My God, My God

 Psalm 22:1-2 – a Psalm of David

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

    Why are you so far from saving me,

    so far from my cries of anguish?

 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

    by night, but I find no rest."

David wrote this Psalm at a time that he felt abandoned by God.  I wonder if there are days and nights that we feel this way.  We cry out to God, but we don’t seem to hear His answer.  He seems so far away.  We cry to him at night and sleep doesn’t come.  We’re looking for light – the shining, brilliant, light of God’s presence – and we don’t see it.

This morning, in our devotion, Allister Begg spoke of God being with us in the dark.  An interesting side note was his description of a child being afraid of the dark.  The light that the child wants is given to him at first, bright and full, but as he learns to trust, the parent allows less light until finally, the child can sleep without a night light – because he has learned to trust his parent. 

I wonder if I am able to trust our God that completely as I "grow up" in my knowledge of Him? 
 
Allister did say that this night light scenario becomes a bit ludicrous when the child is 27 years old.  Case in point, at 85, and having walked with God for many years, I hope that I have  learned to trust my Father, God.

Light is an amazing thing.  Just as the light of the sun that God created is necessary for our health. The light of the SON OF GOD is beautiful and absolutely necessary for our happiness, salvation and security. 

The analogy continues when we realize that the sun God created is always there.  We don’t always see it – the world turns – the clouds cover it – and sometimes we are unable to see anything.  But that doesn’t change the fact that this sun is always there.

And the SON OF GOD is always there for us.  In the Psalm, David cried out.  He felt that God had forsaken him.  He asked the question we sometimes do – “Why do I not hear your voice or see your face?”

If David, the man referred to as “a man after God’s own heart” questioned, feared, and cried, should we be surprised when we do the same?

But wait!  We need to read on – Psalm 22:3 (NIV) David sang these words, “Yet, you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.”

David was a student of the Word; he knew our God.  He knew that God was and is able to protect and care for His own.  So in His prayers of anguish he doesn’t forget that GOD IS KING – God is sitting on the throne of heaven.  David doesn’t forget either, that GOD IS HOLY – "the Holy one that Israel praises." 

When we read other verses in the Bible, anthems of praise to God ring out loud and clear.  Yet, we sometimes wish for more of a look into the face of our Father, just as David did.  Don't we?

BUT

Matt 28:20b (NIV) 

Jesus said, “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

 but those who hope in the Lord  will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint.

My friend, never forget that the sun is always there – somewhere,

and that the SON is always there –
EVERYWHERE! 

In times like these

We’re living in perilous times.  Few of us are immune to its poison.  People want to be assured that all will be well.  They want someone to “fix it!”  We turn to family, to friends, to the government.  But the world has no “magic bullet.” So, where do we go?

In times like these – we feel uncertainty,
although control was never in our grasp.
In times like these we find our way unclear,
and look for something that will last

What better time to look upon our Savior 
as anxiousness and fear would take its toll.
What better time to ponder  
what HE did
to end the curse of sin 
and break the chains of death 
and make His children whole?

He planned with love to pay the price for sin. 
He died that all who come to Him are welcomed in.

While on the cross with holy body broken.
He heard the guards laugh there in cold derision.  
Our Jesus heard the mocking crowd,
but died to free them from their lost condition.

Still from that cross 
He LOVED the haughty and the vain. 
He loved the ones who caused His pain
 His words still echo 
“Father please
forgive them" too.
And child, He even died for you.

He planned with love to pay the price for sin. 
He died that all who come to Him are welcomed in.

So, in these times of peril
we look toward The One.
Look to Him, who can restrain the world He made,
and what we fear,
and death and pain.

So in this world of wild uncertainty.
God took our death 
and gave eternity.

From Luke 23 
 
“When they came to the place called the Skull,
they crucified him there, along with the criminals
one on his right, the other on his left.”

“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.
They said, “He saved others;
let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah,
the Chosen One.”

“The soldiers also came up and mocked him.
They offered him wine vinegar and said, 
“If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” . . .

But from the cross Jesus' words still echo, 
“Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they are doing.” 

They saw Him suffer!  
They saw the blood, 
but they didn’t see the meaning. 
 They didn’t see His overwhelming love.
  

Dear friends, 

I pray today that in these times of trouble and uncertainty each one of us will be assured by this picture – the picture of the cross. The picture of God loving us so much that He gave His own life for ours.

Diane

Calibrate

 It’s time to calibrate.  

My darling husband Ron uses this word – I think it’s the engineer in him. Lately  I've come to think that I need to look at my life and recalibrate.

To calibrate something means to adjust or check it against a known standard in order to ensure accuracy, correct any discrepancies, identify errors, and make adjustments.  This is to make certain it correctly measures or performs the function for which it was designed.. 

I got to thinking about a couple of things in response to this definition. 

The first is a question - What am I checking my life against? The dictionary states it must be a known standard.  So what is the only standard that a Christ follower should calibrate against?  Only the WORD OF GOD fits there.  God gave us His word as a mirror, a ruler, a standard by which we can measure the way we serve Him. We read -

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Calibration is used for a reason.  That reason is to make sure the item calibrated performs the function it was designed for.

So again, I ask myself – “What is my life designed for?  What am I designed for?”   I go back to the “Known Standard” for this answer. 

 Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 Isaiah 43:6-7(NIV) 
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;  I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ 
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
 everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.” 

WE ARE CREATED 

To do the good works that God has prepared for us.

Created as sons and daughters of God

WE ARE CREATED FOR HIS GLORY