Psalm 139:23-24
English Standard Version (ESV)
When we have people over for dinner, there's always a random room in which a number of things get placed, in the effort to make the house look tidier than perhaps it usually is. The hope is that the guests will never discover this room.
Here, the Psalmist is expressing a tremendous amount of trust in God -- he's inviting God to explore all the extra rooms where the hidden things are placed, in the hopes of finding all those wayward thoughts so that they can be covered with grace, all because the Psalmist's goal is to be led in the way everlasting.
Friends, we can trust God with all the secrets of our lives, even the darkest ones we try to hide. May they be uncovered before the light of God's love, bathed in his mercy, and healed, that they may no longer hinder our progress on the way everlasting.
Friday, May 8, 2020
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Psalm 139:17-22
Psalm 139:17-22
English Standard Version (ESV)
Most things reduce in importance as you zoom out. That scratch on the car door? As you back up from the car, you can barely notice it eventually. That mistake you made in high school? As you zoom out in time, and it gets farther away, it becomes less and less important. The money you spent on something frivolous? As you compare it to all the money you spend over months and years, it becomes less impactful.
However, when you think about individual people, it doesn't translate to how God views us. Augustine tells us that God loves us as if there was only one to love. When you zoom out from one person to one million people to seven billion people, each of us is still uniquely known and loved by God. God's love doesn't shrink as you zoom out -- it remains as large as can be. As God's thoughts are as vast as the universe, God is still able to concentrate such love upon you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Most things reduce in importance as you zoom out. That scratch on the car door? As you back up from the car, you can barely notice it eventually. That mistake you made in high school? As you zoom out in time, and it gets farther away, it becomes less and less important. The money you spent on something frivolous? As you compare it to all the money you spend over months and years, it becomes less impactful.
However, when you think about individual people, it doesn't translate to how God views us. Augustine tells us that God loves us as if there was only one to love. When you zoom out from one person to one million people to seven billion people, each of us is still uniquely known and loved by God. God's love doesn't shrink as you zoom out -- it remains as large as can be. As God's thoughts are as vast as the universe, God is still able to concentrate such love upon you.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Psalm 139:13-16
Psalm 139:13-16
English Standard Version (ESV)
I've always loved the idea of God knitting us together in the womb. I've never knitted anything, but it's an investment in time and love. Just as knitting a large blanket takes months, a child takes 40 weeks in the womb, a process during which God is crafting us with love -- you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knows you completely -- God is the only one who knows you this well. Before you live out your days, God knows them.
Again, as I've mentioned, it's a remarkable reminder of grace that God knows everything about you and loves you enough to die for you. God knows every mistake and poor choice and still ascends the cross in Calvary, because God is invested in you, is willing to die for you, and wants to spend eternity with you. God yearns for relationship with you. God looks at you as a beloved child, holding you in God's hand while knowing every detail, every flaw and every highlight. God will never leave nor forsake you, for God has never given up the claim on you that the artist has.
May you hold your head high today as a beloved creation of God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
I've always loved the idea of God knitting us together in the womb. I've never knitted anything, but it's an investment in time and love. Just as knitting a large blanket takes months, a child takes 40 weeks in the womb, a process during which God is crafting us with love -- you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knows you completely -- God is the only one who knows you this well. Before you live out your days, God knows them.
Again, as I've mentioned, it's a remarkable reminder of grace that God knows everything about you and loves you enough to die for you. God knows every mistake and poor choice and still ascends the cross in Calvary, because God is invested in you, is willing to die for you, and wants to spend eternity with you. God yearns for relationship with you. God looks at you as a beloved child, holding you in God's hand while knowing every detail, every flaw and every highlight. God will never leave nor forsake you, for God has never given up the claim on you that the artist has.
May you hold your head high today as a beloved creation of God.
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