Sent From Above

This morning as I started my day in prayer I found myself praying "Lord thank you for the Sun that warms the Earth that I am not freezing in the vacuum of space. And thank you for your presence and the presence of your Son that I am not freezing in the vacuum of my own existence." That phrase really stuck in my mind and reminds me of how empty and meaningless my life was before I gave myself to The Lord. With that said, my blog continues...

The Word....

Psalm 57:3 (NIV)

³ He sends from heaven and saves me,

rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah

God sends his love and his faithfulness.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

Again The Lord has led me into the Psalms to study the writings of David. In this particular Psalm we see David rejoicing in the Lord as he again escapes the clutches of Saul. His joy is almost palpable, his poetry sincere and his confidence in God boundless.

This speaks to me of the common experience of all men who are pursued by Satan and their own sin nature that they may be destroyed and lost forever. And it convicts me that my own joy in deliverance from my oppressors, including my self, is so easily diminished. Where are my songs? Where is my poetry? What is it that distracts me from my own confidence in God and causes me to turn to my self? Why do I have to be so intentional not to take my self out of the warmth of God's providence and into the empty vacuum of self? I believe it is the comforts of life that make it so easy to slip into complacency and to forget the source of all blessings.

But I digress... in all my shortcomings, in all the tests, trials, temptations and tribulations that I might face, it is God that saves me. It is never my own strength, my own intellect, my own will or my own efforts. To think otherwise is to be deceived by my own heart. No, it is from God on high, from heaven, that my deliverance comes.

In considering the second phrase of this passage, I must ask; how often have I been stalked and the predator turned aside by God without my having ever been aware of the danger I was in? Sure, there are plenty of times when God stepped in and swept aside obstacles, dangers and predators in front of my eyes but what of the things beyond my sight? What of the spiritual attacks in the heavenly realms that I am not privy too? What of the stealthy lion lying in wait that is stayed as I pass by? God rebukes those who hotly pursue me today, just as he did for David thousands of years ago. This is something to think about as we go through our days, secure in the Lord and his protection.

Nevertheless, no matter the method by which God saves me or turns aside my attackers, it is the very manifestation of his love and faithfulness. Though I certainly do not deserve his attention, protection or intervention, he loves me and keeps his word. And he loves you the same and will keep his promises to you as well.

Let us all remember, with great joy, our deliverance from self and sin. Let us all rejoice in the Lord who goes before us clearing the way even as he is behind us turning aside predators. Let us rejoice and multiply his love through our daily actions with others. Let us be faithful to God and to one another as a tribute to his great love and faithfulness.

Shalom,
Carl