So God created mankind in his own image in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
Recently, an archeological site in Jordan was determined to be the site of the ancient city of Sodom – destroyed by a meteor of fire. That fact is now added to the 1000s upon 1000s of texts and archeological finds supporting details found within the Holy Bible. As author Eric Metaxas explains in his new book, Is Atheism Dead? , science, rather than moving us farther away from proving God’s existence, is actually moving us closer.
The desire by scientists to prove or disprove God does prove something else – our human desire to be connected to something greater than ourselves. In fact you could argue there is really no such thing as atheism. If we haven’t submitted ourselves to the one and only God and savior then we have most likely submitted our lives to something else. In our yearning for connection some turn their job into their worship. While for others it is nature, money, self-improvement, the mystical, and all other manner of things the Creator has created.
Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns. Jeremiah. 2:28
Since the beginning of time we humans have sought not just the answers to the universe but a connection to it. I’ve heard it called the “God spark.” Something within us that seeks Him, not always knowing who or what we seek. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit moving in and out and around us whispering to us to look heavenward. Far too many turn a deaf ear and instead seek the world for this connection and are never fully satisfied.
I was recently asked why I started going to church. About 25 years ago my oldest daughter, then around 4 years old, started drawing angels. And singing about angels and asking about angels. We didn’t attend any church or even talk about God. It wasn’t during Christmas season. Her questions were so innocent and yet deeply yearning for answers. It sparked me to start asking those same questions. Mind you, even though I came from an atheist household, I always believed God existed. I just didn’t know anything about Him. But with that innocent child’s questions our family began a journey.
I am so thankful that God put some of Himself in each and every one of us so that we would have that yearning to be re-connected with Him one day. So many of us just need to be directed to the Creator instead of His creations.
God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14
This week I’ve been reading a lot about going ahead of God. Thinking I know the right way, the right answer, and moving forward on that path without first seeking God. I was reminded of when I was asked to be our elementary school’s PTA president. At the time, the elementary school was the largest in the district with over 1,000 students. And it was about to undergo a major construction program to build more classrooms. That meant a lot of turmoil with the way kids were dropped off at school, where classes would be held and how many of our PTA programs would take place. I told the committee I could do the job but I didn’t think they would want my style of leadership. I wasn’t an “insider” and didn’t have any qualms about squashing old ways of doing things. Yet they returned to me multiple times asking me to take the job. And I did.
You’ll notice in this story, like we do in so many Biblical stories of failed leaders, that I haven’t mentioned consulting God. Because I didn’t. That is, until after I said, “yes.” I believe it was the next day after I agreed to the job that I had my first of many conversations with the Almighty about this decision. It went like this, “Lord, I’ve done this thing. Please help it not be the wrong decision.” In other words, I went ahead of Him and now wanted Him to fix my mess.
And God was with me throughout the two years of my term. He was there when I cried myself to sleep. He was there when I had parents screaming at me over the phone. And He was there when people who I thought were friends turned their backs on me. But He didn’t take away the consequences of my decision.
Thank God that most of the time when I’ve failed to let God lead my life it hasn’t resulted in some horrible final outcome. He has picked me up and dusted me off. And after too many times of being on that same wheel I’ve decided to take a different path. To trust that God is the Great I Am. The One who has the best laid plans. Who can make my path much more smooth if I just consult Him first. If I release my need to be the most knowledgeable, not just about my life but other’s.
I praise God today, on this final 30th day, for being I Am. For being the Lord Almighty. The God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
If you’ve ever seen the Jim Carrey movie Bruce Almighty you’ll see a man who takes this idea of control to the extreme. He wants to be in charge of his life and no one knows better than him. So God sort of turns over His powers to him. And what a mess he makes of it. At first he thinks answering prayers is so cool and then when he becomes inundated with millions of prayers he just gives everyone what they ask. And as we know, God doesn’t give us all we ask. He gives us what we need. The movie is hilarious to be sure but it speaks to our innate need to be in control. To take over the job of I Am.
We can shake our heads at characters like Saul who stop seeking God’s direction and make every mistake possible. But how many of us today will do the same? How many of us yesterday forgot to place God at the top of our consultant list and instead called our friends or family for advice? And then probably did what we originally wanted to do anyway?
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”Isaiah 55:8
Friends, God is God and we are not, thankfully. His thoughts and ways are so much better than ours. If we truly believe this and accept Him as our creator, as an active participant in our lives, then we need to seek His plans for us. Let’s all start right now by thanking Him for being the Great I Am.
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Genesis 2:9
Some time ago I set about trying to change myself completely. I told my friends I wanted to be more “sparkly.” What that meant to me was someone who, when they enter a room, people instantly want to be around. Someone who’s laughter draws others in to their sphere. Someone who seems so light of heart and lacking in any strife. Someone who, I said once, practically poops out glitter. Well shock of shocks, I realized that I’m just not ever going to be that person. So, I decided if I’m not “sparkly” then maybe I should try to be “elegant.”
I absolutely love Pinterest. You can ask it how to do anything and up pops a bazillion articles on how to do it. So, as I was scrolling through one day, I kept getting all these “Traits of an Elegant Woman” posts. However, after a recent theology night at my church I decided “elegant” wasn’t my ballywig either. After making some goofy jokes and embarrassing myself in front of complete strangers I realized I had failed just about every point on the “elegant woman” list. So maybe God just wants me to be a better version of who He made me to be? Now there’s a thought!
But in my short-lived quest of elegance, I noticed that God, Himself, has created so much elegance in our world. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines elegance this way:
Refined grace
Tasteful richness of design
Restrained beauty
Scientific precision
Today I praise God for His elegant creations and His elegant ways. But what do I mean by that? In looking at that list what comes to mind are the everyday sunrises and sunsets of which He blesses our earth. A glorious butterfly that languishes on a leaf. A smooth and quiet breeze. A gentle pattering of rain.
There’s so much to our world that really isn’t necessary for sustaining life. Yet God not only made things good, He made them very good.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.Genesis 1:31
God is so elegant in the big things like sunsets but also in the behind-the-scenes system of how everything works seamlessly. Think about the entire process of our water cycle: water evaporates from the ocean, creates condensation and is stored in the atmosphere, ice and snow drop, water comes down through rivers and groundwater, and the run-off goes back into the original source. So cool.
This God elegance isn’t always what we might call beautiful. Sometimes it seems terribly violent. A wildfire rips through a forest causing destruction. And yet that fire was also made by God. A necessary step in another elegantly crafted eco-system.
As inhabitants of this world, it’s so easy to not see the minutiae or even the bigger picture. We get trapped in our small, daily lives of running errands, paying bills, raising kids, etc. We should all take time on a regular basis to stop and admire this elegantly crafted world. Lay on your back and contemplate the clouds. Roll over and feel the life giving dirt beneath the grass. Be amazed how the seed from that dandelion blows and lands to bury into the ground to create new life. And marvel about how very, very good it all is.
Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8
I don’t know about you but as a “baby Christian” I would go entire days if not weeks without thinking about God. Without making any decision based on what God wanted of me. As my journey has progressed that “forgetting about God” can be counted in minutes and hours. And with that I have seen so many changes in my life.
The verse today takes place as the end times draw near. Creatures in heaven praising God “day and night” simply because of his everlasting holiness. As I’ve studied the Bible, I’ve seen so often how God wants a close relationship with us. Here in this verse the creatures never forget about God. But you’ll notice that God is also a constant. He was and is and is to come.
Since the 1970s, one group or another has played “chicken little” screaming from the rooftops about the world ending due to either overpopulation, nuclear war, economic collapse, global warming, etc. At one point a politician even posted a countdown to Earth’s destruction — which ran out about 8 years ago. And according to a current politician we have about 10 years left before the Earth implodes apparently.
But here’s the thing, when you study the Book of Revelation it’s not the Earth or God that is destroyed, it’s sin. God is the Alpha and Omega. He created the beginning and will be with us throughout eternity.
Today I praise the everlasting God. We cannot destroy God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. We can only, through our sin-filled, unrepentant lives destroy ourselves. My earthly goal is to serve God as best I can with Jesus as my guidebook and the Holy Spirit as my tour guide. That way I can join with the creatures in heaven continuously praising His name.
I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;Isaiah 49:15-16
The other day my Bible study girls (or BSGs as I like to call them) were once again talking about praise versus thanksgiving. I had already been pondering over my praise life when we started talking about how we so often thank God in our prayers for things He has fixed or doors He has opened in our lives. But how often do we simply herald the Creator for being well, the Creator? For being the Holy King of our lives?
As I’ve prayed these last few weeks for direction after completing the Jesus Mindset series, I kept being drawn to this topic of praise. God speaks to us when we ask Him for direction. And throughout the last few weeks He has placed numerous psalms and Bible verses in front of me related to praise. So, it didn’t come as a surprise yesterday when our church’s guest pastor highlighted the following verses in the book of Luke:
"However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”Luke 10:20
And so today I praise God for remembering my name. I praise Jesus that if you look closely at His battered hands, you can see my name tattooed there. And if you have confessed that Christ is your Lord and Savior, that God is our Great Creator, you’ll find your name there too. It cannot be erased.
When we remember someone’s name it also brings to mind the details about their life.
Pastor Joel Fitzpatrick
God knows exactly who we are. What we have done. What we will do. And He still won’t erase our name from His hands. There’s no other relationship we could ever turn to which offers us so much love and forgiveness.
Knowing our name doesn’t take away trials and tribulations. Knowing our name doesn’t make our outer life easy street. Knowing our name brings us inner “settledness.” The knowledge that when the Book of Life is opened our names are carved there for all eternity. When this short life is done, we will rejoice in the heavens with the angels. And that, my friends is something worthy of praise.
"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
“I believe Jesus died to deliver ourselves from ourselves. How many of us are just fed up being ourselves all the time?”
Joyce Meyer
The darkness, fury and despair of the young woman sitting next to me grew with each passing minute. We were so close I could feel her shoulder touching mine. Sitting on the airplane we found ourselves in that strange world of invading each other’s personal space while pretending neither existed. Her billowing cloud seem to want to seep over the dividing line of the armrest to pull me in.
This seemingly quiet, unassuming young woman opened her computer and began pounding on her keyboard like the devil itself was trying to escape her fingertips. My eyes drifted to her brightly lit screen. I couldn’t help but notice the many words in all caps. And I was drawn to know what was causing her so much angst. It appeared she was writing a complaint letter about a work environment. As her fingers marched like Roman soldiers across the keyboard, pounding and erasing and pounding some more I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from the battle. She was hurt and outraged. She felt betrayed and abused. Her past hurts served as the basis of why her employer should’ve known better. And then those pounding fingers suddenly slammed the lid of the smoking computer closed. Her fury still burned. You could almost see the sparks coming from her.
Over the course of three and half hours I watched this woman join the battle numerous times, editing, adding and pounding. And then she started in on an email to her family. I kept praying that she, once there was internet service, would have a change of heart and not send off the bombs she composed. But alas, before deplaning, she picked up her phone and started, with the same fervor, sending off salvos via text messages. I have never seen a person’s finger move with such speed and aggressiveness. Like driving pass a car accident I couldn’t seem to look away.
I’ve come to realize that God puts me in all types of situations to test and teach me. I was learning a valuable lesson. You see, my tendency to get outrage over “unfair” situations is something I’ve battled with forever. As I watched this young woman blow up at probably everyone in her life, I realized how much I need God to lead me out of my sin. How much I need God to provide me with a different perspective. How much I need to rely on God for peace. What I wanted to do was turn to her and ask if she knew about Jesus. I wanted to wrap Jesus’ love around her. To somehow snap her mind off her problems and look up to God. I could turn and look at this woman and see my own face looking back at me. And I didn’t want to be “that girl.”
In 2019 there were more than 18 million self-help type books sold in the United States. The number of unique titles rose nearly three-fold from 30,897 in 2013 to 85,253 in 2019. That’s a lot of people trying to fix themselves! Isn’t that, so often, what we turn to our friends, co-workers and professionals for – advice on fixing our problems?
Aren’t we exhausted yet trying to fix ourselves? As the world drifts farther from God it shouldn’t be surprising that so many people are working so hard to fix their own problems. Jesus came to save our souls but I believe He also came to save us from ourselves.
“The only way we are ever ready for a change in our life is when we are tired of “me.” When we say we cannot continue to do the work of trying to make ourself happy. We are fed up.”
Joyce Meyer
When we stop striving, stop trying to control what other people think of us, stop trying to please everyone, stop shaming ourselves for our past, stop playing victim, and start putting God as our King, our Creator, our Lord we can release the yoke of our fleshly life.
"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35
And follow Him. Retire from our self-care routines. Self-care as in trying to fix ourselves. Certainly we take care of ourselves, our minds and bodies. But God always calls us to take a new perspective in every aspect of our lives. When we take time to mediate, what do we mediate on? When we decide what best to eat or how to stay in shape, who do we do it for? Why do we word vomit all over our family or friends trying to get them to see “our side?” For ourselves? Or for our Heavenly Father?
I’ve heard the evangelist teacher Joyce Meyer make this statement many times: “I was always on my mind. I was so selfish.” To change that she created these three steps:
Live to please God, not yourself. You are making a Kingdom investment. And you will always get a great return on your investment.
Refuse to have “me” on my mind all the time. I’m not thinking about what’s wrong with me all the time or how I can get people to do things for me.
Always use money and things to bless people. Don’t use people to get money and things.
Jesus frequently took the focus off Himself and placed it on God. He prayed for help in times of pain and trouble. He told the disciples to look to the Father. He guided new believers to putting away their shame and accepting forgiveness from God. The times He had to solidify His place as the Savior He seemed almost reluctant. The focus for Jesus the man was always God and how to best please Him.
In my study on Revelation, I was asked the question, “How does the fact that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords affect our everyday choices and decisions?” In other words, getting ourselves, off our own minds and onto the Creator. I’m finally leaning more on Him as my wise counselor. He is my exercise coach, my nutritional advisor, my mental wellness guru. When I see my mind and body as belonging to Him, I realize the responsibility I have to keeping myself focused on what He wants for me. I fail frequently. And when I do I come to Him seeking and receiving forgiveness.
I encountered the young, angry, hurt woman at the end of my trip. Before it had even started however, I failed to grab on to God’s promised peace by my favorite method of failure –outrage. The TSA officer and I had a bit of a confrontation. I blustered and was rude. As I walked away, I realized I was wearing my silver cross around my neck. I may have flushed in embarrassment. I failed to show grace and patience and forgiveness. I took the situation personally. It was all about “me.”
The difference for me at that moment was instead of adding it to my Vault of Shame I lifted it up to God. I had a counseling moment with Him. I felt His disappointment and His love. It set me on course to be more aware of my behavior choices while in the crowded airport.
“We are in the middle between hating sin and sinning. When we aren’t accustomed to making good choices it’s hard. The devil is working against us. The more often we make those good choices it becomes easier.”
Joyce Meyer
And so, on my return flight, as I sat next to the woman with fire bursting from her fingertips, and like lava flowing out on her family, friends, co-workers burning bridges left and right I wanted to be like Jesus. To be able to look her in the eye and know her hurts, her overwhelming pain and say, “follow me.”
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Cor 5:15
It wasn’t a counseling moment for her. Although I prayed for her. It was a reminder message to me. To live for Jesus. To place my thoughts on Jesus. To release my pain and hurts to Him. To stop trying to defend and take care of myself. To trust that He wants the best for me and will guide me to whatever that looks like. To take my mind off me and have the mind of Christ.
Lesson #11: God is sovereign over all, even unbelievers
“The day of the LORD is near
for all nations.”Obadiah 1:15
There’s a song one of my previous churches used to sing a lot that goes, “Our God is an awesome God.” That refrain is sung over and over throughout the song. I’ve always thought that wording was a bit odd. If we have “our God” then which “god” does anyone else have? Once, after a service, I went up to the pastor and asked him that question. I said, “Shouldn’t that song just say, ‘God is awesome?’” He replied that he’d never thought about it before. So again, there I was asking the weird questions. As someone who not only likes to talk but also write, I sincerely believe that words matter – even words we sing.
In our verse today from the prophet Obadiah he makes it clear throughout the prophecy that there is no “our God” or “your god” but only one God – the God of the Universe, God the Creator of All.
“The God who made the world and
everything in it is the Lord of
heaven and earth and does not live
in temples built by human hands.
And he is not served by human hands,
as if he needed anything. Rather, he
himself gives everyone life and
breath and everything else. From
one man he made all the nations, that
they should inhabit the whole earth;
and he marked out their appointed times
in history and the boundaries of
their lands.”Acts 17:23-26
As Christians it can be dangerous to fall into the trap of “our God.” It leads us to forget that God’s judgement comes to all, eventually. So, we get outraged over the seeming lack of justice in our human concept of time. We forget that God doesn’t just have expectations of us, as His faithful believers, but also of those who have chosen not to believe. Non-believers don’t get a “free pass,” in the realm of eternity.
Were there even one datum of knowledge, however small, un-known to God, His rule would break down at that point. To be Lord over all the creation, He must possess all knowledge. And were God lacking one infinitesimal modicum of power, that lack would end His reign and undo His kingdom; that one stray atom of power would belong to someone else and God would be a limited ruler and hence not sovereign.
A.W. Tozer
Even when I was, as a what can only be called a “Christian-lite,” I had to laugh when people put limits on God’s authority and ability. If you listen to an atheist, you’ll hear all the limits they wish to place on a being that is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. Their expectation is if they can’t figure it out then it just isn’t true.
“It is only the loyal soul who believes that God engineers circumstances. We take such liberties with our circumstances, we do not believe God engineers them, although we say we do; we treat the things that happen as if they were engineered by men.
Oswald Chambers
The atheist can be forgiven because, for whatever reason, God has yet to open their eyes to Him. But for the Christian to place limits on God is to deny His sovereignty. As stated in the above quote by Oswald Chambers, we Christians sometimes opt for the “coincidence” excuse when God answers our prayers. Or we take complete credit for the win or the loss. Or worse yet, we just assume God won’t or can’t answer our prayers.
So much of our issue with God’s sovereignty comes back to our limited sense of time. We live in a blink of God’s eye. And yet we have the gift of looking back over the history of God’s work in our human existence and see His hand throughout. I heard a good analogy of how God’s timing works along with the issue of free will:
“Perhaps a homely illustration might help us to understand. An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by proper authorities (God). Nothing can change it. This is at least a faint picture of sovereignty.
On board the liner are several scores of passengers (Mankind). These are not in chains, neither are their activities determined for them by decree. They are completely free to move about as they will. They eat, sleep, play, lounge about on the deck, read, talk, altogether as they please; but all the while the great liner is carrying them steadily onward toward a predetermined port.
Both freedom and sovereignty are present here and they do not contradict each other. So it is, I believe, with man’s freedom and the sovereignty of God. The mighty liner of God’s sovereign design keeps its steady course over the sea of history. God moves undisturbed and unhindered toward the fulfilment of those eternal purposes which He purposed in Christ Jesus before the world began. We do not know all that is included in those purposes, but enough has been disclosed to furnish us with a broad outline of things to come and to give us good hope and firm assurance of future well-being.” A.W. Tozer
One of greatest prophesies in the Old Testament is Isaiah 53 and one in which all Christians should be well versed. He writes of the coming of God’s Son, Jesus. Isaiah was called into ministry in 739 B.C. And when you read his prophesy of Jesus you can’t help but be amazed of the details which came true. That’s because God has a plan. He has a plan for every single one of us – believer and non-believer. He uses bad circumstances to bring us closer to Him, if we choose. He never makes a mistake. He never has a “Plan B.”
Our human story that started with Adam and Eve was not a mistake. It is all going according to plan. It may not seem, in our small timeframe, to be going all that well right now. But that is the beauty of faith. Today, during a meeting of my BSGs, we shared how during this pandemic there has been some amazing blessings. Yes, a lot of not so great things have happened. But each of us could share how God has used this terrible time as a means for sanctification in our lives.
His sovereignty means we can hold on to all of the promises He has made. God is not a covenant breaker. If anything, it’s us that likes to break covenants. Our ocean liner is on a steady path to the glorious port He has waiting for us. It’s up to us to decide to have faith in our captain that He will get us through any squalls. Some of us will jump ship thinking we know better. Some might even try to take over the ship and turn it around. But God’s will never fails. So, let’s enjoy the ride and know He will bring us home.
“Good is not always God’s will, but God’s will is always good.”
Sing the praises of the Lord,
you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.Psalm 30:4
A prayer to constantly praise and thank God
Mighty God, I admit that when things go wrong in my life I am quick to ask for help. But when my life is running along smoothly or even when a prayer is answered I’m equally quick to forget to thank you. Each and every morning when I rise, I commit to thanking you for what you will send my way that day – even the “not-so-good.” Because even in those times I know I have the opportunity to grow in my faith. And throughout my day I will remember to thank you even for the little gifts you send my way. LORD, at the end of my day I’m frequently so tired. But you are never tired of hearing my praise for you. I will, before my eyes close, remember the ways you revealed yourself to me that day. Whether you acted as my counselor, comforter, King, creator, or protector, I will praise you. In your son’s name I pray, Amen.
In the late Spring of 2020, I was led to learn more about how to pray. Using what The Navigators call, “The Prayer Hand,” I learned the five parts to highly effective prayer. That’s not to say we can’t or shouldn’t pray short, on-the-go prayers throughout the day, but the Prayer Hand revealed to me what was missing from my prayer life – praise.
Praise is different than “thanksgiving” I learned. When we praise someone, such as our children or a friend we compliment them for what they themselves have done, created or just are such as their patience or sense of humor. When we thank them it usually involves something to do with our relationship. We thank people for helping us or making things easier in a situation. The same is true for our praise and thankfulness toward God.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise
his name.Psalm 100:4
This concept was so foreign and awkward for me — it seemed that “praise” was so flowery and silly – that I dove headfirst into figuring out how to “do” it. And so, I created my 30 Days of Praise blog series. I took all the different characteristics of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and set about praising them for well, just being the amazing Triune God.
And although that 30 days was pretty awesome, I still struggle with daily praising Him. And that has revealed something else about me. I have a hard time praising others (and myself to be honest). I’m great at thanking people when they help me out. But just unabashedly praising people? I realized that effort and awareness requires me to look outside myself and my own “things I gotta do right now” world. I need to pay attention to the human beings around me. I mean really pay attention. To the salesclerk, the deli guy, the mailman, my neighbor, that person I see walking their dog every single day, my husband, my children, my friends – I need to look at them and see them and praise them. Why? Because they too are God’s creation. And I can praise God for putting them in this world.
Praising God means honoring Him for the rain, the sunrise, the puffy clouds, the air we breathe, the Son He sent, the joy He provides, the Word we read, the awesomeness of the universe. We praise Him from whom all blessings flow! I love the doxology I used to sing in a previous church and it takes on full meaning to me now:
Praise God from whom all
blessings flow, Praise Him
all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly
host, Praise Father, Son and
Holy Ghost, Amen
I will keep working on my path to praising God each and every day. I want to be His thankful daughter. I seek to find ever more reasons to praise Him. And in doing so my eyes are moved off me and onto Him.
If you want this too, add the prayer to your daily prayer list and watch and see how God works in your life!
The desert and the parched land
will be glad;the wilderness will
rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.Isaiah 35:1-2
It was only just recently that I heard the concept of a “return to the Garden.” I mean I’m quite familiar with the promise of eternity but I just never made the full circle of an opening of the guarded Eden gates.
These past few weeks as myself, Todd and Madison have been reminded of the many promises of God, I keep hearing the word I have heard for more than a year – “obey.” With each promise there is a covenant agreement. God is sure and trustworthy about His side of the covenant. But we “mule-like” humans struggle to hold on to God tightly and sign at the bottom line. I wonder if it really just boils down to that little bit inside of us that doesn’t fully believe.
On March 26, 1997, San Diego Sheriff’s deputies discovered the bodies of 39 members of the group, Heaven’s Gate. The home where the bodies were found is just a stone’s throw from my own home. If you don’t recall their beliefs, I’ll give you a brief summary. The leaders, using the Bible and science fiction works by Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke convinced their followers that extraterrestrial beings were clearly mentioned in the Book of Revelation. And the comet Hale-Bopp, was the sign for them to give up their early bodies and hitch a ride to the heavens. They twisted a lot of theology to meet their beliefs.
Sometimes when I’m talking about the concept of Jesus, salvation and eternity I think about those Heaven’s Gate souls and wonder if I sound just as crazy to non-believers. I shy away from talking about God and loosen my grip on Him. Of course, one of the large differences is that God never asks us to speed up the date and time of the end of our days here on Earth. And we have been constantly assured that we cannot know the hour of Jesus’ return.
But that return is definitely promised. And if we believe that God is the creator, the sovereign LORD overall, then we must also believe in our return to the Garden.
The prophecy from Isaiah in 35:1-2 was written as a message of hope for the people of Jerusalem. It’s likely the Assyrians had ravaged all the nearby cities and had made the roads too dangerous on which to travel. The people, as Warren Wiersbe says in his commentary, “Were cooped up in Jerusalem, wondering what would happen next.” Sound familiar?
He goes on to write that the faithful were praying continuously to God for hope and relief. And God answered their prayers. As He had done so many times before and since.
“The time has come,” he said.
“The kingdom of God has come near.
Repent and believe the good news!”Mark 1:15
How many jokes have we seen and heard related to this verse? And yet it is surely true. Jesus himself makes this statement. I heard an evangelist pastor say once, “I don’t know when Jesus is returning and we will see the Garden again, but the time is certainly nearer than it was yesterday!”
It’s said that the new Garden will be even more magnificent than the first. And although that sounds wonderful, I’ll be joy-filled just to be able to have my name written on the list to enter any type of garden God has for me.
Each day I am here on this Earth is another day to hold on tightly to God’s promises and obey and believe. Each day we are here is another gift God gives us to step out of our comfort zones, out of our cooped up lives and work on putting just one more name on that list.
I hope you have enjoyed these 25 Promises of God through the Book of Isaiah. Please join me for our next series titled, “Pray It Till You Make It!” It’s a focus on praying to be the people we know God wants us to be and watching the transformation work He does in us!
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Mark 7:33-37
I love this story. Not just because it’s a bit humorous in nature, I mean c’mon, Jesus didn’t HAVE to spit and touch the man’s tongue to heal him or shout to the heavens to cure his deafness. He could have healed the man with no words and no actions, with just one look. But Jesus’ actions show that He truly knew the hearts of the people. He had seen over and over again just how feeble the people were in their faith. He knew they needed clear evidence that He was who He said He was.
Even more amazing than Jesus concealing his immediate power to tend to the hearts of the people is the immediate authority he has over disease. The verses claim that at the sound of His voice, deafness falls and lameness disappears. In the face of Jesus, darkness cowers in fear.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
Just as this verse reminds us of Jesus’ power over the dominion of darkness, let it also be a reminder that what He speaks will be done. Even more amazing, everything on earth and in heaven bows to His authority, because he is the one who created it all (Gen. 1:1).
Jesus told the man’s ears to open and they opened. Jesus told Peter that there would come a day when he would deny him three times – and that day came. What the Lord spoke in prophesies in the Old Testament came to pass through His Son on the cross.
We see over and over again that God is a faithful God, who fulfills his promises to His people. Are you trusting in that truth today? Be amazed today that God will keep all of the below promises to you, for He is a man of His Word.
Amidst your worry, anxiety and fear, I will give you rest…. (Matt. 11:28)
Through my Son’s wounds on the cross, your brokenness has been redeemed (1 Peter 2:24)
I promise that your trials will produce joy (James 1:2)
I give strength to the weary (Isaiah 40:29)
I give wisdom to all those who ask of it. I will provide you everything you need for the situations you are in. (James 1:5)
I promise, that if you resist the devil HE WILL FLEE. (James 4:7)
Rest in these truths today. I encourage you to find more on your own. Take time to remember all of the things that have come to pass, the promises that have been fulfilled and ask God today for the strength and faith to believe that what He says, will be done, today, tomorrow and the next.
emboldened.net 