Noble – God's character from A to Z

This weekend, I am attending a large-scale expo in the American Midwest. Cars line up for miles, waiting for the gates to open. Once the fair begins, folks queue up to step inside the pavilions for the most popular programs. Perhaps the longest wait and the most elbow-jostling takes place just outside the entry to the venue where a giant merchandise sale takes place. People pack the hallway, shuffling inch-by-inch towards the metal grated gate, eagerly watching for it to lift upwards and out of the way.

The anticipation can be contagious.

“Open up the gate!” folks call out.

So said the Psalmist, only he wasn’t talking about spectators or shoppers or fairgoers. He pointed to the King of glory, the Lord of hosts, the God of the universe. Here, David described the procession of the Ark of the Covenant, as it was carried into Jerusalem, the city of David and the holy city of Zion.

“Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:7-8, NIV)

It almost reminds us of a classic scene in a knightly movie, in which the king’s or queen’s subjects would shout, “Make way! Make way for the royal one!”

At the same time, this verse seems to point prophetically to the Lord Jesus, riding forth into Jerusalem on the donkey colt, as the people shouted, “Hosanna!” It also foreshadows His triumphant return, which we eagerly anticipate.

God is noble.

The Lord Almighty is high above all else. His Son Jesus is the King of Kings. His Spirit is Holy. No one is nobler – or ever could be. Will we open up the gates of our hearts, making way for the victorious King of glory to enter there as well?

Image/s:

Adapted from public domain art

Bible verse graphic – created on quote generator

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. Don’t miss the Heart of a Ready Writer page on Facebook.

Share

Arms up or up in arms?

As a visually oriented person, I especially love the Bible passage that recounts Israel’s victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim in the Sinai region. (It’s found in Exodus 17:8-16.) Moses sent Joshua and his men out to the battle. Then Moses took Aaron and Hur up to a nearby hill to observe the scene. When Moses held his hands up, Israel had the upper hand in battle. When he lowered them, they began to lose. So Moses kept his arms up.

Eventually, Moses grew tired. Maybe his arms were sore from striking the rock at Horeb with his staff earlier (in the same chapter), when the Lord sent water from the rock to answer the people’s complaints of thirst.

As Moses grew fatigued, Aaron and Hur stood on either side of him and held his hands up for the entire day. And Joshua’s men triumphed for Israel.

The lesson seems straightforward. Hands up meant victory. Hands down led to defeat. Hands up again, and they won the day. Maybe God was trying to paint a picture for all of us to grasp this truth of faith.

Taken out of context, this may seem like a tricky topic to get our arms around, depending upon our denominational persuasions.

I’m not going all sectarian here. I’m not claiming one form of worship is more noble than another. In fact, I’m just the sort to put my hands down, if someone stands up and instructs the whole congregation to throw them up in the air. (Hey, isn’t that sort of like arm-twisting?) On another occasion, I might spontaneously lift ‘em up.

We praise God in all sorts of ways, don’t we?

• Hands raised or hands folded?
• Chin up or head bowed?
• In song or in silence?
• On our feet or kneeling on the ground?
• In devotion or in deed?
• Solo or corporately?

Maybe we’re asking the wrong questions here.

Isn’t the One we worship vastly more valid than the many ways we feebly express our adoration and awe of Him?

However we honor our great God, the gist is great. Praising the Almighty One is a powerful thing. Because God is powerful. He is Jehovah Nissi. The Lord is our Banner.

When we raise our arms to Him, figuratively or literally, are we not actually saluting the one who bids His heavenly armies to act on our behalf?

Here’s the other thing I love about this story from Scripture.

Moses had trouble keeping his hands up before the Lord. I gotta admit it: I draw some comfort from that. Moses, the famous and highly revered patriarch, needed a couple of friends to bookend him and lend their strength. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe. But he sort of ran out of steam after a while.

Oh, I have been there.

Several weeks ago, I stumbled in the woods and broke one of my arms. The orthopedic surgeon put an extremely tight cast on it, with an aim towards totally immobilizing the bone. Unfortunately, that meant it grew pretty snug when the arm swelled, as it was wont to do. What was the solution? If I held my arm up over my head, the swelling eventually subsided, and I found relief from the pressure.

At the same time, I've needed (and learned to accept) a fair amount of help to lift and carry and push and pull and fasten and open and tie and untie and otherwise accomplish all sorts of mundane tasks. I've appreciated each person who gave me a hand during this season.

That experience brought me right back to Moses and Aaron and Hur and the Amalekites.

Sometimes the solution is pretty clear.

Let’s raise the banner, honoring Jehovah Nissi. Instead of wringing our hands, we can raise our hands and hearts to the One who has already proven His triumph. And we can help each other to keep up the praise.

Watch for the victory. It’s close at hand.

“And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner.’” (Exodus 17:15, ESV)

Image/s:

Adapted from public domain artwork

and

Victory O Lord

by John Everett Millais

19th Century

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. Don’t miss the Heart of a Ready Writer page on Facebook.

Share

Potent Parent Prayers: Looking forward to God’s answer

The world has become a scary place. OK, that sounds simplistic. But it’s true. Perhaps it has always been so. But it sure looks like we have a lot to worry about, especially with our children growing up in a world where risks run rampant and human mistakes seem to cost more than ever before.

Still, we know how the story ends. By faith, we are assured that God will someday set things right. He will call them (and us) until the final hour. And we are thankful, especially when we remember to be and even when it hurts.

God is not silent or sleeping or stepping away, even for a second. Nothing in our world surprises Him. We cannot understand when innocents are murdered, cities are terrorized, and evil seems to have its way unchecked. 

But we have to believe anyway, if God is indeed our God.

They will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction. (Isaiah 29:23b-24, NIV)

Someday, every eye will see Him. Every knee will bow (see Philippians 2:10). Mockers will be silenced. Deceivers will be unmasked. And God will reveal the victory He has already sealed. For He is Elah Sh'maya V'Arah, God of Heaven and Earth (see Ezra 5:11).

Oh, Lord. We cannot see, and we do not understand. Our hearts break to see terrorists wreaking their havoc in the world and crime and other dangers lurking about. We fear for our children, ourselves, and all we love. We cringe to peek within the depths of our own hearts, where we find corners of darkness we have not yet yielded to Your hand. Make us more like You. Call those who have stepped from Your path, including us. Soften our hearts and the hearts of those we love to hear Your call. And bring Your will to pass in the world around us. Bring Your glory down again, and draw people to You. We ask in faith and in the name of our wonderful Lord, Your Son Jesus Christ.

Image/s:

Developed by this user

with online graphic generators

Feel free to bookmark or subscribe. Don’t miss the Heart of a Ready Writer page on Facebook. You may also want to follow this writer on GooglePlus and Twitter.

Share