The devotional - 1491 - God is Awesome

The Devotional – 1491 – God is Awesome

Psalm 119:129-136 – Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for Your commandments. Look upon me and be merciful to me, as Your custom is toward those who love Your name. Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep Your law. 

Comments and Challenges:

How much time do we spend thinking about God? Well I suppose I am not looking for an answer but more like a personal reflection. God is not located in a church building on Sunday mornings. I believe that He is there on Sunday, but I also believe He is present with each of us this very moment, if we all Him to be present. For example the apostle Paul has said in one of his epistles… “pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

As I am coming to the end of Psalm 119 soon; it is so clear to me that there is much about God that I may know of, but this is not much more that knowledge. The practical application of living in Him, while not null or void does lack. In other words, there is room for improvement. I am reminded of my little office; in it is a large assortment of material, mostly commentaries and other books of saints who have influenced my walk in the LORD over the years, yet I do not personally know all of the material in my office.

Just looking into Psalm 119 I notice something that is not taught out of my office of commentaries, word studies, concordances and Bible studies. Little to none of these helps teach or instruct on living in the wonderful testimonies of God. The psalmist says that the “entrance of God’s Word gives Light”! Yes the tools we use do teach about such things, but these fall short of placing you or me in the wonderful testimonies of God. How then do we “Go in Him and receive Light?”

Andrew Murray is one of my favorite writers because he discusses the inner spiritual life of believers. In his book, “Abide in Christ” subtitled “The joy of being in God’s Presence” he writes a thirty one day reading booklet to help God’s children abide in the presence of God. Again it is only a tool and many people who read his material find him difficult to grasp. Read him or not, I am seeking to say is this: “Our personal relationship with God our Father in our present day needs a positional or spiritual overhaul”.

For example today; do we “open our mouth and pant or long for the commandments of God?” We do look for Him to be as merciful to us as is His custom to all of His children, yet do we truly “love” his name? Do we ask Him to direct our steps through the application of His Word in us? Do we have the Word of God tucked in our soul in order that we might not sin against Him? Yesterday we looked at the oppression of mankind all around us; do we respond in humbleness of heart, or are we just as oppressive as the unbelieving world?

If we respond as the world does about living life, then we do not have an understanding of the “precepts” of God. What are the precepts of God, do you know? I believe these are… Love, joy, peace, patience, longsuffering, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control; leave out just one of these precepts of being in the Spirit and the face of God will grow dim in the Light of His mercy. Lastly, what about the statutes of God; do we defend God’s statutes? A statute is an unchangeable rule governing Creation. So do the tears flow down our cheeks when men and women rise up to debate that God does not exist and His laws are void?

It is little wonder that our nation and the nations around the world are in such a qualm or quandary. There is a spiritual faintness or sickness; not only in this land, but also in the world. Thus men and women who are full of doubt and misinformation are now leading the way. So much so that the things of God and the failing ability of believers to live in the spiritual presence of God are noticed. This becomes the aggressive platform of worldliness; of unprincipled peoples who have opened the door to religious humanism (liberal theologies) and the saints of God are beginning to march with them to the tune “We are the world”.