PSALM 93.
1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. 2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. 3 The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. 4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the LORD on high is mighty. 5 Your statutes, LORD, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days.
Study Notes:
93:1ff Jewish tradition claims that the next seven psalms (93--99) anticipated some of the works of the Messiah. Psalm 93 is said to have been used in post-captivity temple services and may have been written during Sennacherib's invasion (2 Kings 18:13--19:37).
93:5 The key to God's eternal reign is his holiness. God's glory is seen not only in his strength but in his perfect moral character as well. God will never do anything that is not morally perfect. This reassures us that we can trust him, yet it places a demand on us. Our desire to be holy (dedicated to God and morally clean) is our only suitable response. We must never use unholy means to reach a holy goal because God says, "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy" (Leviticus 19:1, 2).
Before coming to the table this morning I made the mistake of looking in the mirror. What I saw didn't look so good, not like I thought I looked like. It was a different mirror though. Maybe that was it. Didn't have a lot weighing on me to talk to God about, so we just did small talk. I told him about the chores I did yesterday, laughed at how "Navy ships and national guard being deployed" was small talk to God. Then he did it--he took our small talk to a deeper level. I told God that it was cool that I could visit with him like this and I told him about looking in the mirror and how some mirrors reflect differently on me. It occurred to me then that I really don't know how I look, but God does. He knows better than anyone.
Almighty God, thank you for dwelling with us. I praise you, my Lord, for the ease and comfort you provide in all situations. Thank you that you truly know us and clearly see the truth about us. Thank you for your kindness and mercy, even so. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
A Song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0xDgW_LGdZs
Have a blessed day.
I usually skip over the Bible Study posts on here, but this one really caught my attention. And it's really convicting. I don't skip them due to not being Christian, but because I struggle with reading Scripture and it generally loses my interest for reasons I don't comprehend.
Anyway... Brain and soul dump incoming.
I have a huge disconnect between knowledge and understanding in most parts of my life, but especially my Faith. Probably some autism going on, but I digress. I've known that God is a Good Father, and that we are to look up to Him and share our life with Him, but it always manifests for me as only sharing my troubles when I'm down, asking for help with whatever is on my plate at that moment, etc, without sharing much in the joys of life (of which I have few because I'm full of bitterness for most people around me) and especially not any kind of small talk. Seems like a waste of His time, and I feel like a jerk for only dragging all my problems to Him, so I shut down and rarely pray. I also suck at gratitude.
We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, our minds, and our strength.
I... Haven't been doing that. I'm aware of Christ's sacrifice, and I have thanked Him for dying to pay for my sin, but I have not loved Him back for it. To an extent, I'm even embarrassed to talk about my Faith or about Jesus or my Church; not in a denying way, but I'm definitely far from an Evangelist.
I'm not Loving to Him.
This post is realigning my thinking.
I need to take what "God is a Good Father" means seriously. And I need to take the action of Loving Him seriously.
If your father is good, it is not loving to constantly drag your problems to his feet without sharing the joys in life or just hanging out for a bit (ie small talk).
If your father is good, it is not loving to ignore him until you're desperate for his help and then ignore him again.
If your father is good, it is not loving to take advantage of what he has given you without recognition or any form of reciprocation.
If your father is good, it is not loving to be embarrassed about his existence and that he has helped you in life.
If your father is good... Love him. Hang out with him. Share your joys and experiences with him. Get excited about the thing you just learned about that he's known since before you were born. Reciprocate gifts with him even if he's Michaelangelo and the best you can do is a crayon stick figure. Be curious. Learn about what he's up to or what he has done before you were around. Continue his legacy for the next generations.
And if you love him... He's more likely to talk to you.
As we've grown up, we've learned how our earthly fathers, even if they are good, are fallible. This is why we can look to God with a childlike wonder, in awe of his infallibility, His love, and His perfection. At a level impossible for us to realize if we don't know Him, and impossible to achieve even if we do, but He knows that. And He has forgiven us for that, so long as we recognize and accept it.
This is convicting not just of my relationship with my Heavenly Father but also with my earthly father.
I'm sorry. To both of you. I have some more soul searching to do, but I promise to start doing better.
He knows you and He loves you. Never forget that. It is satan working against us in this life, creating doubts, distracting us, demoralizing us. God has a plan for this and we can most assuredly place all of our trust in that.
To tell you the truth, I didn't have any idea how God would work through this post. I nearly didn't do it. But I love the way GOD works. Your testimony touched me. Thank you. Guess I should have more confidence in God's prompting. You have blessed my day.