the Gospel, we can fully appreciate the strong faith that fueled his testimony. It is a great example for us.
I was asked to memorize Hebrews 11:6 as a part of the course on Experiencing God that I am taking. What a blessing this citation is to our lives. “Without faith no one can please God, because anyone who comes to God must believe in Him and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Real faith in God brings hope. It also makes you aware that He wants to protect you either by preventing trouble or more often, by equipping you to deal with it. So, whatever the troubles of your life are, you can take comfort in knowing that God wants to be present in your life. All you have to do is to seek Him. As we approach the celebration of His Son’s birth, I hope you will keep that in mind as a shield against the stresses and depression that sometimes detract from your holiday activities.
PRAYER: O Lord, we praise and thank You for meeting our imperfections with Your desire to love and protect us. Help us to remember that You are the very best source of strength and protection available to us. We pledge our faith to You. In Christ’s name. Amen.
May you all feel the warmth of God’s presence as you celebrate the birth of His Son this coming Saturday. Peter and I send you our love.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn