This morning our pastor preached on Psalm 115. It was a wonderful, thought-provoking sermon about the omnipotence of God and His ability to do as He pleases. One of the points our pastor made at the conclusion of his sermon was our tendency to want to use God as a genie that does what we please. He asked us to honestly evaluate if we believed we knew better than God what was needed in our life.
After our morning worship service we attended Sunday School where we started a new series that looks like it is going to be terrific: John Ortberg's An Ordinary Day with Jesus. The series is a very practical look at how to walk through our lives on this Earth, practicing the presence of God, one day at a time. I spent the afternoon mulling how to look for an extraordinary God throughout my 'ordinary' days. I was also comforted by the reminder that God's mercies are new every morning--and we are not to worry about tomorrow, but merely take it one day at a time. None of us know if we are promised tomorrow anyway. I am reminded of this as my husband shares new cancer diagnoses with 4-6 people each week. The course of their lives are changed in an instant.
This afternoon as I reorganized my pantry, caught up on laundry, paid bills and tried to finish unpacking (all exceedingly ordinary tasks) I received an e-mail from Karen who was attending the funeral of her eldest son today. He was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle just two weeks after she had dropped him off for his freshman year of college.
Suddenly all of these lessons from my morning came crashing in for their first test. Why God? Why must there be such inexplicable pain? What would I do in her situation? Please don't test me in this area.
I was reminded of the opening lines of Psalm 115.
"Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake, but for your name's sake, show your glory.
Do it on account of your merciful love, do it on account of your faithful ways. Do it so none of the nations can say, "Where now, oh where is their God?" Our God is in heaven doing whatever he wants to do." Psalm 115:1-3 (The Message)
It requires a big faith to trust God to do as He pleases, not just as we please. It is scary to think of what may be required of my life for His Glory. Yet, the alternative...trusting myself in all of my fallability rather than Him in all His Majesty... is just not an option.
5 comments:
Absolutely!!!! Thank you for that wonderful reminder---it blows my mind His truth revealed to you speaks to me just in the right moments.
For His Glory,
Amy
Death is a painful parting. The death of a child even more so. But we take comfort in that, while we were yet sinners, God sent HIS son to die for us.
Romans 8;28 and following tells us:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
My heart goes out to this family and their pain in loss. And may the person who did this find God and know forgiveness as well.
I've been reading over your blog this past week but I don't think I've commented before.
What a great message! Trusting that God in His wisdom knows what we need isn't always easy but it's so much better than the alternative of trusting ourselves.
I'm writing Psalm 115:1-3 on an index card to ponder on this week. Thanks for sharing a fresh word from the Lord!
What a great word! Hard, but good. The Lord has really been dealing with me about this very topic over the past few weeks. Do I trust Him to do what is best, even if it doesn't seem like the best thing to me?
Of course, for those of us who know Him, there's only one answer we can give... even as difficult as it is.
Thanks for your honesty. You're really awesome!
Great message - I hope you don't mind, but I pulled out some of your text and quoted you in a recent post on my blog.
My heart goes out to your friend, Karen. Oh so hard. Letting go and sending him to college, then losing him for good. My prayers for the family...
Thanks again for your post and your honesty.
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