Many times I write under what I call “inspiration,” but today I want to write to you because this last week has been so good. There is such a finality in the the word “good,” isn’t there? When God made Adam and finished with Creation, He said, “It is good.” Not great, not fantastic, but just “good.” How perfect is that? When Paul fell on the road to Damascus and was struck with blindness, that was “good.” When Esther became Queen of Persia, though a young Jewish maiden in a pagan land, that was good, wasn’t it? And finally when Peter reached out his hand to the Lord, and said “Help me! I am drowning!” That was good too. Jesus saved him.
Many times we feel like Daniel in the Lion’s Den, so unsure of what is up ahead, that we have trouble trusting the One who made us for the future. I think of David’s many transgressions: murder, adultery, and turning a deaf ear to God. Yet we know that in His affliction, he always turned His heart back to the Lord. Again, and again and again! Sometimes we feel like Rahab, who hid Jewish spies in her attic at risk of losing her life. I think of Gideon, who was given a small army to lead the Israelites against the Assyrian army. whose army was huge! I think of Abraham. the Father of the Israelites, who was forced to leave his homeland. This was the man who, who at age 100, was promised a son with an inheritance that numbered the stars.
What happened to Daniel? He made it out of the Den of Lions unscathed and went on to advise pagan kings of great nations about the things of the Lord. He had an eye for eternity and things not of this world. And David? Through all the terrible things he did, his heart always returned to the Lord. Did you know that Jesus is named in the Bible as the Son of David? What happened to Rahab? Because she hid the scouts, the wall to the city fell down and both her and her family were spared by the Israelites. How about Gideon? With his tiny army, this meek and mild warrior led them to victory against the enemy with blowhorns!
In all this, we must remember that our God fights for us! In all things and in all ways, the Divine Comforter and Healer, the Painter of the Skies, and the Founder of all creation is on my side! He endured more pain than we can ever bear. He led 12 foolish, naive, wanderers: equipping them to change the world. He tells the wind where to go and knows when a bird falls. He is a God of beauty and Justice. He is Holy and Mighty, and yet he befriends the lonely. The bruised and brokenhearted can come freely and with confidence to His throne of grace. The hurting and downcast have only to fall at His feet, and let Him lovingly bandage the wounds of the past.
My God saves. The Redeemer has atoned for your sins and prepares you for your journey each day to live in the light of His grace and love. He wants to be your Best Friend, the one you call Abba Daddy. He wants to always be involved in your thoughts and be at the center of your life. Won’t you let Him? He loves you more than you can fathom. You are His masterpiece, created in the image of His only Son. HIS SON! Be blessed today. Your Redeemer lives!
Hebrews 11:1, 39-40
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see… These (meaning the ancients) were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.