Author: astherainandsnow

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three.” 1 Corinthians 13:13a

Paul explains the accessibility of God’s promises to those who believe. The salvation first offered to the Jews is available to all, through faith, because of Jesus’s resurrection victory over sin and death, and consequent justification on our behalf. Because of His gift, God’s children stand firm in grace and can rejoice in hope of God’s glory. It’s a happy thought, rejoicing in hope. But more so in our sufferings?

Paul connects sufferings and hope inextricably, understanding that it is Christ’s very suffering for us that forged His path to victory. So for us, sharing in His sufferings accomplishes in us transformation that can be wrought by nothing else. It is the polishing for every gem, the fire that refines, done carefully by the nail-scarred hands of our Redeemer. The pain we experience in tandem with Christ’s ultimately produces the fellowship His achieved, and in that we can rejoice. (Psalm 69:9; John 15:18-19)

It is counterintuitive to welcome suffering, unnatural in the flesh to desire it. So how do we rejoice in our sufferings? By an act of the will. We choose by faith to trust that God is good and working all things for good. We believe that He apportions graces and circumstances to sanctify us, to make us more like Him. We can also know that He never gives more than we can bear, and promises to confirm and renew us in His time. (Romans 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 3:10-11; 1 Peter 5:10)

It is hope that ignites our expectation of Christ’s meeting us in love. Hope gives substance to what our sufferings are accomplishing in us by way of deeper knowledge of Him, His attributes and ways. It assures consequent greater endurance and fuller character as we call on Him and He answers. Hope fills out our praise. (Psalm 18:1-6)

Deliberate rejoicing in hope of future glory, heaven, and eternity in our Lord’s presence enhances our day to day. It helps us persevere in hard times, it keeps us pressing on toward the upward prize. We may be in the slough of difficulty, or grief, or limbo, but we know with certainty what is to come. (Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:12-15)

Where are we stymied by suffering, paralyzed by pain, unable to proceed? What circumstances have presently choked our breathing and blurred heavenly vision? Would we choose to rejoice in the One who loves us in it and leads us through? How is the Lord weaning us from earthly ties and comforts, from arrogance and selfishness, and making us holy as we exercise hope?

God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I may abound in hope to Your glory. (Romans 15:13)

“Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away…
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:4-12

How could such agony, affliction, and brokenness be God’s will? It’s unjust! Cruel! The opposite of loving! Yet what is irreconcilable dichotomy to man is righteous justice to God. What man’s imperfect nature cannot comprehend, God’s perfect nature plans and executes. We see clouds and spots, He sees beautiful reality in the full light of love. We are the sinners, we the culprits, we the deserving of wrath. God the magnificent Creator and Sovereign is Master of the Great Exchange, exquisitely substituting in Christ what we deserve. His will to crush His only Son is the same will to prosper that Son as victor and His people for eternity. (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 1:9)

Like in many areas of life, we want for the spiritual realm only what we deem good, easy, comfortable, palatable. For some reason, borne of smugness about ourselves or flagrant denial of God’s holiness, we imagine a god who would never think to allow such pain and would surely turn his back on anything so agonizing as punishment. But God’s will to crush His only Son displays the horror of our estate without His mercy. The offensiveness of the cross is a picture of the offense our sin is against the Almighty. And God’s will to prosper Christ out of the tomb, ascended in glory to heaven, makes the way out for us too.

Can we grasp the beauty borne of buffeting, the peace procured from punishment, the salve secured from suffering? Where need we surrender our will to God’s? (Luke 22:42)

Lord, help me daily say Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, so Your will prospers and You are glorified. (Matthew 6:10)

“As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out.  He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, ‘Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!’

“Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, ‘Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.’

“But the king said, ‘What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, “Curse David,” who can ask, “Why do you do this?”’

“David then said to Abishai and all his officials, ‘My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.’

“So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.” 2 Samuel 16:5-14

Against the irritation, disrespect, and threat of Shimei, we might side with Abishai. Obliterate the cruel curses! Give him what he deserves! Defend the rightful king! But the man after God’s heart had an internal monitor that thrummed with the Divine. He knew what could happen when emotion ran unreined, and rather than repeat a hard lesson, he put it into practice.

David had learned to trust God’s timing, mysterious ways, and bigger plans. He allowed room for what his Lord allowed and ordered. Having experienced His deliverance and unwarranted favor before, he believed God could work good from bad circumstances if He so willed. It was best to leave these things to Him.

We too have inner compasses, plumb lines, and timers, and are wired to adjust what’s going on around us to our conscience and standards. A strong sense of justice, or compassion, or righteousness often dictates our decisions and plan of action. It’s vital we keep impulses in synch with the Spirit of God who works all things for good for His own, and whose timing is impeccable and ways are pure. We never know what we miss when we get in His way and impetuously take matters in our own hands, but we can be sure of His blessing when we leave them in His. (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 8:28)

Where am I prone to jump to quick action without thinking? Are there heart-held passions that dictate punishment or retribution before weighing what the Lord might intend or prefer? How deeply do I trust Him to work out His good ends?

Lord, teach me to give room to Your plans and trust Your best ways in everything.

“You split open springs and brooks;
    you dried up ever-flowing streams.
Yours is the day, yours also the night;
    you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
    you have made summer and winter.”

“Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock.” Psalm 74:15-17; 77:19-20a

God ordains both day and night. As sure as the earth spins to a rising sun each morning and setting sun each evening, so sure is His constancy in our days of light and joy and nights of dark and distress. The boundaries and limits, the testing and lessons, the stinging and balm, the blessings and graces, all are His, held and bestowed by His mighty, loving hands. He is the sovereign of seasons.

For us, life is not so predictable or steady. We make plans and have them dashed, we begin a project only to find our progress thwarted. We leap along in joy and slam into sorrow, we work to complete and urgencies interrupt. We try to script children and careers, and the Author of our faith rewrites again and again. His is the day, His also the night.

Am I prone to be grateful when things hum along smoothly, but grouch and doubt when circumstances turn rocky? Do I quickly go from a wink and smile to a furrowed brow? What is it I expect from God, or think I deserve? How will I correct my attitude? Can I honestly concur with Job, Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? He determines one and the other, knowing both are necessary for the development of our faith and grasp of His mercies and goodness. Remember, His is the day, His also the night. (Job 1:21; 2:10)

Instead of grousing ungratefully, how might my outlook change if I welcomed hardships as the required underbelly of the graces I’ve received, the balance to favor that gives it punch? Isn’t light all the brighter when I’ve come from the dark? And doesn’t the length of night enhance appreciation for dawning day? Let’s praise God for His imagination and sovereignty in ordering rhythms of days and seasons, and see how heavenly anticipation might increase. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5; 130:6)

“O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!” ~Robert Grant (1833)

Father, keep me trusting and praising You for ruling both day and night for my good and Your glory.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.” Psalm 103:8-19

Man is the dust. When creation mingled with the fall, man was destined to physical life that would wither and fade and be snuffed in death. God’s glorious intent, marred by forbidden fruit, needed a Redeemer. (Genesis 2:7-8; 3:6-7)

And the Everlasting entered. He knew we were but dust, destined there to return apart from His gracious intervention. First in the seed, then in the servant, then in the Savior He came for us all, bridging the gap between earth and heaven, dust and eternity. In mercy, compassion, and steadfast love, He freed His own from finite to usher us into eternal life. (Genesis 3:14-15; Luke 1:26-38,46-50; 2:11)

For Christians, from salvation forward, expectations should be high and holy. Bodies may gradually wither, but how about soul and spirit? Our motives and methods, now fueled by a glorious God, compel manner and actions distinct from the world’s. With the press of life and flesh fit with limited vision, we tend to trudge and toil only for today’s reward. Yet the Lord calls us beyond toward better. He who is from everlasting to everlasting, high and lifted up, exalted above the heavens, deserves more than earthly plodding. (Psalm 90:1-2; 97:9; 113:4; Isaiah 6:1; Matthew 6:19-21; John 15:16)

Since we have been raised from certain doom, how are we living out our everlasting? What dusty habits, ill-driven impulses, ugly language, or prurient passions need be put to death? What landscape of our mind needs revamping to uproot self-deprecating mantras, constant criticism of others, and complaint? Will we keep climbing, persevering? (Colossians 3:1-17)

How distinct are our daily disciplines and practices, modes of entertainment, and demeanor from those of the world? Do we understand the difference between relating to people of dust, but not getting dirty in it? Earning the trust of those who watch and wonder is key to sharing our hope, yet it’s important we do not fall back into old ways. In what ways are we declaring the significance, purpose, and joys of everlasting life? (John 17:15-17; 1 Peter 3:15)

Lord, grant strength, focus, and zeal to live on but above the dust and grass of earth with a view of eternity and hope for Your glory.

“It shall come to pass in the latter days
    that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
    and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
    and many peoples shall come, and say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem…

O house of Jacob,
    come, let us walk
    in the light of the Lord.” Isaiah 2:2-3,5

It shall come. In the latter days. One certain day people from all nations will turn heart and foot toward the Lord, treading in droves upward to His mount to learn His ways, to know Him. The promise of this day prompts us, O house, to walk now in His light. Let us walk in the light of this assurance, and the light of His word that gives strength for today and hope for tomorrow!

We must first see the need and urgency for going up to the Lord. Living in convenience and relative health, we may regard ourselves sufficient and think we need nothing. Living in a temporal world with no regard for everlasting, we dismiss thoughts or a sense of accountability for life beyond this one. No effort must be expended to thank or trust another when I have done it all here and now. But before God, I am sin-stained and unworthy, and I must go up out of my wantonness of soul to find mercy.

In order to learn His ways and walk in His paths, we must also go up out of daily routine. We must leave the lowlands of banal and purposeless living. We must leave behind habits that entangle, and alliances that pull us away from our first love. We must make determination to fall under His disciplines of thought and practice. We must learn His ways from His word in order to mimic them in relationships and work. (Hebrews 12:1; Revelation 2:4)

Once we have taken the initiative to go up, we must go among those around us and say, Come! Our call is to call others to go up also to see His excellencies and know His delights. Going up together, there is strength in numbers, and there is magnified glory to God. (Galatians 6:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:25)

Whom am I trusting apart from Christ for significance, help, salvation? Where have I been searching for purpose and love? Would I believe that the Lord is Savior and Redeemer, and beckons me come?

From what tendrils of distraction and affection do I need to rise and go up to Jesus? Are there longtime habits, misguided allegiances, or unhealthy relationships from which I need gracious and restoring extrication? The Lord awaits!

And who will I take alongside to the mount of the Lord, to His life- and light-giving word, so they can know Him too?

Lord, may I heed Your daily call to come, and bring others along to learn Your ways and walk in the light of your glory forever.

“‘You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
For he has humbled
    the inhabitants of the height,
    the lofty city…’

The path of the righteous is level;
    you make level the way of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments,
    O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and remembrance
    are the desire of our soul.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
    my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
    the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
If favor is shown to the wicked,
    he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
    and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
O Lord, your hand is lifted up,
    but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
    Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
O Lord, you will ordain peace for us,
    for you have indeed done for us all our works.
O Lord our God,
    other lords besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name alone we bring to remembrance.” Isaiah 26:3-5a,7-13

Longing and desire are inherent to the human heart, planted there by the One who alone fills all in all. Since Eden, affections have warped in disorder. It is now the ongoing tension of wickedness and righteousness, injustice and justice, hurt and balm, dark and light, finite and infinite, that stoke holy desire. As long as we’re in this world, ruled by the transient prince of darkness, we will be caught in the crossfire. When God’s name and remembrance are the desire of our soul, we are driven to see Him reign over all through eternity, though here below we are required to wait, and yearn. (Genesis 3:14-19; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:19)

It is possible to live in the heights here on the ground. When our minds are stayed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we long to see His dominion spread from shore to shore and pole to pole. We grapple with wickedness, corruption, and varied adversaries, and cling to the Rock. He lifts our heads, we glimpse His beauties, knowing that here we see imperfectly but one day, one glorious day, we will see Him face to face. His dominion and reign will rule over all, the kingdom of the world that of heaven. (Psalm 3:3; 1 Corinthians 13:9-12; Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 11:15)

Where is my mind fixed? When confronted with antagonism, ridicule, or confusion, do I stay my mind on the Lord for perspective, clarity, and peace? When surrounded with evil, or buffeted with dissension or temptation, how am I bringing to remembrance the powerful name of Jesus? How willing am I to wait for Him to meet the eternal longings of my soul, knowing I am made for eternity? And how will I exalt Him, even as I wait? (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” ~ St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions

My God, keep Your name and remembrance the fiery desire of my soul at all times. Come, Lord Jesus!

“Give ear, and hear my voice;
    give attention, and hear my speech.
Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
    Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
When he has leveled its surface,
    does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
and put in wheat in rows
    and barley in its proper place,
    and emmer as the border?
For he is rightly instructed;
    his God teaches him.

Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
    nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
    and cumin with a rod.
Does one crush grain for bread?
    No, he does not thresh it forever;
when he drives his cart wheel over it
    with his horses, he does not crush it.
This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
    he is wonderful in counsel
    and excellent in wisdom.” Isaiah 28:23-29

Understanding crops was second nature to an agrarian society. To give ear and pay attention was a call to go deeper and grasp yet another layer of meaning in this normal rhythm of life. Ah, an all-wise God created every nuance and lesson for observation and experience in His majestic world! His design incorporated seasons for planting, sowing, reaping, and crushing, all so His every purpose was fulfilled. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

“Give ear! Give attention! Much is to be learned from the condition and order and timing of ground and seed. There are specific characteristics the Lord would have uprooted, and others He desires to grow. There are stones of rebellion and thorns of worldly distraction to be removed from our inner self. There are hard places of shame and stubbornness that need the softening of forgiveness and kneading by the Spirit. By God’s mercy He plants seeds of different spiritual fruit to nurture and harvest over time, gracious time. When we encounter strange and painful seasons, consider the hand and mind of God.

We must remember that the One who is excellent in wisdom knows what He is doing. He determines our days and boundaries for His eternal purposes. He will not require or crush beyond what He will provide or we can bear. He is also wonderful in counsel, and will impart to us the insight, fortitude, and grace to handle each season as He orders its variety and measure. He knows the way we take, be it long, languishing, sorrow-filled, or hopeful, and is working in and through it for great good and bountiful fruit. (Job 23:10; Acts 17:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 4:15-16)

How aware are we of the exquisiteness of our day to day dealings, that each plays a part in God’s whole plan? Are we given so much to planting and reaping, doing and pushing, that we eschew any harrowing, pruning, resting, or threshing? Do we not see that every season in our lives is meant for our sanctification, not only the easy, or successful, or pleasant ones? How attuned are we to learning from the difficult times of long waiting or loneliness, or the crushing times of grind or grief? What fruit of deep intimacy with Him, or comfort, or compassion, have we borne? The Lord of hosts does all things well.

Father, help me yield to Your seasons and intentions in such a way that yields spiritual fruit and Your magnified glory.

“Tremble, you women who are at ease,
    shudder, you complacent ones;
strip, and make yourselves bare,
    and tie sackcloth around your waist.
Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vine,
for the soil of my people
    growing up in thorns and briers,
yes, for all the joyous houses
    in the exultant city.
For the palace is forsaken,
    the populous city deserted;
the hill and the watchtower
    will become dens forever,
a joy of wild donkeys,
    a pasture of flocks;
until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
    and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
    and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
    and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
    in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” Isaiah 32:11-18

Isaiah’s warning of judgment jerks sights and mindsets from things to thinking, the earth to heaven, people in palaces to the pouring of His Spirit. His words alarm, calling for drastic action. Too long and too wrongly had they put their trust in human fruitfulness and institutions, and the Lord would upend and revamp their security.

Too often we too put our trust in palaces, either of our own making or of who’s in charge. We fashion fortresses of financial or physical security, family, education, or image, falsely thinking we can in our strength and wits keep nestled safely and ward off the enemy. We place our hope in elected officials or appointed political leaders, trusting the government to function as benevolent ruler and good father. But the Lord ordains all of life that we would see and accept Him as Lord and fall under the outpouring of His Spirit over the spirit of the age. He is the one to redeem the wilderness of our hearts and bring fruitfulness to industry. He is our peace and security. His Spirit gives righteousness, rightness of perspective, and hope. (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1-3)

Have we become smug hiding in joyous houses, putting our hope in natural verdant hills and manmade watchtowers? Whom and what do we trust to keep life pleasant and frictionless, and from where comes that expectation in the first place? Have we lowered our spiritual horizon and fallen to horizontal thinking in the world’s domain?

In what areas have we seen our palaces forsaken, the achievements and resources we counted on come to ruin or irrelevance? Do we resent the disruption, the intrusion of our complacency and ease? What is the Lord trying to teach? Is He calling us to shudder and tremble at our own folly?

What if we daily sought the Spirit’s full outpouring, and came empty and bowed, eager to be filled? What if we regarded the attributes of God’s righteousness and justice as our palace and strong fortress? What if we settled within His peace, trusting Him alone for security and rest? How different would be our outlook and our days! Anxiety and fretting are swallowed in hope as we abide in the heavenly Almighty here on earth. (Ephesians 5:18)

Lord, keep Yourself as my only sure trust, Your Spirit my soul’s palatial habitation.

“The Lord is high above all nations,
    and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
    who is seated on high,
who looks far down
    on the heavens and the earth?” Psalm 113:4-6

“The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all the children of man.” Psalm 33:13

The Lord is high and lifted up, the Most High, exalted, infinite, transcendent, limitless. He reigns from above the heavens (!), eternally, wisely, perfectly. Lifted eyes to see Him translate to lifted hearts in awe, lifted hands in praise. His inviting gaze draws our eyes upward, and as we look at His face high above us, we connect with His loving, all-knowing eyes that look down, far down, on us and earth here below. (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 3:3; Isaiah 6:1)

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
    to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.” Psalm 14:2; 53:2

“He looked down from his holy height;..
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
    to set free those who were doomed to die,
that they may declare the name of the Lord,
    and… his praise.” Psalm 102:19-21

Those eyes! They look far down into us. He sees the hidden heart, the closed closets and what is inside, the residue of filth and resentment and jealousy and greed that resides there. By His gracious nature and initiative, He loves us and invites us to rise up and out of all we are without Him. He extricates the deepest sin, cleanses depravity, redeems the deepest and worst, and restores uprightness. He lifts our heads, and enjoins us to behold His loftiness in gratitude and praise. (Psalm 139:1-4; John 2:24)

“O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!” ~Robert Grant (1833)

He also looks far down into our most guarded, tender places. He sees our deepest hurts, relates to the reproach we have borne in His name, understands inexpressible longings, and soothes hidden pain. He meets us in the far down of soul to comfort, heal, and revitalize. (Psalm 69:9)

What help or encouragement do we receive knowing the Lord on high looks on us in love and mercy? Do we flee from His gaze, or welcome its light? Have we made it a daily practice to turn from distractions and circumstances and screens to look above and behold His beauty? Will we ask for His searching gaze, and respond in gratitude for what He reveals? (Exodus 33:18; Psalm 27:4; 139:23-24)

“Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all praise we would render, O help us to see
’tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.” ~Walter Smith (1867)

Lord, in thanksgiving and praise for Your transcendence and immanence, lift my eyes above earthly things and keep me ever looking to You who look on me.