Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [41] A Grander Vision of God (1)

A "Happy 30th Birthday" image from the Hubble Space Telescope

We Need a Grander Vision of God

Thirty years ago NASA sent a space telescope into orbit above the earth to view the cosmos. On it's 30th birthday, Hubble sent back this stunning image of two gas clouds (nebula).

Why put a telescope in orbit? One simple reason - you must rise above the distorting effects of earth's atmosphere to see the majesty of the universe clearly. Earth-bound telescopes must peer through the ever turbulent effects of the air.

It's the same with us.

In today's gloom-laden world we can't see clearly. Media headlines so often reflect the pessimism and fear of our world. "After the Disease, the debt"  "Is China winning?" "The business of survival" - to mention three headlines from just one news magazine.

To see straight we must rise above the atmosphere of fear and pessimism, to the serenity of heaven, where the  power really lies. For a couple of days let us meditate on a few verses from Isaiah 40, starting with:

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.

Above all Idols

Isaiah is keen  to comfort God's people in a crisis. The unthinkable had just happened, the northern kingdom of Israel had been dragged into captivity - away from the promised land! Would that happen to the southern kingdom of Judah as well?

Surrounded by idol-worshipping nations perhaps it was time for Judah to make her own idols and turn to them for help. But, no, says Isaiah, those idols, whether wood or metal are no comparison to God. "To whom, then, will you compare God?"

Our world is turning to idols to solve the Coronavirus pandemic - medicine, money and politicians.

And we might be tempted to do the same. 

And that is where Isaiah steps in. 

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.

Isaiah can't believe it!

God's people should know, should have heard, should have been told, and from ancient times, that God is the sovereign ruler over all! Why isn't that truth fixed in their minds? Why are they even tempted to contemplate dumb idols? 

Since their God is so great, the One who "... sits enthroned above the circle of the earth..."

Ever since Adam, idolatry is deeply rooted in all our old sinful hearts! We turn so easily to man-made solutions instead of trusting wholly and solely in God, and in his mighty power.

Isaiah takes us above the murky atmosphere of this world into the throne room of heaven....

²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.

Let us remember today that God sits enthroned in heaven. He is not passively relaxing on a golden seat, he is actively ruling - "enthroned" means "reigning on high."

Men and women are not in charge of our world, God is. Politicians don't rule, God does. People by contrast are mere grasshoppers, by size and power! (We might say today, "the people of the world are like tiny little viruses" by contrast to the might and majesty of God!)

Jesus is enthroned on High

We know, from the New Testament that God has seated Jesus "far above all rule and authority" and placed all things under the feet of Jesus "for the church." (Ephesians 1).

Jesus rules over the universe for the benefit, the good of his people, the Church! That is an awesome thought and a comforting truth! In some wonderful way, King Jesus allows this and allows that into our lives and churches and nations but always for our benefit, always for our good, always for the extension of his glorious kingdom!

So let us not fear, whatever happens. Let us trust in God, trust in his almighty power, trust in his love, trust in his infinitely higher ways, and believe that good will come out of trouble - whether that trouble be Coronavirus or a personal emergency we may be facing.

We need a grander vision of  God!

A SONG FOR THE DAY
I have chosen a hymn which lifts our minds and hearts to the majesty of God.

O Lord my God!
When I in awesome wonder
consider all the works
Thy hands have made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
the power throughout
the universe displayed;

Then sings my soul,
my Saviour God, to Thee,
how great Thou art,
how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
my Saviour God, to Thee,
how great Thou art,
how great Thou art!

When through the woods
and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds
sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook,
and feel the gentle breeze;

And when I think
that God His Son not sparing,
sent Him to die -
I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross
my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

And when I think
that God His Son not sparing,
sent Him to die -
I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross
my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin: 

Stuart K Hine

You can sing along  HERE

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Our gracious Father in heaven,

Help us to rise above the murky atmosphere of despair and gloom.

Help us to remember, with joy, every day, that you have installed your King on your heavenly hill. We thank you that Jesus is seated at your right hand and rules over all for the good of his people, the church.

Forgive us when we so easily turn from you to dumb idols! 

Remind us today that your Son is King, and teach us to trust in him alone, and to turn to him alone, in every trouble and in every sorrow.

We worship your great and holy name,

Amen.

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [40] The Goodness of God

Our Sunday Devotionals are written by Mike Loveridge, Assistant Pastor at Manor Park Church

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

The song for this week is Goodness of God by Bethel music. You can listen to the song here. Like previous weeks, I suggest you listen to the song, dwell on the words and then read through my brief comments. I hope this song blesses you as it has me.

I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in darkest night You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah

And all my life You have been faithful,
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yeah

'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now
I give You everything

 What a beautiful reminder of God’s personal involvement in our life! This song speaks of a God who cares for us, is speaking to us, leading us at all times. It points to the love and care that God has for his people every day of our lives. In these strange and difficult times, it is such an encouragement to know that God is always there and always holding us in His hand.

This picture is drawing on scriptural truth. Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” What a comfort.

I love this song because it reminds me of several different characteristics of God and that is what I want to focus on this morning. These characteristics are God’s faithfulness, goodness, and God love for us both as a father and a friend.

Faithfulness

There are times when we may doubt this because of circumstances and situations in our lives, but God is faithful, and as Christians we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor. 5:7). Despite the evolving and unstable seasons that life brings, we are called to trust God both in the good times and the bad. Life can often be hard, challenging, and seem unfair. When things do not go according to our plans, we become can become anxious, depressed, even angry, but God remains faithful. If you have been a Christian a while you will be able to look back on your life and see all the times that God has been faithful. God is faithful in providing for us (Philippians 4:19), in strengthening us (Philippians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 12:9) and working in us (Philippians 1:6) as well as so many other ways.

If you are questioning God faithfulness today remember God says ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’ (Deuteronomy 31:6). He is always faithful.

Goodness

God is a good God. It may not always feel or seem that way when bad things happen but it is true. God isn’t just a God who does good things but the Bible tell us that God himself is good - . It is who he is and his character never changes. Psalm 46 says ‘God is our refuge and strength, a present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear.’ Charles Spurgeon commenting on this Psalm said this: “God is good — not because he causes things that seem or feel “good” to happen in our lives, but because in the midst of the storm, God comes closer to us than the storm could ever be.’ That is why we can say that God is good. No matter the trouble or the pain, God draws close to us and strengthens us through the storm. Without God’s goodness we wouldn’t make it through the trial as He sustains us each day. We may not understand his goodness towards us at the time or even in the course of our life time but we can be sure that every sorrow or harm we suffer will be redeemed for good in the fullness of Gods time. As Romans 8:28 so famously puts in, ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him’. Our emotions towards God change but he is always and forever the same good God.

Father

God is our father. What does that mean? Well God is our Father in the sense that he made us. But he is more than just that. He is our Father because he cares for us, provides for us, protects us and loves us a father should. For some that is a difficult thought because they haven’t had a good dad but God is the perfect father. The bible is littered with reference to God being our father:

John 10:29 shows us that we are secure in the hand of the Father.

Matthew 23:9 – shows us that God is our Father if we have faith.

James 1:17 – shows that God as our Father provides for us.

Romans 8:17 – because he is our Father we have an inheritance.

And the list could go on for a long time but what an awesome thought that we have a powerful God whom we can call Father and who loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for us.

Friend

God wants us to be his friend. He doesn’t want us to just know about him but he wants us to know him like we know a friend. That means an intimate and close relationship where you talk freely and openly. The Bible calls us to trust Jesus as our Saviour, to come humbly before him as our King but also to enjoy him as our friend.

John 15:15 shows Jesus the night before his death telling his disciples this very fact. Jesus didn’t want his disciples to be just servants but friends. To be a servant of Jesus is an honour but what a privilege to be his friend. When Jesus died for you upon the cross he didn’t do it as a master for a slave but as a friend for a friend (john 15:13). At the very centre of the gospel and heart of Christ is friendship.

You were made for friendship with God and it has been made possible through Christ. Do you live as a friend of God? As friends we do not diminish the authority of God. Jesus himself makes that clear in John 15:14 when he says, ‘ You are my friends if you do what I command’. But we were made for friendship with God so are you cultivating that friendship? How do you do that? By spending time with God in his word and in prayer. God knows us better than we know ourselves and knows our every thought before we do and he loves us more deeply than anyone else ever could. Why wouldn’t you want to deepen your friendship with God? Friendships without communication don’t thrive so spend time talking and listening to God.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Heavenly Father,

We come before you and thank you for who you are. We thank you that you are an awesome, powerful and almighty God and yet at the same time you are full of mercy and grace towards us.

We thank you for your great faithfulness and goodness towards us. We pray this morning for those who are struggling at the moment. May they know your faithfulness and goodness towards them.

We thank you that not only are you our king, but you are also our Father and friend. May our love for you, our knowledge of you and our trust in you grow day by day. May we prioritise spending time cultivating our relationship with you.

We ask all this in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [39] A Secure Future

A field of bluebells, Worcester, Wednesday 23rd April 2020

News of a Vaccine

News of a possible vaccine for Covid-19 is a reminder of the blessings of modern medicine.

By contrast, the knowledge of medicine during the 1300s, when plague ravaged Europe was so poor - and so brutal - that someone called medicine a branch of torture!

Almost every suggestion of the "experts" to cure the plague was wrong. Some medics in Paris, for example, said that keeping your house windows that faced south closed would help. Another suggested that putting ground up emerald powder into your food would protect you.

The only cures that worked did so for reasons different from the ones the doctors suggested. For example, one suggestion was a good diet, but the reason they said a good diet would help was false.

How grateful we should be for God's gift of medicine.

Did you clap in your street on Thursday night, for those who administer this gift of medicine?

Our verses today, verses 5 and 6, conclude Psalm 1:

Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

The tragic end of the wicked

Two thoughts as we close out Psalm 1. First, the tragic end of the wicked. The destination of those who do not believe is destruction. Someone has said that we should never mention hell without a tear in our eyes. Surely, O surely, he was right. When their moment in the Court of the Last Judgement comes, the wicked will not stand, they will not be able to defend themselves, and they will be found guilty.

And therefore they will be banned from the eternal assembly of the righteous.

What a tragic - and terrifying - end. And it should move us to one thing - to share the Gospel with the lost and to pray for the salvation of their souls, knowing that nothing is impossible with God. No-one is beyond the pale, no-one beyond the long reach of his love or the transforming power of his grace.

One sentence from a sermon I heard 40 years ago now deeply challenged me: "Do you believe in the peril of the ungodly?"  Did I really - no, really - believe in the eternal punishment of unbelievers?

Do we really believe that neighbours, friends and relatives who do not know Christ are going to hell?

May the Lord give the church a renewed sense of urgency to share the Gospel with the lost. May his love compel us to urge people, "Be reconciled to God!"  And especially in today's world, when hearts are more open to God, and when we as churches, have more time to populate our websites with Christian testimonies and Gospel answers.

  Rescue the perishing,
  Care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
  Weep o’er the erring one,
  Lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.

The Security of the Blessed

"The Lord watches over the way of the righteous."

What a contrast! The psalmist does not need to divide the present from future eternity, for God's present "watching over" extends beyond the grave and into the world to come. The Lord watches over us today, and tomorrow and into all of eternity.  "The Lord watches over the way of the righteous" covers all of time.  

It is a comfort to know that we are being watched over and protected by his loving and powerful hand. It is a joy to know that nothing can snatch us out of the Father's hand. 

A SONG FOR THE DAY
I was going to choose Matt Redman's "You alone can rescue" (sing it HERE). But instead I've chosen and older hymn which outlines the mystery of salvation.

I know not why God’s wondrous grace 
To me He hath made known,

Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love

  Redeemed me for His own.

But “I know Whom I have believed

And am persuaded that He is able

To keep that which I’ve committed

  Unto Him against that day.”

I know not how this saving faith

  To me He did impart,

Nor how believing in His word

  Wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,

  Convincing men of sin,

Revealing Jesus through the Word,

  Creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill

  May be reserved for me,

Of weary ways or golden days,

  Before His face I see.

I know not when my Lord may come,

  At night or noon-day fair,

Nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him,

  Or “meet Him in the air.”

 Daniel Webster Whittle

You can sing along HERE

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our Gracious and Merciful Father in heaven,

We thank you for the security of your people, we thank you that you watch over us eternally, both now and for everymore.

But we pray that you will have mercy on those who do not know you, those who have rejected you, those who have walked out on you.

We pray for every member of our families, immediate and extended who are not walking with you. We mention them now by name........

We know that you are merciful. We know that it is not your will that any should perish. We know that it your will that all should come to repentance. 

Show us our part in loving them, sharing the Gospel with them and above all else praying for the regenerating power of the Spirit to bring them new life, for you alone can save.

We pray these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world,

Amen