Jesus is the LORD

I enjoy reading the Psalms, songs bursting with praise to the LORD.  Four times in Psalm 107 (verse 8, 15, 21, 31) the psalmist exclaims, "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"  Packed within these songs of worship and thanksgiving are references to Jesus Christ and things He would fulfill.  The Saviour of the world told His disciples after His resurrection in Luke 24:44, "Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."

Last night after reading Psalm 107:23-30 the miraculous deeds of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee came to mind:

"Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters,
²⁴  They see the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep.
²⁵  For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea.
²⁶  They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble.
²⁷  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
²⁸  Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.
²⁹  He calms the storm, so that its waves are still.
³⁰  Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven."

When Jesus directed His disciples to cross over to the other side in a boat, while He slept a great storm arose on the water.  Though many of the disciples were expert sailors the boat began to fill and they feared for their lives.  In desperation they cried out to Jesus and Mark 4:39-41 reads, "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" ⁴¹  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"  Psalm 107 answers their question:  Jesus is the LORD who commands the wind to blow, calms the storm, and brings those who seek Him out of their distress.  The One who brought them safely to shore will also usher all who trust in Him into eternal glory with Him.

Instead of being afraid or marveling Psalm 107 provides the fitting response to Jesus Christ and all He has done in verses 31-32:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ³² Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders."  In thanking Jesus we thank the LORD as He is the only begotten Son of the Father, the Messiah who humbled Himself and the LORD has exalted above all others.  Jesus has fulfilled the passage, and let us fulfill it as well.  Praise the name of Jesus, believer!  Consider His goodness, wonderful works, and divine guidance, for Jesus is worthy to be praised. 

The Awesome I AM

It is one thing to strap on a parachute and walk to a plane, but it is entirely different experience to jump out of the plane with the expectation of survival because of that parachute.  There is a time when the safety demonstrations are over, the consent forms have been signed, the equipment inspected and fitted, and it is "go time."  I do not believe a skydiver would jump out of the plane who is not convinced the odds of survival are high, but it requires a degree of faith in your training and equipment to do so.

It can take a life or death decision for people out of desperation to trust God.  Similar to couch potatoes avoiding physical exercise, the tendency of people is the desire to avoid needing to trust God.  We seek out easy and quick options to overcome obstacles or anything that offers a guarantee of success.  We are ever seeking to reduce risk, limit liability, and make life carefree.  But everyone living faces the necessity of dying, and even when immediate death is not a potential issue the cares and worries of life overwhelm us.  It is only when we reach the end of our resources and ourselves that procrastinating is overturned by throwing ourselves upon the mercy of God like we should have done all along, resting and confident in His love and sovereignty.

Jacob believed God and he also procrastinated when faced with a dilemma:  there was a terrible famine, there was an abundance of food in Egypt, Simeon had been jailed in Egypt, and his release was possible only if he would send his youngest son Benjamin back to Egypt.  Jacob didn't like his options and he delayed until the food had almost run out.  There was no scheme to circumvent the inevitable, no way of wriggling off the hook.  Faced with the prospects of starvation of his household out of necessity Jacob sent all his remaining sons to Egypt and said in Genesis 43:13-14:  "...Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. ¹⁴ And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"  Though Jacob knew the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and to him, he was unsure how things would end.  "May God give you mercy, and whatever happens will happen."

Jacob's words bear a resemblance to those of Esther who also faced a life and death decision.  She too was reluctant to take action because of the law of the Medes and Persians which gave the sentence of death to all who appeared before the king uninvited.  As king he had the privilege to overturn the death penalty by extending the royal sceptre.  Mordecai the Jew urged Queen Esther to use her privilege and access to beg for the lives of the Jewish people who had been condemned to death.  He told Esther not to deceive herself to think she would escape the consequences of the law penned by wicked Haman, and that God would bring salvation to His people somehow.  Her response in Esther 4:16 was, "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"  Again, Esther trusted in God because the circumstances demanded it.  She knew God but did not know what the future held:  "If I perish, I perish."

These statements lead me to consider something Jesus Christ said when He looked towards Calvary.  Jacob and Esther hoped not to die but didn't know what would happen:  Jesus knew He would die and what God would accomplish through it.  After Jesus prayed the Father would glorify His name and was answered with an affirmative by a voice from heaven, He said in John 12:30-33, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³² And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." ³³ This He said, signifying by what death He would die."  Jesus knew He would be lifted up from the earth like Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and would draw all people to Himself to be saved.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus atonement was provided for the sins of the world and all who trust in Him receive forgiveness and eternal life.  Because of who Jesus is we can face even life and death decisions with assurance of help, hope, and salvation because He has drawn us to Himself and holds us safe in His arms.

Our perspective can shift from "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved" or "If I perish, I perish" to what Paul was assured of:  "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."  This moves us beyond the "What will be will be" mindset to knowing what God has promised will ultimately come to pass in His sovereign way and in His time.  We can go from saying, "It is what it is" to "I trust the awesome I AM."  No one can snatch us out of His hands, and nothing can separate us from the love in Christ Jesus.

Disappointment Dashed

Man was created in the image of God but let us never assume He is like us.  Being all-knowing and all-powerful and without sin God is shockingly different to us in every regard.  Psalm 50:21 shows man can presumptuously think erroneously about God because He says, "These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes."  The God who gave us freedom to choose always employs His will to do righteously.  Our thoughts and emotions can be so hardwired into our flesh we don't consider that God cares how we feel but doesn't feel like we do.

As I mulled over this concept, I came to the conclusion God does not experience what we call "disappointment."  We are disappointed when our expectations are unmet, yet this cannot be the case for a Being who knows all things before they occur, the One who speaks and it is exactly as He said.  A couple weeks back I dropped by Hungry Jacks after church to bring home lunch after taking orders from the family.  There was a new burger on the menu for a limited time which on advertisements looked simply enormous.  As I checked the order in the bag the underwhelming size of the burgers was immediately clear.  Based on the ads these burgers were disappointing to the grown men of the household.  Instead of being disappointed at the cost or size of the burgers, it was an opportunity to praise the LORD for His gracious provision.

Since God knows all He is not caught off guard, tricked, taken in, or fooled by anything which happens in the world.  Jesus was not "disappointed" with Judas for betraying Him or with Peter for denying Him because He knew these events would take place.  When our expectations are revealed to be false assumptions it is good to replace this bad feeling with aligning our perspective with God's almighty awesomeness.  Genuine believers all have much room to grow in this area.  When Jacob heard Simeon was being held in a prison in Egypt and the only way he would be released was after his youngest son Benjamin went to Jerusalem Genesis 42:36 reads, "And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me."  Jacob believed Joseph was dead and viewed Simeon (who was in prison with a promise of conditional release) the same way.  He focused on himself and the pressing situation and saw all as against him instead of remembering God was for him.  Huge difference!

I do not question the genuine faith of Jacob nor of Job who received the news of the death of his 10 children in a moment.  Upon hearing this devastating news Job tore his clothes in mourning, fell down on the ground, and worshipped God.  Job 1:21 states, "And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."  I have never suffered as Job, nor has my faith shone so bright to do as he did in the face of unspeakable tragedy.  His words remind me of what Paul wrote, a man who suffered much for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Disappointment almost seemed a foreign concept for this man who looked to the sovereign God who rules in heaven and earth.  Romans 8:31-37 reads, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." ³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Allow the potentially disappointing situations (and even portion sizes!) to direct our eyes and hearts toward the LORD who loves us.  Is any lingering disappointment towards God or men ever justified when God rules over all?  In the dark valleys may our souls shine bright with praise and our mouth exalt the LORD on high who is for us and makes us more than conquerors through Him.  Abiding disappointment is a symptom we have refused to yield ourselves to God in humility and faith.  In our lives may all disappointment and dashed dreams fall down flat before the KING OF KINGS in worship and adoration because He alone is worthy.

The Greatest

Jesus spoke against the Pharisees who did good works to be seen and recognised by men.  They were fond of titles, admiration, to be respected, and to have their expert opinion sought.  Jesus countered this by explaining the conduct He expected of His servants in Matthew 23:5-12:  "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. ⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' ⁸ But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Jesus was not laying down a new law to prohibit the use of names or titles but to demonstrate His supremacy over all.  How easy it was for man to take the place of God in their lives!  They naturally looked to be taught by their rabbi, to their own father with reverence, and for insights from the experts of the Mosaic Law.  Twice in this section Jesus emphasised, "...for One is your Teacher, the Christ."  In following the example of Jesus who always did the will of His heavenly Father, followers of Jesus were to humble themselves and be the slave of all.  After Jesus girded Himself and washed the feet of His disciples after the Passover feast He provided them a pattern they were to heed themselves:  in washing the feet of one another they served the LORD.

A few chapters earlier the disciples bristled when the mother of James and John asked Jesus to appoint them to places of great honour in His kingdom.  She expressed the desire for them to sit on His right and left hand.  Jesus responded bluntly with, "You do not know what you are asking."  Honour and authority in the Kingdom of God looks very different than the honour afforded in the world.  Jesus gathered the 10 indignant apostles and Matthew 20:25-28 tells us:  "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Selfish ambition for greatness and to be first is misguided, for that is the spot for Jesus.  The way we can become great is when we serve others like Jesus did who gave His life as a ransom for many.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  It is God who will bring this to pass in His time and wise way.  Just like we ought not to look to men instead of God, we ought not to think it falls to us to play God with men.  The greatest men are those who submit to God's authority, not because they desire greatness, but because they know God as the greatest of all.