Devotionals @ The Mount Church

God’s nature is often a mystery. He is compassionate and tender and yet shows His power and might through everything He does. There is one aspect of His character that always seems to shine through in the Bible. God is capable. When you look up capable in the dictionary you will find a definition stating; having power and ability. I believe this is the truest essence of who God is – He is all power and all ability.

So why is it so easy to doubt God and why do we question His power and ability? Perhaps because just as being capable is a part of God’s nature, doubt and unbelief are a part of ours and we feel compelled to test God to see His capabilities overcome our failings. If you look through the Bible you will see wonderful examples of men and women who doubted that God was capable of taking care of their every need, wish, desire or request. David doubted God’s power and feigned being insane. Sarah doubted God was capable of giving her a child and helped to create a nation that would always be at odds with God’s people. Thomas doubted that Jesus was capable of rising from the dead after he had been told in person what would happen after the crucifixion. My favorite picture of God showing just how capable He is in the midst of unbelievable circumstances happens in the life of Moses and the people of Israel.

Think about the story of Moses. Here is a guy who God appears to in a burning bush (Exodus 3) and Moses’ first reaction is to say to him “Who? Me?” As if God was not capable of taking a sheep herder who had once lived with the family of the Pharaoh and helping him to speak and persuade the Pharaoh to let God’s people go.  After all He had saved Moses from dying as a child, He allowed him to escape Egypt after committing murder, He had led him to a family in the desert who took him in and gave him wise council. Is this not a perfect picture of how blind we are to God’s capabilities because of our nature of distrust?  Moses continued to doubt and God had to prove to him over and over again His power and abilities. Then Moses finally trusts God and seeks out the Pharaoh.  Moses has overcome his doubt at least for the moment.  Then he is leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and lo and behold they become the doubters.

Then they said to Moses; “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Exodus 14:11-12

God once again shows how capable He is in the face of great doubt. Moses tells the people “the Lord will fight for you while you are silent.” (Ex. 14:14) While the people of Israel are in the middle of their doubt, Moses asks them to be quiet and trust. God in the meantime is preparing His plan by hardening the hearts of the Egyptians and making them blind to the trouble in front of them. Moses leads his people into the Red Sea where it parts for their passing through God’s power and ability and then closes the Sea behind them to get rid of their enemies.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Seeing God’s capabilities versus man’s shortcomings is easy when we read about it or hear it in a sermon. How does this play out in our real life. We have to trust that our God is a capable God. One who has the power and ability to do His will. The key is to remember that just because He has the capabilities to do amazing miracles and works does not mean that He always will. Sometimes we need to learn the greater lessons that come from suffering and struggling. This is how God builds us up for greatness and helps us become a greater testimony for His love and grace in the world. He is teaching us to learn that while we are not capable we have a “God who is capable of doing immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

In 1990, famed singer and actress Bette Midler took the song, “From a Distance” to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary, and also went on to win a Grammy with it for “Song of the Year” in 1991. I’m sure you’ve probably heard the song somewhere in the last 18 years and are familiar with at least some of its lyrics. But, just in case you haven’t, here are the words to the song:

From a distance the world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight

From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It’s the voice of hope, it’s the voice of peace
It’s the voice of every man

From a distance we all have enough
And no one is in need
There are no guns, no bombs, no diseases
No hungry mouths to feed

From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of home, playing songs of peace
They’re the songs of every man
God is watching us, God is watching us
God is watching us from a distance

From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance I can’t comprehend
What all this war is for

From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It’s the hope of hopes, it’s the love of loves
It’s the heart of every man

It’s the hope of hopes, It’s the love of loves
It’s the song of every man

American singer/song-writer Julie Gold actually penned the song in 1985, and though she went on record as saying everyone should be allowed to interpret the song for themselves, here are a couple common interpretations associated with it:

Julie [Gold] says she believes in an immanent and beneficent God. She states that the song is about the difference between the way things appear and the way they really are. The original notion may have been that a potentially harmonious world filled with hope and peace is perceivable when one stands back and looks at things “from a distance.” God, from a similar perspective, “is watching” everything we do. It is not clear from these words that God is actively watching over us in a caring way or merely viewing what we do from a critical standpoint, but presumably God also hears the same harmony and songs “from a distance.”

Another interpretation is that the perception of love and peace only exist “from a distance” and that the up close reality is not being addressed. It suggests that God is deistic and doesn’t actually act on our problems, and is only an observer. From a distance “no one is in need,” and “there are no hungry mouths to feed.” “God is watching us from a distance.” In other words, God is so far from human existence as to not be able to see, and thus respond, to hunger or need. -Wikipedia, “From a Distance”

I was a sophomore in college when that song was released, which is right around the time the Persian Gulf War broke out. I remember the song’s arresting melody and ostensibly spiritual context captivating the air waves, especially in light of the war in which our nation was engaged. But, there was always something that didn’t sit right with me about the song, and I knew what it was every time the lyric rolled around…”God is watching us from a distance.” That just didn’t ring right to me. While I know God is above all and beyond all and created all, He is more than just a being who spun the world into existence and then propped His feet up to watch us for all eternity “from a distance.” God is not simply a cosmic spectator spying on the affairs of mankind from some galactic armchair! No, the Bible is very clear that our God is a personal, active Savior who is very near to us. In fact, He dwells with us! Check this passage out:

Jesus replied, “All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.”

John 14:23, NLT

For those who have invited Christ into their lives, God lives with them. He resides in them! You can’t get any closer than that! God, who cannot be confined and Who fills all things, has decided that those who put their faith in Christ will be His dwelling place! So God is never far away or somewhere out there beyond the reach of His children. He is everywhere, always near, always here, and in our hearts. We are never alone, and never will we be abandoned (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus has all authority and it is His decree that He will be in us and always with us.

We need to take comfort in His nearness, believing Him to be close and cultivating our relationship with Him (James 4:8). We should be able to say like the psalmist, “But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do” (Psalm 73:28).

God isn’t watching you “from a distance.” He is right there with you, this very moment, even as you read this. There is absolutely nowhere that you could go that He wouldn’t be there with you. One of my favorite passages in the Bible can be found in the 139th Psalm, verses 7-18. Read it here below and take comfort in its truth, knowing that God is near you and actively involved in your life today as you follow and obey Him!

I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night–but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

Psalm 34:6-7

During the last couple weeks of the Beijing Olympics, the world has witnessed spectacular productions and examples of athletic greatness. Appropriately named, Usain Bolt of Jamaica electrified audiences with his two gold medal performances and world record sprint in the 100-meter dash. And of course, Michael Phelps made a case as the greatest Olympian ever with his eight golds. Olympians often begin training very early in life for the few seconds of competition that often defines them and puts their name in the record books.

But no matter how strong or fast they become in their respected sports and whatever level of greatness we can achieve in our humanness stands humbled when compared to the matchless wonder, power and mighty of God Almighty. Psalm 34 presents the picture of God as a deliverer and provider and was written after David was delivered from Gath when he feigned madness. While it is likely that David’s choice to act crazy before Abimelech was his own and not necessarily God-inspired, it is clear that the events leading up to his deliverance were orchestrated by God. Thus, here we find David praising God for who He was:

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34: 1-4

The Old Testament, in fact, abounds with stories of often physically weak or spiritually weak men and women doing remarkable things with the help of the Great Deliverer. Perhaps one of the most pronounced displays of God’s power is the story of David and Goliath, where, after slaying Goliath, the child David testifies to God’s awesomeness:

“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands. …”

1 Samuel 17:45-46

In fact, we don’t have to be physically mighty to inherit power from God. We inherit it when we trust Jesus with our lives, thus enabling the Holy Spirit to come and reside in us and through us. The Bible says those who are weak will be made strong in God, the poor will be made spiritually rich and the sick will be made whole. The same God who set the stars in orbit and hung the earth on its axis abides here, inside of all those whole believe. And that’s a remarkable truth!

prayer

You are infinitely worthy of our praise, devotion and trust in you. Help me to daily realize that no matter what I face throughout the week, that you are a big God, one more than capable of meeting my needs. Focus my attention daily on seeking your will and living my life giving you the proper devotion you so rightly deserve. Amen.

At different stages of life, we are appreciative for varying parts of God’s character and role. For example, as a young child, it is easy to look to God as a protector, much like we understand the function of a father. He could scare away any creepy visitors in our bedrooms at night or keep us safe in the midst of booming thunder. As a college freshman, it is easy to look to God as a friend, one who can offer compassion and companionship as we venture into a world of strangers and “grown-up” responsibilities. It is not until I had my daughter, though, that I was able to understand God as unconditional love.

Even as my baby grew in my womb, I had fallen in love and created an unbreakable bond. She was always close and easily protected, and I was blessed enough to be the one who could feel every move she made. As soon as I delivered her, however, I had to learn, little by little, to let her go and be apart of the world around her. I slept for nights with my head next to the lacy bassinet listening to her every sound. I held her close to me and rocked her anytime she got overwhelmed with the people and things going on around her. I still, after eighteen months, touch my palm to her chest each night to feel her breathe before I head off to bed. I do all of these things because I have a responsibility to care for her; after all, God loaned her to me for her lifetime on earth.

But, most importantly, I do all of these things because I love her in a way I have never loved another thing, with a sense of unconditional love. Because of my overwhelming desire to care for and love her, I am starting to get an idea about how God can love “a sinner like me.” It does not matter how many rules my daughter breaks, how many tantrums she throws, or how many food items she tosses from her highchair, no action makes me love her less and no good deed, sloppy kiss, or tight hug could make me love her more. I simply love her with my whole being because she is mine. And that’s how God loves me. And that amazes me still!

Though as parents, our role is often discipline or guidance, we also find ourselves with a desire to GIVE our children anything within our means. We desire for their needs to be met. We even desire for their every want to be met. For example, I think my husband has already promised a yard full of ponies to our little girl who doesn’t even know what one is. Generosity simply becomes natural as a mom or dad.

This generous spirit is one we learn from God, one we inherit as sons and daughters in His image. And as I began to think about all the ways in which God demonstrates His giving attitude, the most significant one continued to jump out at me. He gave the world His Son as a living sacrifice! He did not simply send him far away to become a teacher and missionary. He did not simply give him as a preacher in a rebellious land. He did not simply send him as a doctor to care for the helpless. He sent Him to die. His most loved…to die.

John 3: 16-21 shows us:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

There is no generosity greater and none more powerful, for God suffered by watching his Son suffer so that he could provide us with salvation, with a reconciliation to Himself. The world when Jesus arrived was much like it is today—full of a lot of unlovable and sinful humans, but God thought us worthy to be saved. Oh what a generous and loving Father we have!

God has shown me generosity in many ways in my life, but as I reflect on what he has taught me about those gifts he has given, I realize that I too must learn to be generous. I must use my time, resources, and love to give freely to anyone around me, but I should also offer up my heart, mind, soul, and strength generously to Him. After all, after the sacrifice He made for me, He clearly deserves it. I want everyone one to see that “what [I have] done has been done through God.”

Give me wings,
Give me peace.
These are the things that I need.
I’m tormented, broken and shamed
Are you listening?
Give me shelter from the storm,
I know it’s a lot to ask for,
Considering how recent I’ve piled the dirt on your name.

Are you listening? -The Classic Crime

This is currently one of my favorite songs on my playlist, not only because i love the sound, but more so because the words resonate with me. I find that all too often, especially in the midst of a difficult time, I come to the Lord hoping for mercy and compassion, but doubting that I am even heard. My mistakes and sins run through my head, and lies and false condemnation I take to be my truth, and I wonder if He is listening to my undeserved cries. At times I allow my circumstances, which scream much louder than His still quiet voice, to become my focus, to overwhelm, and the Lord then seems aloof, distant. I like this song because it is honest, because it so eloquently depicts the state of my heart at times, but mostly because it reminds me that this is not His reality. He is listening. Even when I can’t feel Him.

on deserving

It is important to address some of the common lies we hear and tend to believe concerning the Lord’s compassion, and to replace these with His truth. The first lie is verbalized in the song above when he states “I know it’s a lot to ask for, considering how recent I’ve piled the dirt on your name…” It is the concept that what we do has a direct impact on whether or not we receive God’s compassion and mercy, particularly if we mess up. And this lie is not entirely false. Psalm 34:12-16 specifically states the the Lord sees and hears the righteous, but turns his face against the evil. There is correlation between actions and God’s favor towards us, however, these correlations apply on the heart level. There is a vast difference between the man who has submitted his life to the Lord and yet struggles in sin, and the man who rebells against the Lord and does not know Him. All have sinned (Romans 3:23), and we will continue to struggle with sin while here on earth. But the man who seeks the Lord (Psalm 34:4), who cries out to Him (Psalm 34:6), who fears Him (Psalm 34:7-9)-this is the man that the Lord is near, the one he hears and rescues, the one he shows compassion. We tend to be far too self centered, self focused, and because of this, we attribute much too much of life’s situations to our own doing. Paul specifically addresses this topic in Romans 9:

For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (verses 15-16)

And in this we can rest. Knowing that we are undeserving of mercy and compassion, and yet resting in our sovereign Lord who loves us deeply. In this we can approach his throne boldly as children of God, and know that we are heard, for it depends on God.

on love and suffering

To be perfectly honest, I am fairly annoyed by the question “if God really is good and in control why is there so much suffering?”. Never do we ask “why do good things happen to me?”, and it is highly doubtful that good things never happen to each one of us. But we take these for granted all too often, and blame God when things don’t go as we’d planned. He is complained against and condemned, but only rarely praised. A sense of entitlement has become ingrained in the American culture, and if not kept in check, can quietly integrate into your own life. Comfort is demanded over sacrifice. Luxury is preferred. And we fail to open our eyes to what He has given us, to the blessings we’ve received, because we are too focused on gaining more. Especially in this environment, could suffering be an aspect of God’s compassion? Peter writes, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, for he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result he no longer lives the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” (4:1-2). There are 3 major truths in these verses that must be addressed to counter this lie.

1) Suffering is expected. Christ himself said that no servant is greater than his master (Jn. 13:16), that if He was to suffer, His followers would not be able to avoid it. John Piper writes on Christ’s suffering, “No one ever deserved suffering less, yet received so much” (Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ). And His suffering was for us. God’s compassion is extravagant. Looking again at Psalm 34, note the phrases “When the righteous cry for help…”, “…near to the brokenhearted”, “…saves the crushed in spirit”, “many are the afflictions of the righteous…”. All denote an understanding that suffering happens, it is a part of life, it is expected, especially for the righteous. BUT in the midst of it, God is there, He is near, He is the help and the refuge, our Rescuer, full of compassion.

2) Suffering refines us. “…He who has suffered in his body is done with sin” (1st Pet. 4:1). This verse does not mean that we will not sin after we have suffered. What it does refer to is that the man who willingly suffers for Christ has seen the great value of Him who we follow, has known Him in suffering, and as a result desires nothing from the world. The enticement that sin has is gone. He has chosen that which is better, even in pain. Suffering is an aspect of sanctification, where the Lord strips us of what we no longer need to cling to, and replaces it with Himself.

3) Suffering allows us to refocus. We are freed to no longer live for ourselves but for God. Rather than seeking comfort, distraction, anything that will “fill” us, suffering causes us to realize how little we truly need these things, and how desperately we need Him. This aspect of suffering goes hand in hand with sanctification-as we are freed from sin, we then find joy and fulfillment in Him instead. Living for Him at all costs brings greatest joy. And in this, suffering is not only a means through which we can experience God’s compassion, it is an aspect of His compassion.

I realize we have discussed much on suffering in a brief writing devoted to God’s compassion. The two are tied hand in hand, however, and therefore must both be addressed. How can you know Him as your Deliverer if you are never in danger? Your Comforter if your heart is never broken? Your Refuge if you are always at peace? Suffering, while not designed by God, reveals Him in new, intimate light. And it is beautiful that he uses the pain in life for good. His compassion, his mercy, his grace, is all unmerited on our part. He asks only that we seek Him and trust Him, and in this is great love.

prayer

Father, I praise you for hearing, for seeing, and for knowing each of us intimately. Thank you for being near whether we sense Your presence or not. Thank you for knowing exactly what we need at all times. Father, You are so good to us. Open our eyes to your blessings, to your presence with us. May we see You. I pray that we would draw near to you without fear or guilt, that we would seek your face at all times and that we would truly experience your compassion. Lift our eyes off of ourselves. May we have a heart like David, one that will praise you at all times, in all circumstances, resting in your love and compassion.