Transcendent Praise

Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

I have read Psalm 103 repeatedly through the years and even memorized some of the verses. I have read them in praise of God and realized the many ways in which God is pleased to bless his children. It is a great comfort to read that he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. Interesting word! Since I used to think sin was sin I once asked the Holy Spirit what are iniquities. His simple answer was “hidden sins.”  In other words the wrong things we do that we think no one knows about, not even God. Ouch!

Anyway, back to the Psalm. The greatness of God’s love for us is compared to the height from earth to heaven and his willingness to forgive as the distance between east and west. Then it tells us that just as a natural father has compassion for his children, God takes pity on his children because he knows all about our makeup and that we are dust. I can’t read this Psalm without feeling very loved and cared for by a good Father, and this love extends to my children. Wow!

The last few verses of this Psalm magnify God in amazing ways. Verse 19 just leaped off the page at me: “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” A reminder that no matter what is going on in this crazy world, God has not abdicated. And the Holy Spirit confirmed it immediately:

“So it is. I do reign and I have not abdicated. As I have decreed in my Word so shall it be. I have not handed over the reins of time or eternity to mere men. I set up kingdoms so that my will may be done. I have set the time and I keep watch from my throne. Those who do my will, I will uphold and those who will not submit, I bring down in due time. I am not a God who does not love the earth I created and the people who live in it but I do require that they acknowledge me to be God. My arms are outstretched for a repentant people. I will pardon and lift them up if only they will turn to me.”

Romans 10: 9 – 10 The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

“God wants nothing to do with me. You don’t know how wicked I’ve been. I am beyond saving.” Is that your cry? I have good news for you. You are exactly the person God is looking for especially because he knows how wicked you have been. And no, you are not beyond saving.

What you are experiencing is the conviction of sin. That is a good thing.

God is righteous and holy. Sin is ugly and separates you from him. But God provided a remedy – the death of Jesus on the cross is the bridge back to God. Jesus is the righteous Son of God and he died in your place for all the wickedness (sins) you have committed in your rebellion against God. Unless you say to God that you recognize this rebellion in yourself and accept the love he has showed you by sacrificing his Son on Calvary, you will remain in the hopeless state you find yourself.

You have the golden opportunity right now for a fresh start if you will respond to God’s Holy Spirit who is pleading with you to accept salvation and come into a right relationship with God.   Open your mouth and speak to God. He will save you not on your merit but because Christ died for you. Calvary is what makes it possible for God to forgive and change you and call you his child.

John 4:53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed.

John 4: 43 to 53 tell us that Jesus had just returned from Judea to Galilee. The people of Galilee welcomed him because they had seen all he had done previously at the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.  While in Galilee he visited the little town of Cana where he had performed his first miracle turning water into wine. On arrival a royal official approached Jesus and begged him to go with him to Capernaum to heal his son who was near death.

At first Jesus’ response was “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe.” To this the official repeated his plea. Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The official took Jesus at his word and left. On his way he was met by his servants who informed him that his son was very much alive and well. When he asked at what time his son had recovered it dawned on him that it was exactly at the time Jesus told him that his son would live. Wow! What happened? Jesus sent his word and healed the boy. In Psalm 107:19 – 20 we read the words of another observant and thankful heart, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” Like Father, like Son! Hallelujah!

“I am the living God so my word is life-giving. The power is in my word. My word changes things. It was by my word that I created the heavens and the earth. Likewise I am able to change any circumstance by the utterance of my word. My word moves like the wind to accomplish that which I please. It is all about my will and purpose.”

Hebrews 9: 27-28 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Life and death are opposite sides of the same coin, there is just a slice of time between them. The gravity of this reality was brought home to me very forcefully one Sunday while returning from church. I was on that New York raceway called the Grand Central Parkway. I had merged onto the Parkway going west just before Flushing Meadow Park and I heard the sound of an oncoming Harley motorbike. It whizzed past me in an instant and was gone. That is normal. By the time I approached the LaGuardia airport, the traffic had stalled in every lane. That was unusual. Soon I could see ahead to my right that there had been an accident and various individuals were coming and going at the scene, everyone on a cellphone. One of the vehicles involved was in my lane. As I peered ahead, I saw someone move the bike to the shoulder of the road and on the pavement there laid the biker motionless. My heart broke. Did he die? I don’t know, there was nothing on the news yet. I was very shaken by the reality of how suddenly this man’s life had either ended or changed forever.

Death is certain and to many it comes suddenly. I reflected that just within the last 10 days before this incident several celebrities had passed away, there had been a train wreck, a plane crash, fires, and wars taking thousands of lives. Were all these people ready to face judgment? Are you?  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Roman 5:8). Do you believe this? Speak to God and tell him so, ask for forgiveness of sins and be free from the fear of death and judgment.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

God has extended an open invitation to everyone to come into a covenant relationship with him. He did so by allowing his Son to die on the cross at Calvary.  He can only look at us and forgive us because Christ satisfied the standard of righteousness he required. Having made that sacrifice, he then asks us to acknowledge his Son as Savior and Lord of our lives. When we do, the covenant relationship is set in motion. Out of the relationship should flow a newness of life on many levels. If you are willing and obedient, his indwelling Holy Spirit will move to transform you not just to become a hopeful, productive and loving person, but one who desires to see the Kingdom of God come in the earth. This is what 2 Corinthians 5:17 means where it says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

There is a need then for believers to understand how the kingdom of Satan is diametrically opposed to the Kingdom of God. It is all about the leadership of each. When Jesus introduced himself as the good shepherd he explained the difference between himself and the opposition in this way: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). In seeking to encourage elders and young men of the church in Asia Minor which was experiencing persecution, the Apostle Peter was equally blunt in identifying the opposition: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5: 8).

From these Scriptures we realize that living the “new life” requires us to be fully engaged in recognizing and resisting the tricks of the devil. The seemingly ‘innocent’ temptations to which we yield initially can turn out to be icebergs. Therefore “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). The ability to resist is contingent upon the willingness to submit.

Matthew 8: 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

What is your situation this morning? What have you gotten yourself into that is overwhelming you and making you afraid? A relationship you knew was wrong from the outset, more responsibility on the job than you can handle, higher debt than you know what to do with? Whatever it is for you, you have come to the point of despair. Well, child of God, I have good news. God is not the least bit surprised by your situation. He has been watching all along. In some ways we are often very much like a kitten with a ball of thread – the harder we try to unravel ourselves from a particular situation, the worse it gets. So, do what the disciples did – go to the Lord and ask for his help. He will grant relief in some way, allowing you to get through the crisis. Honor him as Lord over everything including your life.

Read Matthew 8: 23 – 27. The record indicates that Jesus spoke to the wind and everything calmed down but does it occur to you that the disciples had to then set about bailing out the water that had gotten into the boat? Likewise there is work for you to do now. Implement change. Extricate yourself from relationships that demean you, adjust your attitude in the workplace, manage your time better, kill off some cravings and desires, whatever has brought you to where you are, take one immediate step to subdue it.

For many, excess debt is the big elephant in the room and it grows daily via the credit card(s). Do you know it is possible to have just one? Begin to starve the elephant by keeping only one card that is valid everywhere and destroy all the others. Get one through a credit union so you have the benefit of a lower interest rate. A year from now you will be amazed at the improvement in your situation. Why? Because you have been making more conscious choices about what is a need as opposed to “I like that, let me get it.”

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7). He has given you the ability to think critically and problem solve so you can be proactive and wise and not just be swept along by circumstances.

Ecclesiastes 5: 4 – 5 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

This is advice given by someone who refers to himself as the “Preacher” a King of Israel (traditionally thought to be Solomon). Solomon asked and received wisdom from God, together with more wealth than he could manage. He reveled in it all and eventually felt that he had explored every indulgence that existed “under the sun”. He concluded that unless life had God at its center, everything else amounted to “vanity” or was just meaningless.

The Preacher comments that “A man can do nothing better than to find satisfaction in his work.” But then he adds, “This too I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Eccles. 3: 24 – 26). If ever there was a treatise on the meaning of life, this Book of Ecclesiastes is it.

One thing that does not escape the Preacher’s understanding is the subject of man’s accountability toward God:  “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.” (Eccles. 3: 11 and 17). It is against this background and the wisdom gained that the Preacher not only encourages us to live a happy and balanced life but to stand in awe of God. Therefore he entreats us not to take lightly the making of vows to God, but to quickly fulfill them once we make them.

Daniel 4:17 The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.

This is an excerpt from the 4^th chapter of the Book of Daniel in which King Nebuchadnezzar was describing to Daniel a vision he had seen and asked him to interpret it for him. The King identified the messengers in the vision as holy ones coming down from heaven.  He recognized their message as a “verdict” and concluded the purpose was “so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.”

It is amazing how crystal clear the King’s observations were concerning the vision but the one thing he did not contemplate or imagine was that it had anything to do with him. This is so true of so many who hold positions of power whether gained by inheritance or conferred by public consensus. In their failure to understand that power is privilege and that they are accountable to the Most High, some proceed to lead or rule in a manner that demeans or terrorizes their subjects sometimes for decades.

From Daniel’s interpretation of the dream and the consequences for Nebuchadnezzar, I can only conclude that pride is a great sin in the eyes of God and he makes it his business to teach humility to anyone who glories in its excess. “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12).

In our day, we hear of men in both public office and industry falling from their perches with great frequency and when the tale is told of their excesses, one cannot help but wonder why they didn’t see it coming. Because God is just, when power is abused he recalibrates the height of the perch or tears it down altogether. Unfortunately sometimes it takes longer than we would wish and people suffer in the interim. History is littered with the debris of shattered perches and former kingdoms but even with all the evidence, those who are privileged to rule or lead seldom demonstrate humility. Humility is not weakness but simply an acknowledgement that God does rule in the affairs of men. He gives divine wisdom which is a source of great strength.

Pray for humility and wisdom for your leaders and bosses daily because their character and relationship to God, or the lack thereof, affect your quality of life.

II Kings 2: 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left and the two walked over on dry ground.

This is the second time in the Word of God where we read that the waters of the Jordan River was parted long enough for people to walk through it on dry ground. In both instances it happened for ordinary men, Joshua and Elijah, who were empowered by God to lead extraordinary lives before him.

In this second instance Elijah whom I call the fearless prophet was on a special journey accompanied by his student Elisha. Elijah knew it was his last day on the earth but so did Elisha and the other prophets of the towns they would pass through that day. Elijah was trying to spare Elisha the pain of his departure. Each time they arrived in another town Elijah told him to remain there but Elisha was not buying it. Having gone through Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho they finally arrived at the Jordan. Elijah made a final appeal to Elisha but he insisted he would not leave him. Talk about persistence! So Elijah used his cloak to strike the water which parted in front of them so they could cross over on dry ground while 50 men of the company of the prophets of Jordan watched.

Elisha had seen many miracles performed by Elijah and his desire to live under the same anointing was so intense that he requested from Elijah that he would inherit a double portion of his spirit. And so he did. As a result he was able to part the Jordan for his return journey with Elijah’s cloak which fell to him when Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind to heaven.

As I contemplated these repeat miracles of Bible times, I found myself wondering if God would repeat similar miracles in our day. In that moment the Holy Spirit responded to my musing:

“The Lord God can and does repeat miracles for those who trust in him. There is no limitation on what God can and does do from time to time. It is all according to his good pleasure. That he repeated for Elijah and Elisha what he did for Joshua is evidence that God’s presence goes with his people not only from place to place but from generation to generation. He is the Lord God after all, not subject to any restraints by man.”

Psalm 47: 2 How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!

We are over a year into a new Administration following the 2016 U.S. elections. Some who were dejected are now excited because the economy seems to be doing well. Others who were excited are now dejected and, if the media is to be believed, there is still a great deal of anxiety about what the future holds for the country. The fact is that no one knows except God Almighty. He ordained it that way. The earth is his and everything and everyone in it. (Psalm 24:1 refers). So the question is not what the new Administration will do, but what does the Lord God have in mind for the nation.

The thing to realize is that no one comes to power in the nations of the earth unless God allows it, so every leader is under God and he will give wisdom to whoever asks for it. The business of every citizen is to continue to pray for the President and the Administration that they will seek God’s wisdom in all that they set out to do. King Solomon asked God for wisdom and was given that and more riches than he could handle.  (See 1 Kings 3: 1-15). We can be sure that God has not abdicated since Psalm 47: 7 – 8 remind us: “For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

For the Christian community our charge still remains the same as was given to Israel: “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14). We are intercessors first and foremost for this land we love.