As the rain and snow

“O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1,3-9

A perfect circle is faintly stamped in the black pre-dawn sky, with white paint thick only on its lower edge, like a fingernail just above the horizon. So many stars twinkle across the black canopy I cannot count or decipher all the constellations. I am agape. A shooting star, now another, streaks its white trail that quickly disappears. This moon, and a bright planet, hold my gaze. What is man, Lord… Who am I, that You would care for me? That You would place these celestial lights before me to make me wonder?

Yet, You have made me, immeasurably smaller, but intricate and in Your image. You know my name, and have set Your limitless affection upon me. You created the heavens to declare Your glory and teach me to exult in all You are. (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 19:1; 139:1-6; Isaiah 49:1)

I learn from Your celestial lights…

… of Your power to create and uphold all things with precision and might, maintaining their balance with gravity, in orbit; suspended, yet held. You are infinitely mighty and strong. (Amos 5:8; 9:6; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3)

… of Your order, Your perfect design and plan that reflect the precision and beauty and serenity of Your character. All is well with You. You have fashioned creation to teach about life, renewal, fidelity, eternity. You designed the stars to be signs of time and seasons. You are an exquisite and remarkable Architect. (Genesis 1:14-18)

… of Your creativity, Your divine tracing of light and shape, twinkle and shine, and the curve of spheres. The skies reveal whimsy and humor and the delight You take in the act of Your craft of making. You are marvelous, and the Purveyor of inexplicable wonder.

… of Your love, the benevolence You hold for Your own. You spread this vast array for the pleasure of our senses, for intellectual marvel, exploration, and discovery. Your faithfulness in spinning our earth, and setting stars for pictures and in place that return again and again, teaches of your steadfastness, Your unconditional love, Your finished work on our behalf, Your fresh and dependable sameness, Your glory. You are a consistent Lover that knows no bounds, and You keep secure and in perfect peace Your beloved children. (Psalm 36:5; 103:11; Isaiah 26:3; Hebrews 13:8)

Lord my Lord, keep me marveling at the heavens, above and immeasurably beyond which You reside and rule. Cause them to continually remind me how tiny I am, and how great You are and always will be.

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying,² ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ ³ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord…

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,² ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’ ³ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city… And he called out, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ ⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

^“The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, ‘Let… man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.’¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.” Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1-10

“I must preach the good news..; for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:43

God’s word is a fire, powerful and transformative, yet the soil on which it falls determines the effect it has on us. When it first came to Jonah, his stubborn sense of justice held it at bay, and he ran. But in the belly of the fish, Jonah came to his senses, and the next time it was issued, it prevailed, compelling him to obey; now it was the Ninevites’ turn. (Jeremiah 23:29; Matthew 13:1-9,18-23)

Marvelously, in Ninevah it was irresistible, penetrating the vilest and hardest of hearts. The people of this wicked city, and even their godless king, were humbled and forever changed by its formidable truth and conviction. There is no place, and no person, God’s word cannot reach.

Am I willing to confront the ‘kings’ of pride, sloth, and resentment in my own life with the gospel of change and freedom? What personal attitudes or habits do I shelter from the Bible’s influence? Where have I deemed myself “fixed,” “the way I am and always will be,” un-amendable, or beyond sanctification? Where do I need the word’s refinement? What will it take to expose my hidden places to its holy light, and let it burn and have its way?

Do I write off particular individuals, judging that there is no way they would turn from their idols to believe in Jesus? Do I relegate, even subconsciously, the worst, the most famous and important ‘kings of this world,’ beyond redemption, irreversibly beyond the word’s reach and effect? Would I consider earnest prayer for them, then expectantly commit time and attention to it?

Lord, pierce my heart with Your word that never returns void. Accomplish all You intend in and through me, daily, by Your living and active word. May I proclaim it clearly so it has its effect in all my interactions and reach, for Your redemptive sake. (Isaiah 55:10-11; Hebrews 4:12)

“O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:1,3-4

“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord God! And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. For your servant’s sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears... And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you, for it is you, O Lord, who have blessed, and it is blessed forever.” 1 Chronicles 17:16-20,26-27

“By the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Romans 12:3

There is so much about David that is admirable and attractive and worthy of emulation. Certainly he made some gross errors in judgment and let emotions dictate choices to grave sin, but from early on, when God had him in the sheep fields, he learned a high view of his God. It captured his heart, saturated his thinking, and colored his view of everything, including his understanding of himself and where he fit in God’s plan. (1 Samuel 17:32-37, 43-50)

He was a man, like us, who never lost sight of his Master, the only true Lord. He was ruddy, handsome, and brave, yet delighted in the beauty and strength of God. He was a brilliant and successful king, yet regularly acknowledged his dependence on Almighty God who had called him. (1 Samuel 16:12; Psalm 25:1-5; 27:4; 31:14

Understanding who we are by soberly assessing ourselves is a good way to begin plumb the depths of God who made and redeemed us. And contemplating Him in His infinite splendor helps us to see ourselves soberly. The seesaw of this regular meditation is healthy and instructive for our outlook on others, the ideas that bombard us through media, and world events.

Where are we caught up in the tangle of comparisons with other people- strengths, looks, achievements- and so blur our sight to a realistic view of self and the true authority of our King of kings? What have we allowed to cloud our vision? Taking a long look at the clear night or deep blue sky will sober and realign us.

Lord, I want my Father’s eyes. I want to see as You see, both myself, and Your royal splendor. Grant me honest, holy vision for Your kingdom and Your kingdom’s sake.

“And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’” 2 Samuel 18:33

“You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?” Psalm 56:8

“Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:5-6

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” John 11:33-36

Surprise news of a longed-for pregnancy. A wake-up message with a picture of a newborn first grandchild. A retirement announcement after 12 years of outstanding leadership. Wedding vows of God’s redeemed. An overwhelming gratitude for a godly legacy. Tears blur our vision as a lump chokes our throat.

A rainbow. Tears glisten.

Diagnosed dementia. Returned cancer. Crackled booms of warfare, sirens, shouts of temper and violence. The heinous death of a rebel child. Long days of isolated loneliness. The peaceful death of an over-sixty-year marriage partner. Tears flow with gasps, throbs, sobs.

A soldier’s reunion with his family. Tears roll down quivering cheeks.

These episodes each bring tears, unbidden, welling up from that secret place designed by our loving Creator. Every squeeze of the heart, every salty drop, is a gift of His unimaginable goodness and grace.

Tears dampen many a page in Scripture: tears of emotion at the inerrant truth and exquisite beauty of what we read; tears at tracing the scarlet thread of Jesus’s blood and love from beginning to end; tears of agony, desperation, rejoicing, conviction, longing. (Matthew 26:75; Luke 19:41-42; Acts 2:37-38)

The tears elicited from God’s words are ours to let fill our eyes and flow in intimate communion with our Savior. He not only knows and understands them, but counts them as He shares in our sorrows and joys and delights in our dependence and expression. We are practicing what He has made us to be, life in His image that is being sanctified in every aspect, body, soul, spirit. As Jesus bore the imprint of God’s nature, so we bear His imprint on ours. (Genesis 1:26-27; Hebrews 1:2-3)

Lord, thank You for the gift of tears. Make me more like You, in every way, as I share in Your life. May I weep as You wept. May my tears bring glory to the intricate beauties of Your creation of man.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
‘I the Lord search the heart
    and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.’” Jeremiah 17:9-10

“The Lord comes, [and] will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5

“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

An abnormally low tide uncovered ugliness and wear usually hidden by the gloss and gleam of Bay water. Crusted oyster shells and barnacles, decaying wood posts worn by years of shifting salt water, even a stench- all are laid bare. Erosion and buildup are easy to ignore when water levels are “fine,” but impossible to ignore when exposed.

When we least expect it, strange winds sweep into our lives and can become our undoing also. We glide along relatively smoothly, weathering normal ups and downs just “fine” on the surface, when insidiously, a blow of change, or draining suck of circumstances, uncovers otherwise undisclosed ugliness in us. A life-altering diagnosis, a devastating loss, an unsettling move, might pull back the calm we present and unearth sickening fear and doubt of God’s goodness. Grave disappointment or strong disagreement can bring to light willful stubbornness, an unwillingness to forgive, or an ugly attitude. We may live lightly along, relishing our present pretty-adorned identity, until social media exposes a poor decision or shameful past, and we panic for fig leaves to hide resurfaced shame. (Genesis 3:7-13)

Over time, a low tide of spirit, a failure to be filled regularly, weakens foundations and impossibly hardens barnacles of unchecked bitterness and prejudice. We get into rote rhythms that no longer have meaning or produce tasty fruit. We hum along in habits that numb us to sin’s danger and dull our sensitivity to God’s nudges of conviction or correction. Our reasoning gets imperceptibly caught up into our culture’s current, and grows indistinguishable from the world’s. We lose biblical footing because we’ve lost the will to shore up the piers of our faith in God’s immutable word, so they decay. (Romans 15:13; Ephesians 5:18)

The enemy would have us never consider our accountability before God, but the Bible is clear: there will be a reckoning. How have we grown lax in seeking out His searchlight to show where we are slipping, and what will we do about it? Is there a slow seep of living water draining the vitality from our spiritual lives, almost imperceptibly, that we need urgently repair? (John 7:37-39)

When we look to God, He will be our glorious undoing, and then apply His grace. (Isaiah 6:1-7)

Holy Lord, may I never fear low tides. When they come, by Your grace, chip away the sin barnacles I’ve allowed to harden, and fill me anew with You.

“All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were 212. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer established them in their office of trust. So they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, that is, the house of the tent, as guards. The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south. And their kinsmen who were in their villages were obligated to come in every seven days, in turn, to be with these, for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted to be over the chambers and the treasures of the house of God. And they lodged around the house of God, for on them lay the duty of watching, and they had charge of opening it every morning.” 1 Chronicles 9:22-27

David knew the heart of man, that even the most devoted could fall. So when he planned for the temple, he planned also for gatekeepers as vital to its upkeep and integrity. They were able men, commissioned with this ministry of the Lord’s holy house, stationed at its entrances where anything entered or exited, and tasked with vigilance. (2 Samuel 11:2-12:13; 1 Chronicles 26:1-19)

We, too, are assigned the careful work of keeping guard over all that, and whom, the Lord has entrusted to us- in our families, in His church, and in ourselves. It is an office of trust: ours in the Lord who is the true Defender, and ours in the upholding as those trustworthy of the task. It is also a privilege, as God’s children, to be given the trust of keeping watch(Psalm 18:1-2; Proverbs 4:23; Romans 8:31-34; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 5:2-3)

How well are we tending the gates of our families or communities of friends? How thoughtful are we in the ideas and activities we initiate or participate in? What are we actively doing together to ward off wickedness, to protect against dissension and exasperation, and to pursue diligence and discipline, yielding to the Lord’s parameters to develop holiness? (Colossians 3:12-17; Hebrews 12:5-11)

What are we doing to watch the gate of our churches? How firmly do we stand on and communicate the inerrant scriptures, build up and pray for our ministers, encourage our fellow members? How are we serving to align and support the worship and teaching with the Bible, to disciple and develop fruitfulness, to deflect gossip and guard against unclean and destructive pests to purity, to keep the Lord’s glory foremost? (Psalm 84:10; Ephesians 4:15-16; 25-32)

What am I doing to guard the gate of my heart, the door of my lips, my body the Spirit’s temple, in my intake- physical, spiritual, intellectual, reading and entertainment, ideas and philosophies? How well do I guard myself in the company I keep, the invitations I accept, the intimate treasures I share? How deliberately do I cleanse of the old and put on the new, renewing my mind so I can walk in the Lord’s pleasing and perfect will? (Psalm 141:3; Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Colossians 3:1-10)

Father, insofar as You’ve assigned me as a gatekeeper, I rely on You to gate-keep my heart, mind, and soul. May I stay vigilant as steward of Your heavenly riches, on guard against the enemy, trusting You as Lord, Master, Keeper, and King. Keep my life a holy temple where You reside and are magnified. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

“The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four. The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers’ houses, mighty warriors of their generations, their number in the days of David being 22,600. The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, all five of them were chief men. Along with them, by their generations, according to their fathers’ houses, were units of the army for war, 36,000, for they had many wives and sons. Their kinsmen belonging to all the clans of Issachar were in all 87,000 mighty warriors, enrolled by genealogy. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three. The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five, heads of fathers’ houses, mighty warriors. And their enrollment by genealogies was 22,034…”

“And Ephraim went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son. And he called his name Beriah… His daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower and Upper Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sheerah. Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son, Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Nun his son, Joshua his son.” 1 Chronicles 7:1-7,23-27

God, Author of history and providential in the affairs of men and nations, raises up His people for His times to do His will. Moses was called to lead Israel out of Egypt, Joshua to conquer the promised land, Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Esther to influence King Ahasueras “for such a time as this.” Peter and Paul were pioneers and pillars in the early church. God determines our times and boundaries and the number of our days, and assigns each of us a work to do that is part of His kingdom plan. (Exodus 3:7-10; Deuteronomy 31:23; Nehemiah 1:4-2:18; Esther 4:13-14; Ephesians 2:10)

We would not be where we are today, in our world history, our nations, our careers, communities, and churches, if not for those who have gone before us. Planets spin in their orbits, kings and kingdoms rise and fall, and the Lord God in exquisite sovereignty rules them all. He does not exist to serve us, but we to serve Him and His purposes in the time allotted to us. (Acts 17:24-28)

Are we familiar enough with the scriptures to trace God’s providential hand through history, and to recognize how He equips His soldiers? The mighty warriors God raised up did not act in isolation. They needed parents to raise them, trainers to equip and instruct them, colleagues to develop and implement strategy, skilled craftsmen to make armaments and weapons for war. Each had his vital role and place.

How are we training ourselves in spiritual vision and an eternal perspective? Does entanglement in our own narrow or provincial living prevent us from seeing God’s bigger kingdom plan? How willing are we to expend ourselves for a movement broader than our own world of personal business, friends, and home? What are we doing to strengthen our needed skills for our generation?

Father, direct my mind and feet into the work You’ve prepared for me. Give me a whole and brave heart to do Your will for my generation, to run Your intended course with vigor, determination, and joy, to the furthering of Your purposes and the praise of Your glory. (Acts 13:22,36; 20:24)

“The angel said, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary,.. behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son,.. her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’

^“Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?.. Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’ And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…
He who is mighty has done great things for me,
    holy is his name.’ Luke 1:30-32,35-43,45-47,49

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” Psalm 34:3

Mary couldn’t wait to share her wondrous news with her cousin Elizabeth. God pulls back the curtain for us to observe and marvel at the angelic announcement of Jesus and the shared excitement of these two women, and invites us to be a part. Their mutual encouragement and gladness bubbles in the passage as it did in that room, and our souls are swept into their joy, caught up with theirs to magnify God’s name and goodness. This intimate picture models how we can engender praise among friends in our lives.

The by-products of sharing joy are heightened awareness of how and when God is working, growth in expectancy of more wondrous deeds, and increased, contagious glory given the King. Our joyful attitude breeds delight in those around us, our language of praise becomes another’s song, all fragrant incense that pleases the Lord. (Psalm 141:2; Luke 1:67-79)

When we experience a deep connection with God, a personal grace beyond imagining, a gift from the Lord’s hand that humbles, stupefies, and delights, are we eager to proclaim His goodness? Is our gratitude so great we cannot keep it to ourselves? With whom do we regularly recount God’s kind deeds and revealed truth?

Whose faith and worship can we encourage by sharing what God has done and is doing? How might we develop someone’s expectancy, or offer hope and comfort, by telling of God’s personal hand in our own longing or need?

Do we regularly come alongside to share others’ joy? When friends open their treasure of good news, do we value it as such, or flirt with jealousy or competition and diminish their experience by adorning it with “me too,” turning attention to ourselves? Will we genuinely rejoice with them, taking in their full report and adding nothing but praise to God? (Romans 12:15)

Lord, may I always sweeten fellowship by rejoicing with those who rejoice and eagerly telling of Your delights. Prompt me to keep sharing Your glorious promises and deeds so Your glory is multiplied among Your people.

“You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
    you are my God; I will extol you.
 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 118:28-29

“I say to the Lord, You are my God;
    give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
    you have covered my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
    do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! 

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
    and will execute justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
    the upright shall dwell in your presence.” Psalm 140:6-8,12-13

“O Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    plans formed of old, faithful and sure.” Isaiah 25:1

Four words: You are my God. Words of conviction, words of truth, words of assurance. Accenting each word, one at a time, highlights its special meaning and backs its power in this cogent statement.

You. You, high and holy Lord- You alone. You exist eternally, You know all things, You do all things well. There is none who compares with You, no one else who captivates, delivers, saves, or transforms as You do. You are unique, and uniquely worthy of my attention, allegiance, and worship. (Psalm 40:5; 89:6; 119:68; Mark 7:37)

Are. You are- presently, actively, dynamically now, and alive. You exist from eternity past, You always will be, and You are at this moment, the same forever. (Psalm 90:2; John 1:1; Hebrews 13:8)

My. My God- maker of my inmost parts, committed to our intimate relationship, possessive of me as Your beloved own. You know all about me, hear my cries, understand my heart, and personally sanctify me. (Psalm 139:1-16; 1 Thessalonians 1:4)

God. Almighty and unique God of gods. Omnipotent and wise King, Ruler, Creator, Authority, Judge, Savior. There is none like You, unique, transcendent, perfect in knowledge and righteousness. The highest heavens cannot contain You who are measureless in love, abounding in compassion, mercy, and faithfulness. (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 36:5; 103:11)

Since this is true, and He is my God, how can I fear or fret or feel alone? How can I not sing, and praise Him with every breath, all of my days? Why would I not love what He loves, hate what He hates, and trust Him with my all? How can I not live in certain and expectant hope, assured of His defense as my Advocate, of His return as my coming Redeemer? Why would I become attached to, or spend time on, idols and idle things? (Job 16:19; Revelation 22:12)

O Lord, You are my God. You are my God. You are my God. You are my God. May I sing this refrain morning, noon, and night, and live to give You the glory, reverence, and honor You deserve.

^“Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

^“Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him... So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying,.. ‘Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.’ Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria.

“When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. [He] sent Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.  And Uriah the priest built the altar… before King Ahaz arrived.  And when the king came from Damascus, [he] drew near to the altar and went up on it and burned his offering… on the altar. The bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed from the front of the house,.. and put it on the north side of his altar. And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, ‘On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people…’ King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands and removed the basin from them, and he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pedestal.” 2 Kings 16:2-5,7-8,10-15,17

Ahaz did things his way, in his work and worship. When he met opposition, he implemented a better way, according to himself, and plowed on in direct opposition to the Lord’s commands and pattern for reverent worship. How like him we can be! (Deuteronomy 12:1-4)

Once a decision is made to do things my way, it is impossible to reverse course save for God’s merciful intervention. Heart bent leads to choice leads to action upon action, and before we know it, we sacrifice all that is meaningful and valuable to get our way. We charge ahead at the helm with no one to stop us, drunk on power and the pride of self-exaltation.

God, who knows our sinful proclivities, established the right way to approach Him, and worship, and live. His ways are good, sufficient, sure, and satisfying. Repeatedly we ascend the throne of self, grip the royal scepter, and waste the kingdom entrusted to us. But God offers Jesus, Himself the Way, to lead us aright to eternal life and unspeakable joy. (John 10:10; 14:6)

Whose way will I choose?

My Lord, have Your way with me. I yield my way to give way to Your glorious best.