In Awe of God . . .

Deuteronomy 13–14; Psalms 99–101; Isaiah 41; Revelation 11

Yesterday I prayed that God would give me eyes to see as He sees. I may not do that again for a long time. What I saw in Scripture and in the lives of those who disobey God filled me with strong emotions and by the end of the day, I was totally exhausted. None of what I saw was new, but I saw with a clarity that left me shocked and weak.

This morning, I’m startled by the psalmist’s resolve to be godly and deeply aware that none of what he says is possible without the grace and enablement of Jesus. David may have had extra forces in his favor as a king, yet his attitude and determination show that he is “a man after God’s own heart” and how much Jesus can do in a life totally surrendered to Him.

“I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.” (Psalm 101:1–8)

As I pondered this man’s heart for God, the prophet Isaiah gave me the Lord’s great encouragement:

“You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’” (Isaiah 41:9–13)

I hear the Lord speak this to my weakness and fatigue and then He speaks again from Revelation. This I did not expect because so much of this last Bible book describes God’s judgment without much positive offers of help like Isaiah gives for the challenge of godly living in an ungodly world. The passage includes these words:

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” (Revelation 11:16–18)

I’m nothing much in the kingdom of God, an insignificant member of the Body of Christ whose only boast is in the One who shows great mercy to me, saving me and declaring me His child. To hear Him says such things challenges me to holiness. He promises to help me and reminds me that in the end, He is victorious over all evil. Not only that, I will be rewarded, even as wimpy as I am. This is as emotionally overwhelming as the insights of yesterday. I sense His smiling face and shake my head in awe.

APPLY: I cannot make David’s declarations. I do have my own list, much less lofty but for me it is challenging enough that I am glad God promises His strength in my weakness and His power against whatever tries to pull me down in despair. He says I’m not to fear, that He holds my hand. All I can do is praise Him and rejoice.