Author: astherainandsnow

“I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left. You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving to us.’ But Sihon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. 

“The Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’ Then Sihon came out against us [with] all his people… And the Lord our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. And we captured all his cities… We left no survivors. Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. From Aroer, on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The Lord our God gave all into our hands.” Deuteronomy 2:26-36

We think one way, God another. We foolishly pretend the enemy is not dangerous, and gear our strategy thus: dismiss, skirt by casually, or hope a simple, peaceful separation can be accomplished with minimal effort and trouble. But God’s enemies are vicious and must be slayed and left forever. When He deals with them, He does so wholly, in a way that glorifies Him and teaches us who’s really the Victor. (Isaiah 55:8-9; 1 Peter 5:8-9)

In God’s wisdom, He calls us ahead one step, one enemy, at a time. Begin to take the land. Life is a continuum of battles, and He gives triumphs individually so our confidence in Him grows and we can learn methods and mindsets from each to apply to the next. His faithfulness stands fixed and firm, our faith increases with each exercise of its power. We experience His enabling and accomplishing, and know better and better the LORD our God and His absolute commitment to His promises. (Deuteronomy 3:1-8,21-22; Psalm 119:89-90)

Are there dangerous habits of heart and mind we deem benign, that we flirt with and try to transect with no effect on our affection for Jesus? Where have we grown spiritually flabby? What warfare has God assigned against temptation that we are not taking seriously? What will it take for us to take Him at His word, and conquer once for all the beasts of pride, hatred, favoritism, greed, lukewarmness? What new spiritual land of humility, love, compassion, unselfishness, forgiveness, is God calling us to possess?

“Onward, Christian soldiers, 
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
see his banner go!” ~S. Baring-Gould (1637)

Lord, give me eyes to recognize, and courage to conquer, Sihons that would ruin my love and witness for You.

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer… Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.  The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.” Revelation 2:10; 3:11-12

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

“And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” 1 Peter 5:4

Crown: a reward of victory or mark of honor; a royal or imperial headdress

A life intent on the crown is one planned with holy inspiration and executed with intention. When we believe and are saved, we receive the Spirit of God, who infuses us with a passion to live for our King and endeavor to please Him. He implants vision for our royal purpose and heavenly course, discipline for the training, and endurance for the race. Our goals increasingly do less with temporary and self, and more with everlasting and Him. Our efforts take on higher dimension, geared more toward the unseen than the seen, on the lasting over the temporary. (Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Our Jesus laid aside His glory to wear a crown of thorns. He bore our sin and died, so we could rise to receive from him a crown of righteousness, eternal life, and glory. The rewards for which we live are crowns bestowed by God’s grace alone, honors we will one day lay at His feet when we see Him face to face as reigning King of kings. (1 Corinthians 3:10-16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 3:21; 4:9-11)

How does the promise of crowns motivate us to live, or change the way we live, today? What self-serving pampering, what transitory pleasures, what near-sightedness or pettiness, need transformation? Would the hope of reward, and offering them in gratitude back to Jesus, infuse in us endurance for suffering and steadfastness for every trial here below? Whom will we run alongside to race well together? How are we spurring one another on to a victorious finish? (Hebrews 10:23-25)

“Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o’er the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save;
his glories now we sing
who died and rose on high,
who died eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.

Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time,
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.” ~Matthew Bridges (1851)

Father, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown, may I live my days for crowns to offer You on that day. (Isaiah 28:5)

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist… You are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error…

“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him…

“We love because he first loved us. ^‘If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. ^‘Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:1-6,13-16,19-21

When we hear ‘whoever,’ we want either to quickly step up and wave a hand for favor and notice, or shrink back and hide if that identity brings disdain or punishment. John spends this whole letter assuring Christians “that they may know they have eternal life,” so every ‘whoever’ brings another test. We either confess Jesus, or we do not. We are either from God, or from the world. We either have the Spirit, or we do not. We either abide in Him and His love, and so love others, or we do not, and cannot. God’s bold whoevers make stark and clear distinctions for every person. (1 John 5:13)

By what do we know what we know and believe? Every day we have a choice whether we will listen to the antichrists who do not confess Jesus, and speak falsehoods and error from the world, or to the Spirit of God, and those through whom He speaks according to biblical truth. The distinguishing factor is what they say and support about Jesus, whether or not He came in the flesh as the divine Son of Man. He is not just a prophet, a good teacher, or one of many sons, but the immutable, unique, holy Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world. Any lesser identity is inadequate. (John 1:29; 3:16)

By what are we known? How clear is the evidence that we know and love Jesus? Do we readily confess His name and supremacy? Do we exercise Spirit-led discernment? Are we abiding in His love and generously loving our brothers?

Father, test and prove me by Your word and Spirit. Help me live out every assurance that I know and belong to You, so those who meet me, recognize You. (Romans 8:16; Hebrews 4:12)

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'” Revelation 1:4-8

John’s brief greeting to the churches is chock full of Jesus Christ. John- his heart, his mind, his vision, his compulsion, his life aim- is also full of Jesus, and it is this Savior he adores, is fixed upon, and compelled to proclaim. The blessing of grace and peace to begin his letter is possible only from Jesus, whose name is the limitless Source of both.

The name of Jesus is no game, but the ever-present reality of our King who endures forever. (Psalm 135:13)

Him who is and who was and who is to come: Our Savior, eternally existent with the Father, sustains us to walk in His name forever. (Deuteronomy 33:27; Micah 4:5; John 1:1-2)

The faithful witness: Jesus is the exact image of the Father, and reveals Him to us by radiating His glory. (Hebrews 1:3)

The firstborn of the dead: Jesus rose from death to give us resurrection life and power. (Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:14)

The ruler of kings on earth: Sovereign God reigns over all things, and is trustworthy to fulfill His righteous purposes. (Psalm 57:2; Isaiah 14:24)

Him who loves us: He sets His affection on us, enabling us to love Him and others. (Deuteronomy 7:7-9; Isaiah 43:4; 1 John 4:16;19)

Him who has freed us from our sins by his blood: Once we are set free from the penalty, grip, and condemnation of sin, we are free indeed to serve. (John 8:36; Romans 8:1; 1 Peter 2:16)

Him who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father: We are chosen to proclaim His excellencies to a dark world. (1 Peter 2:9)

The Alpha and the Omega: He who begins every good work- in us, those we love, and the world- will see themthrough to completion. He founds and finishes all faith. (Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 12:2)

The Almighty: There is nothing too difficult or wonderful God cannot do. (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17)

In which name will I delight and trust today? Which identity will I wear and proclaim? The One who calls us by name is the One who backs that calling and salvation by the authority and power of His.

Resplendent Lord Jesus, may I daily take time to gaze at Your eyes of pure fire, cling to Your solid feet, and listen keenly to Your voice that roars like many waters to wash and catch me in its flow. May I never stop marveling at Your name that is above all others, so that, according to Your grace and dominion, it may be glorified in me. (Philippians 2:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

“Listen to the statutes that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord is giving you. You shall not add to the word, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for [He] destroyed all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to [Him] are all alive today. See, I have taught you statutes and rules,.. that you should do them… Keep them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as this law that I set before you today?

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart… Make them known to your children and your children’s children… Watch yourselves very carefully… Beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure… Beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars,.. you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them…

“The Lord has taken you and brought you out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance… Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord, which he made with you… Seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul… Know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.” Deuteronomy 4:1-9,15-16,19-20,23,29,35b

Why are we to keep our souls before God? So we may live, and fully possess all the glorious riches of our inheritance. So His word will be for us wisdom and understanding that not only guard and guide us, but show the watching world that they flow from God’s favor. Because the practice keeps us close to the Lord and His righteousness, focusing our sight and filtering out corruption. Because they identify us as God’s people. The benefits are divinely beneficial, numberless, and sure promises- God says so.

How do we soul-keep? Listen, do, retain, and obey God’s commands. His word must be infused into our DNA, inform our decisions, and motivate our actions. Recollect it, relate it to present circumstances, retain it in memory, recount His ways, recite His truths, and remind our loved ones of their sweetness and power. Take care, and beware.

What priority does soul-keeping have for us? What do we pursue that has no eternal value? Are we as diligent, as vigilant, to guard our hearts and fill them with God’s word as we are in other lesser endeavors? (Proverbs 4:23)

Lord, keep me keeping my soul, so Your word is wisdom and strength for my days, and so You keep the supreme place of honor You wholly and only deserve. (Isaiah 33:5-6)

“‘Ah, stubborn children,’ declares the Lord,
‘who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,
    that they may add sin to sin;
who set out to go down to Egypt,
    without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
    and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,
    and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation…
Everyone comes to shame
    through a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
    but shame and disgrace…

“Egypt’s help is worthless and empty…
They are a rebellious people,
    lying children,
children unwilling to hear
    the instruction of the Lord;
who say… to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
    prophesy illusions,
leave the way, turn aside from the path,
    let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.’
‘Because you despise this word
    and trust in perverseness
    and rely on them,
 therefore this iniquity shall be to you
    like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse,
    whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant…’

“Thus said the Lord God, the Holy One,
‘In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’
But you were unwilling, and you said,
‘No! We will flee upon horses’;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, ‘We will ride upon swift steeds’;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.” Isaiah 30:1-3,5,7,9-13,15-16

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
    and rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
    and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel
    or consult the Lord!” Isaiah 31:1

Plans without the Lord are short-sighted, alliances without His Spirit are weak, dangerous, and detrimental. Paths and destinies led by self stray beyond His borders of blessing and protection, refuge in earthly fortresses is doomed to fail. Trust in man-made, self-determined methods comes to naught, and shelter out of God’s presence lacks His favor. All are available, and possible, and in the flesh, enticing. In the heat and thick we are tempted to the opportunistic ‘Egypt,’ but only God is our true safe place and sure provision.

Even alerted, with pride and pomp, we willfully forge our own ways. We yield to the lure of false promises, and our rebel hearts swell to be their own gods. Yet always, God keeps His word, and doles out the consequences He warns will come. He calls us from the deceivers’ course, from all who pervert biblical truth by dangling sensual trinkets, from fruitless striving, and graciously offers the rest and strength of salvation. Will we return, and give in and over to His loving welcome? (Jude 4-5)

Where have we succumbed to folly, to relying on worthless and empty material and methods? What worldly drone, even spiritual-sounding syrup, has stopped our ears to God’s truth? What ingrained habits or unhealthy company lead us astray from God’s right path?

Lord, keep me alert to ungodly passions and people who would deter me from You. Keep me in Your love and truth, and from falling, that I might exalt Your glory, majesty, dominion, and authority forever. (Jude 18-25)

“Sing aloud to God our strength;
    shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
Raise a song; sound the tambourine,
    the sweet lyre with the harp…

In distress you called, and I delivered you;
    I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah. 
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it…

Oh, that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would walk in my ways!
I would soon subdue their enemies
    and turn my hand against their foes.
 Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him,
    and their fate would last forever.
But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
    and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” Psalm 81:1-2,7-10,13-16

“Morning by morning he awakens;
    he awakens my ear
    to hear as those who are taught.” Isaiah 50:4

Fresh air wafts across the lush yard, cheerful birdsong the only sound as the early sun barely lights the new day. The vibrancy and still beauty of the garden beckons and strums all senses, awakening the heart to joyful wonder and the music of gratitude.

When we rise and enter the morning garden of God’s fresh delights, we voice our praise, are reminded of His mercies and magnificent works on our behalf, bring our needs, and receive His refreshment and satisfying beauty. He loosens and uproots our creeping roots of sin, cleansing the crud of our iniquities. He blows fresh breeze of inspiration, He fills our senses with lofty thought and praise. He speaks, He sustains.

From the vantage point of distress and testing, would I come? From the place of thunder and foes, would I come? With song, with needs, with temptation, with hunger, would I come? With arms ready to receive and embrace, with ears tuned to listen, with heart soft to be molded, with mouth open wide, with feet ready to be directed, would I come?

Would we shake off dull sloth, and enter the garden? Would we soak in the dew of our salvation, its life-giving, vision-clearing renewal? Would we open His word and drink in the delights of His magnificence, His character, His ways, His enabling, His light and truth that transforms? Would we allow Him to tend our souls, and cultivate and order with His expert hands?

“Morning has broken
Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!

Praise for the sweetness,
Of the wet garden,
Like the first dewfall
Eden saw play.
Praise with elation,
Praise every morning,
God’s re-creation
Of the new day!” ~Eleanor Farjeon (1931)

Father, I humbly, hungrily come to obtain fresh joy from you, and in You. Satisfy me each morning with Your unfailing love that I may rejoice and be glad, and fill me to overflow so I spread Your fragrance and loveliness all around, all the day. (Psalm 90:14; Isaiah 29:19)

“Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate,
    and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
    as with the slave, so with his master;
    as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
    as with the lender, so with the borrower;
    as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
    for the Lord has spoken this word.

^“The earth mourns and withers;
    the world languishes and withers;
    the highest people of the earth languish.
The earth lies defiled
    under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
    violated the statutes,
    broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
    and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
    and few men are left.
The wine mourns,
    the vine languishes,
    all the merry-hearted sigh.
The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
    the noise of the jubilant has ceased…
No more do they drink wine with singing;
    strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
The wasted city is broken down;
    every house is shut up so that none can enter.
There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
    all joy has grown dark;
    the gladness of the earth is banished.
Desolation is left in the city;
    the gates are battered into ruins.
For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
    among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
    as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done…

“Terror and the pit and the snare
    are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!..
For the windows of heaven are opened,
    and the foundations of the earth tremble.
The earth is utterly broken,
    the earth is split apart,
    the earth is violently shaken.
 The earth staggers like a drunken man;
    it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
    and it falls, and will not rise again.” Isaiah 24:1-13,17-20

It is human nature to be put off by horrors and pain. No one would choose the ravages of desolation, or pain of punishment, yet again and again we choose our own way that leads us from God. To understand the grave reality of judgment is to be persuaded to avoid it, and our gracious Lord, in love, offers clear warnings for us.

Still, we resist warnings. We don’t want to change our behavior, or consider God’s wrath, though His holiness requires it. He does not share His glory, shows no favoritism- only righteousness- when He judges, and is no respecter of persons. His word and its upright execution are sure and trustworthy. (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11; Acts 10:34; Hebrews 10:30-31)

How often, and in what situations, do we choose to ignore God’s warnings, instead preferring the temporary pleasures of sin? Where do we feign ignorance and allow ‘a loving God would never do that’ to creep into our decision-making? In what instances do we procrastinate doing the right thing because the wrong thing is easier, for now? No matter our motives or reasons, neglect of God’s warnings will be uncovered and called to account. Take heed! (Mark 14:38; Romans 14:12; Hebrews 11:24-25)

Father, thank You for upholding Your holiness and Your word. Keep me attentive to Your warnings and vigilant to depend on You.

“The cords of death encompassed me;
    the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
    thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him
    hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
He sent out his arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.
 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he delighted in me…

You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand supported me,
    and your gentleness made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet did not slip…

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be the God of my salvation.” Psalm 18:4-19,35-36,46

A rescue in action breaks into the morning and cracks our calm. The siren blares in urgency, its wailing rhythm turning heads and quickening pulses, pulling heart strings at what-ifs and oh-nos. A crescendo, a swerve, flashes of red, a diminishing as it moves toward its target.

David, far from any city, knew the terrors of danger and a mad king’s pursuit: distress, snares, threatened destruction. His description of God’s magnificent compassion-warmed, fury-stoked, power-infused rescue sheds light on Christ’s redemptive saving of His people. Enemies, both literal and figurative, lurk all around, and we are desperate for a Savior who sees from on high and swoops down to draw us up. This is Jesus! His mercy and blood cover our sin, deliver us from its fall-out, and daily intercede for our ongoing deliverance from its tentacles. (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 8:34; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 7:25; 9:12; 1 John 1:7)

Are we drowning in fear at enemies’ taunts and threats, tempted to slip into sin’s calamity, or panicking in despair’s choke-hold? Have we, by faith, reckoned Christ’s rescue ours? Sin no longer has a hold on us, and we are under no more condemnation! We are free to rejoice in the peace Christ gives. (John 8:36; Romans 6:6-7,11-14; 8:1-2)

Lord, may my life give irrefutable evidence that You have freed me from sin’s shame and stronghold, and ever exalt Your transcendent love.

“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
As your name, O God,
    so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness…
Tell the next generation
     that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
    He will guide us forever.” Psalm 48:9-10,13-14

“From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised!” Psalm 113:3

In the temple of God’s creation, the sanctuary of firmament with ceiling of endless sky, we think on God’s steadfast love. He didn’t have to make His world so beautiful- the limitless textures, temperatures, hues of color, and all the sounds- we would never have known differently. But in infinite love He designed this world for us, so we could glimpse His glory through it, His power in it, and exercise our wills in working and experiencing all He made. (Romans 1:20)

Contemplating God’s love in His world, we see His signature imprinted everywhere on earth and proclaimed in the skies. The name that identifies Him and His eternal attributes is known and resplendent in all He has made, and its praise spreads as far as its renown. (Psalm 19:1-4)

Who can we tell? Who will we tell, of the infinite greatness of our God? To whom in the next generation can we point to both age-old structures and transient life and explain that God is God from everlasting to everlasting, and is their God forever? Let us proclaim these great truths, and praise His name! “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:1-2)

“The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.

When ancient time shall pass away,
and human thrones and kingdoms fall;
when those who here refuse to pray
on rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
all measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
and ev’ry man a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
the saints’ and angels’ song.” ~Frederick M. Lehman (1868-1953)

Lord, tune my voice with the angels’ to sing unending praise. From the rising of the sun to its setting, and to every generation I can, may my life- every thought, action, and word- proclaim that You are God.