“God looks from heaven and sees all the inhabitants of the earth. He made their hearts and considers their works. There is no king saved by his army. Not a mighty man delivered by his strength. A horse (it was written in a pre-industrial time. Substitute tank, battleship, or stealth drone if necessary to get the full picture) is a vain thing for protection. Behold, the eye of God is on those that reverence Him; upon those who hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits on the Lord because He is our help and our shield…” There are a lot of ways to apply this passage. And there can be some very different perspectives picked up by people in different places of life. Some can feel it makes them “small.” As though God is sitting on a throne somewhere far away, watching, mocking mankind’s efforts, then picking and choosing, capriciously, if and who He will help in times of trouble. Others can see it as simple facts. We’re here. He’s there. And there’s always a hope that He may cross the gap to help. Then there are others, like me, hopefully like you, who see God viewing everything we think, desire, and do – the positive and negative ways we engage each other, the wars we fight – often with unexpected and unseen warriors, the ways we try to cover up for self-preservation, the necessary humility to acknowledge that we can’t navigate this world alone and can’t surround ourselves with enough levels of security to ward off defeating circumstances, that we can’t effectively see what’s ahead from our ground level… and that if we will invite Him in – He will come to our aid. Take the case of the precious couple Ann and I sat with last night. We sat with them on the front porch of their house, cool breeze blowing on our faces, talking about anything and everything. We were really enjoying the conversations and laughter, the experiences of days gone by, and the prospects of the future… both the short term one and the eternal one… Our friend, who has done nothing to bring it on himself, who has faced cancer before, is starting radiation treatments today. And his faith, love and trust in God is at an all-time high. He’s fully aware that God knows exactly what is going on. He knows that the radiation is not for a cure, but only for relief. He knows that heaven is real and that God can visit Him here with healing or host Him there for eternal, divine, life. He’s good either way. He knows he has been delivered from death, either way! He’s concerned for his loved ones here for sure, but he also knows thru his decades of experience that God comforts those temporarily left behind… His perspective sure makes a difference for him and his loved ones. So, what’s your perspective? I was never a neutral. I was always a fist shaker at the heavens. I wanted to blame the “OZ” (you get the picture) for all the pains and problems of the world. And my perspective was that if He was going to distance Himself, scoff at our human efforts, and thumb His nose at our cries that I was going to sign back. And then I met Him. And everything changed. I felt the mercy flooding over me that I didn’t deserve. I was delivered from my self-defeating, death-dealing obstinacy. I found Him to be upholding me in my own self-starvation; a spiritual anorexia brought on by an intellectual anemia. And I found help, lots of it, in a lifetime of struggles that I never expected and could not see how to win. God is not mocking mankind. He is leaning over in heaven toward His beloved mankind to hear the invitation of hearts who truly realize how vulnerable we are and how much we need His help. Go back and read the verse for the day again… and see if you need an adjustment of perspective. It’s a quality of life issue!
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 14:12:59 +0000
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