A Ten-Ticket Ride

 

 

At the end of our Sunday church service, one of the pastors or a worship team leader gives a benediction. This one from Numbers 6:24–26 is familiar:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

I visited a Christian refugee family this week and experienced deep joy from seeing their shining faces. As I read this benediction, I thought of the wonder of having God’s face shining on me, His countenance lifted up toward me. The idea that God LIFTS UP His people touches our hearts and gives us deep joy.

Psalm 10:12 says that He lifts up His hand to aid those in trouble: “Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.”

Another Psalm likens God to the army under Gideon. They were selected to fight a massive enemy army — by the way they stayed alert as they drank from a stream. The psalmist says God is like that, alert to what goes on in our lives shown as “He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.”

This care for us is brought out in the prophet’s description of the coming Messiah. Isaiah 42:1–4 says:

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.”

The same prophet later tells us that the Lord God says, “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

God cares deeply for His people, so much so that when sin is allowed into our lives, He does not look the other way. In figurative language, both Jeremiah and Nahum record His response to that sin saying that God says He will “lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame.” Sin is very serious and certainly the reason He sent Jesus.

Jesus often lifted up His eyes in prayer and lives forever to intercede for us. He also said no one could lift up His life from Him, but He would do that by Himself in obedience to His Father.

John 10:17–18. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. My husband often says about a thrilling experience that it is a “ten-ticket ride” referring to a fairground where the degree of the rides were measured by how many tickets you had to buy. When it comes to ultimate experiences, Jesus tells me to join Him in His work, taking or lifting up His yoke and learning from Him. No adventure is greater, but this means abandoning my own plans and ideas. For some, that is extremely difficult, but Jesus points out that this is “rest for your souls.” He has shown me how doing my own thing simply wears out my mind, emotions, and power of choice. To have His special rest, I must “humble myself” as 1 Peter 5:6 says. Then, “under the mighty hand of God” He will “exalt” me, meaning He will lift me up — a ten-ticket ride indeed!