Did You Know That God Takes Pleasure in You?  

Last weekend we were able to take the two-and-a-half-hour trip to visit our son and his family. One of the reasons we were excited to do so is because we have a one-year-old grandson there who is constantly changing and growing up all too quickly. Children and grandchildren are precious to us. We don’t view it as simply an obligation to go see them occasionally – it’s something we deeply desire to do. We especially delight in our grandchildren and want to spend time with them. It reminds me of a video I saw of one of our friends who is also a grandparent. She was able to fly up north to visit some of her grandkids she had not seen for a while. The video showed her grandson reading her a book shortly after her arrival. Our friend’s face was just beaming with joy expressing how thrilled she was to be able to be there and how much delight those grandchildren gave her.

Do we ever picture God in that way? Does it seem strange to think that the Lord takes such pleasure in us when we come to Him in prayer, when we gather with others to worship Him, or when we do some act of service in His name? On the one hand, the Bible tells us to delight in the Lord. However, we sometimes need to remind ourselves that God’s Word reveals the truth that He also delights in us. In Psalm 149:4 it says, “The Lord takes pleasure in His people.” A couple of psalms earlier, it declares the same truth, along with a description of who His people are - “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy” (Psalm 147:11).

Sometimes we get the idea that our Heavenly Father is simply tolerating us. Certainly, we are guilty of often trying His patience. We can be thankful that the Lord is longsuffering toward us. Nevertheless, in spite of our shortcomings and faults, in spite of how we’ve disappointed Him at times, and in spite of how our faith has faltered, He delights in us and considers us to be precious. One of those Sunday School songs some of us learned in our younger days reminds us that Jesus loves all the children of the world and they are precious in His sight. That truth doesn’t just apply to little tykes. It applies to all of God’s children – all those who are trusting Jesus as our Savior. We are precious to Him!

It can be easy to lose that sense of His pleasure if we’re not careful. Rough roads and hard times can make us wonder why a sovereign God is allowing us to experience such trials. Our own failure to perfectly follow our Father’s will can cause us to sense His disappointment more than His pleasure. Sometimes we can even misconstrue the way He’s working in our lives to guide us, correct us, and encourage us to keep growing as signs of His displeasure with us rather than as indications of His great love for us. Like a child who complains that his parents are always “on his case”, we can feel like the Lord is always pushing and punishing us rather than recognizing that out of His love for us our Heavenly Father is trying to help us and do what’s best for us.

If you’ve been feeling inadequate or as if you are a disappointment to God, let Him remind you how precious you are to Him today. If you’re a child of God through faith in Jesus, be assured that the Lord takes pleasure in you. You are precious in His sight.

 

Be Assured That God Is Hearing Your Prayers  

While we were out of town at a church association meeting last week, we decided to eat at a well-known barbecue restaurant in the area. However, as we pulled into the almost-empty parking lot, we were disappointed to discover that the business wasn’t open. A man outside who appeared to be involved in doing some repair work or remodeling informed us that the restaurant wouldn’t be open again until the following week. As I shared that news with the pastor of the church where we were meeting, he suggested a similar eating establishment just a few miles down the road. So the next evening we tried again. However, we soon encountered another empty parking lot with a note on the door saying that the family who owned the business was on vacation that week. I guess a good barbecue dinner as part of that trip just wasn’t meant to be.

Aren’t you glad that we don’t have to worry about such disappointments with the Lord? He is never out of town. His office door is never locked. We don’t encounter a “closed”, “gone fishing”, or “on vacation” sign when we come before His throne in prayer. He is always there, ready to hear and respond to our needs. What He told His prophet long ago still applies to us – “Call to Me, and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3).  The Bible tells us that we can come confidently before God in prayer. “Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). This assurance is based both on Jesus being our great High Priest who intercedes for us and our loving Heavenly Father who is ready to bestow good gifts on His children as they seek Him.

Jesus told His followers to ask, seek, and knock on God’s door (see Matthew 7:7-8). He also assured them that “everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” This doesn’t mean that God will always answer immediately or in the way we were hoping for. Jesus also taught perseverance in prayer. Sometimes we might have to keep asking and knocking before receiving an answer. It’s not because God is unwilling. It may not be the right time, or we might need to learn some things before receiving the answer. God wasn’t on vacation when Paul pleaded for Him to remove his “thorn in the flesh”. Yet Paul had to plead for an answer, not just once but three times, Finally, God came to the door with the assurance that His grace was sufficient to help Paul deal with this infirmity or “thorn” in his life. It wasn’t the answer Paul was looking for, but it taught him something important about how God can manifest His strength in our weaknesses.

As some of us earnestly pray about situations in our lives, in our nation, and in the world in general today, maybe we wonder why God doesn’t seem to be answering. Be assured that it’s not because He’s unaware, unconcerned, or out of town. We need to keep knocking on His door. In the meantime, we should listen for any lessons we might need to learn. Maybe we need to get our own hearts and lives in order as we pray for the Lord to work in our society. Maybe we need to be revived before He’ll bring revival to others. Maybe we need to learn that His grace is sufficient for us as we face our trials and challenges.

Let’s not get discouraged in our praying. God is there. He’s listening. He’s ready to give us the grace and help we need today.

 

Recognize Real and Manufactured Inconsistencies  

One morning I was watching the weather report on a local TV news broadcast. At one point the forecaster was showing the current radar revealing a few scattered showers in the area. Moments later she was commenting on a graphic about the rain chances for the day, which included the statement that there was a zero percent chance of precipitation that morning. She seemed to have no problem with the blatant inconsistency between that statement and the reality of what was actually taking place outside. A few minutes later as I was driving down the road, I ran into some of that rain which we had no chance of experiencing.

Such inconsistencies aren’t uncommon in our day. I’ve watched other news reports on TV in which what the reporter was saying didn’t match what the video clearly showed. Additionally, it’s not unusual for political leaders or celebrities to say something that is obviously inconsistent with what they had previously said or with their actions. Such inconsistencies, whether they result from unintentional mistakes, hypocrisy, or attempts to deceive, are nothing new. However, it seems we’re more ready to ignore those clear contradictions or gloss over them if they promote our worldview. On the other hand, we’re quick to point out inconsistencies, or even try to manufacture them, when it comes to those who hold different views from our own.

 Followers of Christ are often accused of inconsistencies in their beliefs and practices these days. Unfortunately, there are cases in which it may be true. We all have to guard against the sin of hypocrisy. We need to seek divine enablement to help us practice what we preach. We need to rightly apply God’s Word and its principles to our current issues. We need to distinguish between what the Bible teaches and our own personal preferences about matters so that we’re not guilty of contradicting ourselves.

However, many of those accusations aren’t based on reality. As the issue of abortion has received special attention in recent days, those who are pro-life are sometimes accused of being inconsistent in defending the life of the unborn while failing to adequately care for the lives of the mothers and babies after they are born. Yet in reality, there are probably no organizations that do more to assist expectant moms and their babies, before, during, and after birth than the crisis pregnancy centers. On the other hand, it seems to be contradictory for the pro-choice advocates to defend the lives of moms or the lives of children affected by gun-violence, while failing to defend the lives of innocent, unborn children.

One of the most common accusations leveled against believers today is that we are being inconsistent when we say we love people but aren’t willing to accept them or celebrate them for who they are and what they do. However, such a concept seems to stem from a skewed view of love. Real love wants what’s best for people. It doesn’t just compliment them or soothe them no matter what, especially not when their course of action is hurting themselves. It’s the greatest of love to warn people when they’re putting themselves at risk. God loves sinners so much that He sent His Son to die for them. And while He invites all of us to come to Him “just as we are”, He doesn’t expect us to stay that way. We don’t come with proud hearts, telling God, “You’ve got to accept me the way I am.” No, we come with humble hearts ready to submit to God and His will for us. And that means being willing to change and conform to what He says.

So let’s watch out for inconstancies in ourselves and others, but at the same time let’s make sure they’re real ones.  

 

Someone is Always Watching Us  

One day last week I was driving down the road when something in the sky ahead of me caught my eye. At first, I thought it was a bird flying, but something about it just didn’t look right. I soon realized that what I had spied was a small drone. Even more odd was the fact that it wasn’t hovering over one area – it seemed to be following the route of the highway I was on. I continued to keep an eye on it for a couple of miles before I saw it turn to the right – the same direction I was planning to go. After making the turn I still saw it, but it seemed to be slowly descending. At the next intersection I had to stop at a traffic light. As I did, the drone came down almost right next to my vehicle, hovering for a few seconds, almost as if it was looking at me. Then it flew away as the light changed. It continued to fly ahead of me, although at a lower altitude, going so low that it was actually flying above the traffic but underneath the power lines. Then it happened. It’s wing struck one of those lines, causing the gadget to pummel into the other lane of the road. As it crashed, one of the cars in front of me quickly pulled across that lane to block traffic and someone reached out to retrieve the drone. I then realized that the person who had been controlling the drone must have been riding in that vehicle which had been traveling ahead of me this whole time. I don’t know what they were doing or why, but I have to admit that it was a little creepy to see such a potential spy-in-the-sky following my route and even hovering over me as if it was watching me.

Does it bother us when we consider the fact that there is a God who is watching everything we do? The Bible clearly describes Him as an omnipresent spirit who sees all and knows all. And if that isn’t enough, His abilities extend beyond just observing our outward actions. He also knows our very thoughts, as well as being able to discern our hidden desires and motives. Do we find that creepy, disturbing, or even scary? Does it stir up guilt or shame in light of the way we sometimes act, the words we let come out of our mouths, or the thoughts we entertain?  

How do we handle this truth of God’s ever-present watchful eye? Some of us may simply try not to think about it. We either deny what the Bible teaches about this subject or we just choose to ignore it. Others may be more concerned about what God thinks, but just hope they can do enough good things to outweigh the bad, or they bank on God’s forgiveness. Certainly, we’ve all fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness and need the grace that is available to us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We can never make up for it by our own good deeds. We have to put our trust in the Lord for forgiveness.

However, as we move forward in our lives as His followers, the best way to deal with the fact that we are serving an all-seeing and all-knowing God is to let Him transform us from the inside out. He can change our hearts. He can purify our motives. He can help us think about good things. And He can clean up our speech and our behavior. We may falter at times and will still need His forgiveness. However, let’s also trust Him to help us better live and think in ways that will please the One who is always watching us.

 

Stand in the Gap on Behalf of Our Nation  

Not long ago I noticed a small gap had formed in the siding under an eave of our roof. I temporarily covered the hole from inside the attic with a piece of fix-it-all duct tape. However, it fell off recently due to the effects of our summer heat. So I subsequently purchased and applied some spray foam material that works well to fill in such unwelcome openings. It should be adequate to keep out the weather and any small creatures from venturing into our attic until we employ the more permanent solution of getting the piece of siding replaced.

  This situation reminds me of God’s words to His prophet at a time when Jerusalem was facing divine judgment due to the sins of its inhabitants. “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out my indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads” (Ezekiel 22:30-31). Here we see the true picture of God’s nature – the balance between His love and His wrath. The sins of the people demanded that there must be judgment from a holy God. However, out of His great love, God sought for a way to avoid having to pour out His wrath on those who deserved it. He looked for someone to “stand in the gap.” The concept is of someone building a wall of protection around the city and then standing in any gaps in that structure in order to protect it from the outside enemy. In this case, God was hoping for someone to stand up and intercede to avert His own wrath and judgment.

   I believe our nation is also in danger of God’s judgment. We’re already experiencing not only the consequences of our own poor choices, but also at least the initial showers of God’s wrath being poured out on us. Thankfully, He hasn’t consumed us yet, but we’re not trending in a good direction. Our nation needs people today who will stand in the gap and defend our country from the impending judgment of God. But how do we do that? How can we intercede before God in behalf of our land today?

Primarily, we can stand in the gap by way of prayer. We can pray for there to be repentance and revival. We can confess our sins as a nation and seek God’s mercy. We can pray for our current leaders, as well as ask for God to raise up godly future leaders. We can pray for the Lord to restrain the evil, immorality, violence, and lawlessness. We can likewise ask that what’s good, pure, peaceable, and right will be recognized and promoted. We can pray as Jesus taught us, for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven

Secondly, we can stand in the gap by staying true to God and His Word. We can continue to uphold the truth even as many around us resist it and oppose it. We can proclaim the good news of salvation and warn of the fallout from rejecting God’s grace. We can be voices in the wilderness.

We can also stand in the gap by getting involved in our world, being the hands of Jesus, and making it a better place to live. We can be light in the darkness. We can show God’s love in practical ways, continuing the works which Jesus did to build His kingdom.

As we face the prospect of God’s wrath, will you be someone who will stand in the gap?