Good Morning,
Usually I spend more time on these posts, but I have to admit to kind of rushing through it after the fourth different children's activity of the night. It’s why I’ve titled it the way I have. Hope you are still able to get some benefits from it despite my hurriedness and lack of planning.
When I sit down to write these morning devotions, whether they be for Tuesday like this one or the catechism lesson on Thursdays, usually what moves me to speak on a particular subject or take the instruction about whatever portion of the catechism we are on that week in a certain direction has a lot to do with what I’ve been reading in the Bible that day. I like to let my daily Scripture passages kind of marinate in my mind. Doing that has a habit of motivating me a lot more than just to help me put something down.
For example, today I happened to be looking at Psalm 65. There is a lot in there that ties into, by God’s providence, many of the things we’ve been looking at in our preaching times, and other study opportunities through the week. In verse 4 we read:
“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.”
Here are words that Noah could have easily uttered as he exited the Ark and led his family in worship before the covenant LORD. As we have read through the darkest days of Jeremiah, as the judgement of God bore down upon the land, he still is able to raise his voice to the heavens as the grace bestowed upon the remnant is more than he can comprehend. And of course on Sunday nights we are entering into a discussion about unconditional election. Nothing should cause praise more than that.
At the very heart of the “U” in T.U.L.I.P. is the reality that God has chosen, and caused, ungodly men and women to approach unto Him that they might dwell forever satisfied in the goodness of the house prepared by Christ Jesus. The more I cogitate about the above verse the more it just slays me. I don’t think a “blessed” has ever been more “blessed” than the blessed in Psalm 65:4.
Consider for a moment about the immensity of what follows that word. You ever just sit and think through what it means that God Almighty, El-Shaddai, chose you to bear the blood of His only begotten Son? It’s just unreal to me. Not much makes me emotional. I have the hide of a white rhino. Yet, I get misty eyed writing this right now. It is insane to me that redemption has taken place. When I read Paul say in Romans 5 that Jesus died for the ungodly I can point at the page and say, “that’s me. I’m the ungodly. I’m the one he’s speaking about. A dead sinner worthy of nothing but hellfire, yet…yet….yet…He has made me godly by His righteous gift.” Woooh. It’s overwhelming.
Assurance of salvation is one of those things that should humble you. People who act like their Christian faith makes them something special have missed the point. Few things drive me crazy like folks who talk all the time about how they are a Believer and love Jesus and all that jazz and then walk around all uppity and arrogant. It makes no sense to me. The Cross, the Empty Tomb, the Transfiguration, it’s all too much sometimes to take in. The very God of Heaven and Earth, the One who made all things has made me new. Why? Why has He done that? Well, there is another verse in Psalm 65 that helps open our eyes to that.
David as he closes out his prayer of thanksgiving notes, “The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.” Here we see a picture of the bounty of the Lord’s Zion. It gives testimony to the reason why He has done all things well. The Great Shepherd of the Sheep has meadows full of the very lambs of His handiwork eating to their hearts content as they proclaim their joy for all the wonderful things He has done. The pleasantness of this scene is so rich it’s liable to give you diabetes. Yet the beauty of the plan of God in the salvation of men is even more bountiful than this. Why has the son of Jesse penned this song of gladness? Well, the preceding four psalms are classified as psalms of lament. While David brought many trials upon himself because of his own sin, not every difficulty in his life was of his own doing, the same could be said of us. Some times we are our own worst enemy, and deserve whatever temporary curse which has befallen us, however, like David there are other moments where the skies of providence have darkened and we are caught in the midst of a storm and what can we do but cry that very word given to us by the song-master of the Bible in the first verse of the 64th Psalm, “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:” Often the thing that bothers us the most about the attempts of evil men and women to cause a disturbance in our soul is the fact we cannot discern either a motive or a purpose that God has in what they are doing. The unknown can often be far worse than the known, yet it is this later that gives David hope in the midst of a black time. See how he closes out the Psalm, “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.” Thing is that while we may not know the deeper why’s of what is taking place, we can rest in the peace that God knows, and that makes all the difference, or at least it should.
I hope you have this knowledge in yourself. Because if you don’t I invite you at this time to come have it. The offer is free, unconditional. All that is needed is a sinful heart in need of cleansing grace. We all got that so you are in good company there. You want to experience the praise of the redeemed who live in the caring hands of Christ in His Zion? Then put away all the excuses and come. All who are weary and heavy laden, see the beauty of dwelling in the very home of God, with all the bounty of blessings available there.
Here is a bit more to think on:
https://www.reformation21.org/blog/the-loveliness-of-the-lord-jesus-christ
By His Grace,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser,
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church