WOMEN LIVING HOLY LIVES

Up and Down

"I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.  Bend down and listen as I pray."(Psalm 17:6  NLT)

The translation of this verse really popped out at me - particularly the last part, "bend down and listen".  I get a picture of God, tall and strong, standing up or even sitting on His throne, and the psalmist (and me) looking up at Him, a tiny little thing wanting to get His attention.  I see a twofold reality: God is

• Lord.  I'm thinking here of the word Yahweh/Jehovah that is translated "Lord" and is written in small capitals in the Old Testament.  This is the "I AM WHO I AM", the One who has no beginning nor end, the Creator, the self-sufficient One.  Yahweh is holy.  No one who is unholy can approach him.  Think about Moses' first encounter with Yahweh at the "burning bush".  The ground on which Moses had begun to walk was holy because of the presence of holy Yahweh (see Exodus 3:1-6).  Because of who He is and because of His character and attributes, Yahweh is high above us.  I'm not thinking so much of location as I am of stature and status.  We can't be raised to His stature and status, so if He decides to listen to us (which He usually does), He has to "bend" toward us.  An illustration of Yahweh bending toward us is the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Paul wrote: "...Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God...made himself nothing...he humbled himself and became obedient..." (Philippians 2:5-8  NIV) 
• Father.  I have been told that if an adult wants to talk to a child, the adult should stoop down to the child's eye level.  This puts the child at ease and facilitates communication.  In the New Testament, and particularly in the ministry of Jesus and the writings of Paul, there is a strong emphasis on God as Abba, father (see, for example, Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6).  Fathers who love their children and truly want to hear what their children have to say, bend down to listen to them.  God is our Father because of Jesus Christ: "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children...heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..." (Romans 8:16-17  NIV)  Because we are His through Christ, God wants to hear what we have to say.  He is bigger than we are, so He "bends down" to hear what we have to say when we pray to Him.  I absolutely love that picture of God bending down to listen to me because He loves me!

When you talk to God today, try to imagine Him bending down so that He can listen to you.  Then dwell a little bit on how that makes you feel.  When we raise our prayers UP to God, God bends DOWN so that we know that He is listening to us.  Prayers up, God's ears down.  Up and down.

Heavenly Father, thank You for bending down to listen to us.  That reminds us of how much You love us.  We love You, too!  Amen.

Psalm 19 (Part 3)

The third part of Psalm 19 (verses 12 through 14) addresses personal responsibility before God:

Who can discern his errors?  Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.  Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

These verses make three points:

• We are all prone to sin.  The crux of the matter is that  God is sovereign, but He has given us free will, so each person is responsible for her actions. From God's perspective we are all sinful and thus imperfect.  However, we do not usually see our specific sins or imperfections.  Sometimes we believe our own hype.  But God knows the heart - He knows the true character that may be hidden below the outward kindness, the smile, the generosity.  The psalmist acknowledges this in his request for God's forgiveness. 
• We can sin unknowingly.  In verse 13, the psalmist realizes that sometimes we sin without realizing it, and at other times we sin deliberately.  He asks for God's help with the latter.  We can do the same.  All of us have at least one bad habit that plagues us.  We can ask God's help through the Holy Spirit to not let this sin have control of (rule over) us.  In Romans 6:15-18,  Paul teaches that before Christ we were slaves to sin, but with Christ we are now slaves of God; sin no longer rules over us. 
• We don't have to sin.  I love to start my day by reciting verse 14 of this psalm.  If God can get control of my heart, then my words will please Him, and perhaps I won't be as sinful as I am prone to be.  Here is what Jesus said: "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45  NIV) The important thing, then, is to keep our hearts right with God. 

Finally, God is our rock, i.e. He is steadfast, immovable, unwavering.  He is sure and reliable.  God is also our Redeemer.  He has purchased us from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ.  In the days of slavery, the redeemer became the new master unless he decided to set the redeemed one totally free.  We have been set free from sin, but we now have a new master, Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your remedy for sin - Jesus Christ.  Please cleanse our hearts so that we may praise You with our mouths.  Amen.

Psalm 19 (Part 2)

The second part of Psalm 19 (verses 7 to 11) deals with the perfection of God's Law:

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

There are several things that we should pay attention to:

• The law comes from the Lord.  The word "Lord" here is written in small capitals.  This indicates that it is the Hebrew word "Yahweh", which means "I AM".  Yahweh/Lord is God over all.  There is none before or beside Him.  What He says, goes.  Therefore, the law that He has given is to be obeyed.  This law is Yahweh's special revelation to mankind (just as the heavens are Yahweh's natural revelation, per verses 1 through 6)
• There are several synonyms used for the law: statutes, precepts, commands, fear, ordinances.
• There are several characteristics ascribed to the law: perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure, righteous.  What I really like is that these characteristics reflect the attributes of God Himself!  God is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure, and "altogether righteous".  That is why we can rely on Him, trust in Him, and accept that the law He has given us is perfect.
• There are several benefits of the law: it revives the soul, it makes us wise, it gives us joy, it enlightens us (i.e. it gives us understanding and it gives us direction), it is eternal.

The law of the Lord is the most precious thing in the world.  It is more precious than wealth, health, or happiness.  The purpose of the law is to instruct us how to live.  We learn what is wrong and what is right.  When we obey, we are rewarded.  Where is the law of the Lord found?  In the Bible.  By extension, then, the Bible, which is the Word of God, is most precious.  In its pages we receive directions for living.  Remember the acronym - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  Here is what Jesus said about God's law: "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18  NIV)   That means that God's law, God's word, is still applicable to us today in 2010.  The more we read and meditate on the Word, the more we will know what God expects of us and wants for us.  The more we obey God's word/law, the more pleasure we will bring to God, and our reward will be great.

Heavenly Father, we thank You that, like You, Your word is perfect.  May we appreciate it, respect it, and obey it, for Your glory.  Amen.

Psalm 19 (Part 1)

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 19, a song that David wrote.  It can be divided logically into three segments:

• Praise to God (verses 1-6)
• Perfection of God's Law (verses 7-11)
• Personal responsibility before God (verses 12-14) 

Here is the first segment, Psalm 19:1-6:

1. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
3. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
4. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
5. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

These verses remind me of Romans 1:20, in which Paul writes, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

When we look up, we see the evidence of God's existence and of His glory.  In Genesis 1:6-8; 14-19 we read of God's creation of the sky on the second day, and the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day. The sun is like the spotlight on the Creator.  It is over us in the daytime, providing heat for everyone, so that even those who are blind can feel its presence and know that God exists.  At night we have the moon and the stars that proclaim God in their turn.  Unfortunately, our technology has pretty much erased the splendor of the night sky - the glow of the electrical lights that we have installed tends to block our view of the stars, particularly in the city.

The bottom line is this - there is no place on earth where the sun does not shine, or where the moon and stars do not glow. Everyone - everyone - is a witness to the glory of God, whether they acknowledge it or not.

As you go about your business today, look up at the sun and thank God for His creation.  Tonight, make a point of looking at the moon and the stars, and give glory to God.  When we do this, it puts a whole lot of things in perspective!

Heavenly Father, Creator God, thank you for reminding us that You are God above all and over all.  Help us to declare Your glory as the heavens do.  Amen.

Psalm 119

 Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.

 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.

 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.

 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.  (Psalm 119:12-16  NIV)

Happy Sunday!

Psalm 115

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Why let the nations say, "where is their God?"
Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes...
May the LORD richly bless both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
The heavens belong to the LORD, but he has given the earth to all humanity.
The dead cannot sing praises to the LORD, for they have gone into the silence of the grave.
But we can praise the LORD both now and forever!  Praise the LORD!  (Psalm 115:1-3, 14-18  NLT)

Happy Sunday!

Psalm 113

Praise the LORD.  Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.

The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,

who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.  Praise the LORD.  (Psalm 113:1-9  NIV)

Happy Sunday!

Psalm 112

Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.

His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing. (Psalm 112:1-10  NIV)

Happy Sunday!

Psalm 111

Praise the LORD.  I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (Psalm 111  NIV)

Happy Sunday!

Psalm 108

 My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

 Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn.

 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.  (Psalm 108:1-5  NIV)

Happy Sunday!