Posts Tagged: God’s presence

“No Worries! The God Who Is Both Leader and Companion!”

On July 31, 2018 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

Most of us are afraid of the future, to a greater or lesser extent.  Some of us are so prone to fear that we even fear the past.  (We don’t usually think of fearing the past, but that is only because we call our fear of the past “regret.”)  And, frankly, the present can also be pretty intimidating.

That doesn’t leave a lot of time to not be afraid, does it?

There is a sense in which every day is terra incognito.  A saying (attributed to various people) goes something like this: “Most things are hard to predict—especially things in the future.”  That lack of knowing what will in happen in any given day is pretty intimidating.

Humankind has struggled with such fears for a very long time.  It may be more intense these days, but I doubt it.  Times change, but our fear of the changing times does not.

Certainly, this was a struggle throughout the ancient Near East.  The Bible has a lot of “fear nots,” which suggests that there was a lot of fear coursing through the veins of ancient Israel.

The book of Deuteronomy is attributed to Moses, and is his last will and testament.  He is speaking to the nation of Israel which is just about to enter the Promised Land.  Moses repeatedly tells the people that he will not be going in.  The land and the future are terra incognito.  However, Moses assures them that God will go ahead of them, and that they don’t need to be afraid.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8, New Living Translation)

I looked at the Hebrew for this verse.  It is interesting that the personal pronoun “he” is used a couple of times, even though it is not, strictly speaking, necessary.  Apparently, Moses wanted to be very emphatic in pointing out that God Himself would go ahead of the people.

But this verse tells Israel that God will not only go ahead of them.  God will also go with them.

It’s a wonderful picture: the God who goes before us and who goes with us.  God goes before in order to lead the way, but God also keeps us company, as we go.

I have to say, in all honesty, I have a difficult time believing that most of the time.  However, when I do believe it, I can face the unknown territory of the past, the present, and the future a lot more calmly.

 

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“WHEN GOD ISN’T IN THE PICTURE”

On June 1, 2017 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I receive a daily e mail from Loyola Press entitled “3-Minute Retreat.”  (You may access today’s meditation at http://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/like-sheep-with-a-shepherd-start-retreat, accessed 06-01-2017.)  Each meditation has a brief passage from the Bible, a few thought-provoking comments, a couple of questions, and a closing prayer.  It also has a background picture.

The Scripture today was Luke 12:32.  “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Part of the comment from the author of this meditation is as follows: “We are created and sustained by a loving God, on whom we depend as sheep on a shepherd.  With our generous God as shepherd, we have no more reason to fear.”

Luke 12:32 is a wonderfully comforting and energizing verse, and the comment was right on target.  However, it was the juxtaposition with the background picture that especially struck me this morning.  There is no shepherd anywhere in the picture!

And that is the way feels most of the time, isn’t it?  God seems very absent from our daily lives.  There is grass, sky, hill, other sheep, but no Shepherd.

However, neither cameras nor our eyes can catch all that is there.  God is indeed working in our lives, though we rarely suspect it.  He is indeed pleased to give us his kingdom.

In the background picture, one sheep out of the approximately fifty-seven sheep is looking directly at the camera.  Most of the time, I am like the fifty-six.  I’m eating, looking at other sheep, and doing whatever else it is that we human sheep do.

Perhaps the person who is taking the picture is the shepherd.  Perhaps our Great Shepherd is taking the picture that we call “our lives”.  Perhaps we are the subject of God’s shutter art.  Perhaps God is too humble to be very obviously present in our lives.

It may be that you and I could choose to look up every once in a while, and look in the direction of the One who is taking the picture.

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Wrong Question? Right question? No question!

On July 4, 2016 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

 

But Moses said to God, “Who am I . . . ?” that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

And He (i.e., the LORD) said, “Certainly I will be with you . . .” (Exodus 3:11-12).

Moses was asking the wrong question.  He was asking who he was.  Who was Moses to go to Pharaoh, and tell him to let God’s people go from their slavery?

The right question was this: “God, will You go with me?”

Actually, Moses didn’t even need to ask this question.  The LORD God was going with Moses, whether or not Moses asked!

Have you ever been asked—or told—to do impossible things?  Have you ever asked the question, “Who am I to do this?”

Wrong question!  If God tells us to do something, God will go with us.

The with-us-ness of God is one of the most comforting and empowering truths of the universe.  And it wasn’t just Moses that God was with.  God was with Israel when they went through the fires and floods (Isaiah 43:2).

For Christians, Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of God’s with-us-ness.  Joseph, Mary’s husband, was thinking about divorcing his betrothed wife.  She was pregnant, and Joseph was quite certain that the child was not his.

However, an angel appeared to him in a dream.  I’ll let Matthew tell this story.

“But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

‘She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

‘BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL’ which translated means, ‘GOD WITH US.’”

I was puzzled by this passage for years.  Name him “Jesus.”  This fulfills the prophecy that the child will be called “Immanuel.”

Matthew explains that the name “Jesus” (which literally means “the LORD will deliver”) means that Jesus will primarily deliver his people from their sins.  It should be noted that even (especially?) God’s people need to be forgiven.  And the name “Immanuel” means “God-with-us.”

However, there is a problem:  Name him “Jesus,” to fulfill the prophecy that he will be called “Immanuel.”

What!  That sounds like someone saying, “Name him ‘George,’ since it was predicted that he would be named ‘Timothy’!”

But eventually, I got it: THE ONLY WAY FOR GOD TO BE WITH US IS FOR GOD TO DELIVER US FROM OUR SINS.

I have heard it said this way.  I have no idea who said it, but it cannot be said better.  “God is not against us for our sins; rather, God is for us against our sins.”

Who are you to do something impossible, like dealing with the messes you’ve endured or created?  Wrong question!  God is with you!  And that’s not a question.  It is a glorious reality!

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