Healing Rays of Righteousness

Our Glorious Vocation

In last week’s blog, I said that Psalm 8 is about the amazing and indescribable glory of God made visible in all of creation.  But the psalmist doesn’t stop there.  He also reflects on who this glorious God is in relationship with mankind.

Gazing into the star-filled night sky, the psalmist believed that beyond the vastness of the universe is the vastness of his God. And in his looking and believing, he considers the moon and stars as merely “the work of (God’s) fingers.”

The psalmist imagines God molding and shaping the universe as a potter might form a bowl on his turning wheel. He sees the whole universe being created and now lovingly held in God’s admiring hands as recorded in Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

While pondering God’s awesome glory, it might seem that people would be insignificant to him, and so, the psalmist asks, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them.”  The adjective “mindful” used here comes from the Hebrew word “remember” (zākar).  So the question being asked is; Will God keep us in His mind?  Will God keep His eye on us?  Being so small in comparison to the vast and seemingly endless universe, will God think of us, see us, and care for us?

The twofold answer to these questions is given in verse 5, where the writer describes humankind’s place in God’s creation: “You have made them a little lower than the angels.” Many scholars believe a better translation is, “a little lower than God.”  

The psalmist is most likely reflecting on Genesis 1:26, which says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,’” Indeed, we are created to represent God’s likeness in this world by reflecting his character and living in an intimate, daily relationship with him.

But the psalmist adds something more in saying that God has “crowned them with glory and honor.”  In other words, God intended our glory and honor to be seen in the world as his own glory and honor is seen in the universe.

The “glory and honor” of this “crown” is given in verse 6, “You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”

The psalmist is again reflecting on Genesis 1:26, “… so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

That, my friend, is our God-designed purpose and vocation.  Our greatness, our “glory and honor” is seen in our being made a little lower than God, bearing his image and placed in this world to rule over the earth and its creatures.  It is participation in God’s rule; and a privilege, not a right.

However, sadly we see very little of God’s intended ordering of mankind’s God-like ruling over his good creation being followed. The reality is that humankind, in its greedy selfishness, chooses to be its own god, and thus has become a devil.  And so, this very good world that was created to be lovingly ruled and cared for by mankind is instead been grossly abused and raped by mankind.

But we also know and rejoice in our firm belief that Jesus, as the Lord and King of a new redeemed people, has through his death and resurrection, defeated sin, Satan, and death.

Furthermore, we gratefully believe that as God comes to this earth in his Son, Jesus, the greatness of God and the grandeur of the cosmos are awesomely displayed in the reconciling grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who is mercifully forgiving and restoring sinful humanity and this suffering creation.

Like a final chorus, verse 9 repeats verse 1: “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Our place in God’s order evokes this final note of praise. As you discover your divine destiny, please join me in making God’s name majestic in all the earth.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 26, 2019

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

God’s Majestic Name

Read Psalm 8

I had seen many beautiful pictures of the Grand Canyon and eagerly anticipated our visit there on one of our western vacation trips. I remember finally arriving, parking our travel trailer and walking up the path to the canyon viewing area.

WOW! I was overwhelmed with feelings of speechless amazement and awe as I stood gazing into the indescribable vastness, grandeur, and beauty of that canyon. It was “majestic” – impressively beautiful with a vast grandeur that is beyond descriptive words.

Neither can you walk along a beach at evening of day and not be stopped and held in holy awe as the sun slowly dips into the ocean at sunset. Along with all of nature, we fall silent, as if in a great concert hall. Human conversations become hushed as all eyes turn toward the sun until it disappears below the western horizon. The silent and majestic splendor of God’s sunset has worked its miracle in our hearts and we echo the words of the psalmist, “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Psalm 8 is written by King David and opens and closes with these words of worshipful praise. David is declaring that God’s name excels all others. God’s name, his character, is holy, majestic, mighty, and glorious. His name is above all names.

King David continues, “You have set your glory in the heavens.” It is God’s majestic lordship over all things as Creator and Sustainer that reveals his glory. The whole creation, both earth and heaven’ give witness to God’s majestic glory.

Today, we marvel at the vastness of the heavens with more data than was available to David’s unaided eye. We now know that in one second a beam of light travels 186,000 miles, which is about seven times around the earth. It takes eight minutes for that beam to go from the sun to the earth. In a year that same beam travels almost six trillion miles. Scientists call this a “light-year.”

Eight billion light-years from earth is halfway to the edge of the presently known universe. Within the universe there are a hundred billion galaxies, each with a hundred billion stars, on the average. In all the galaxies, there are perhaps as many planets as stars, ten billion trillion. These statistics overwhelm our human comprehension.

Psalm 8 reminds us that beyond the vastness of the universe is the vastness of God. The moon and stars are merely the work of God’s fingers. The whole universe sits on His potter’s wheel; the whole universe stands on His workbench.

Recognizing the vastness of creation and the majesty of God “in the heavens,” King David ponders before the Lord: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (vv.3-4).

In his worshipful thoughts toward this Almighty, Creator God, so glorious and majestic in the natural sphere, King David reflects on God’s relationship with us human beings. Reassured and inspired by God’s Spirit, King David declares “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” (v.5).

Again, I say WOW! God’s name is not simply majestic in all the earth; God’s name is crowned in our hearts, for we are born anew and baptized in God’s majestic name.

Our Father God, the God in whom we confess our faith, is not a generic, no-name deity. Our God is not a god who created and started the earth going like some cosmic watchmaker and then disappeared from the scene, never to be heard from again.

Our God, the God of the Bible, is not a faceless, nameless deity who must be appeased in order for us to have good fortune in life. And neither is our God some vague, spiritual being who conforms to whatever we happen to believe as long as we are sincere about it.

This is the God who gave the Law on Mt. Sinai, saying “I am the Lord your God. …You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:2a, 3).

This is the glorious God in whose “majestic” name we gather to worship, and by whose “majestic” name we are blessed and sent out into the world to live and act, bearing witness to God’s creative and redeeming work.

Truly, our one vocation in life is to participate in making God’s name “majestic” in all the earth. Daily we pray, “Father, help us make holy your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. …Amen.”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 19, 2019

Dwelling In God’s Shelter of Protection

Whenever I feel threatened or am counseling persons facing difficult uncertainties, I read Psalm 91 for encouragement and reassurance. While many psalms stress how to trust or the importance of trusting God, Psalm 91 explores the strength that springs from trusting God. Despite the frightful images of life’s risks listed in verses 3 through 8, a protective calm permeates the psalm. It joyfully proclaims that protection and security comes to those trustfully abiding in the shadow of the Almighty.

In the first two verses we hear God being named by four titles, the Most High, the Almighty, the Lord, my God. These titles name God as being exalted above the earth and above all other gods as the most powerful and the most intimate God, who desires to be in a love relationship with us (v.14).

In these verses the protection and security provided by God is described with these four earthly comparisons;
1. Shelter – such as a secure place of protection from storms or wild beasts.
2. Shadow – like shade from an overhead cloud or tree that protects from the midday sun.
3. Refuge – being a safe place of escape from threatening storm or enemies.
4. Fortress – being a strong, fully surrounding thick wall of defense and protection.

And so, the psalm invites us to the sanctuary and into the sheltered intimacy of trust and refuge in the Lord. This is where we will experience God being our caring Father and our sovereign, almighty provider and protector. Most of all, in this place of safety, all fear is gone and all evil is dissolved. (Verse 4) – “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Verses 9-12 assure us that over against the destructive demons, ministering angels are sent by God to protect the faithful who “make the Most High (their) dwelling.” Whenever we experience demonic activity against us, the psalmist promises that angels will guard and protect us.

We are gravely misled if we read these verses as a blanket promise that nothing “bad” will ever happen to us. However, it is true that to dwell – remain, stay, tarry, have one’s abode – “in the shelter of the Most High” means we are in God’s hands and always protected, no matter what may happen to us while journeying through life on earth.

When we place our trust in the “Most High” and “Almighty” God who is surprised by nothing, we know that there is no loss so great that God cannot ultimately rescue us from it. The psalmist assures us that whoever chooses to “dwell” in the shelter, shadow, refuge, and fortress of God, will always be protected and rescued from the fears, pestilence, and plague of life’s threatening battles and temptations.

In verses 14 – 16, the psalmist lists eight blessings the Lord will bestow upon whoever trusts God and makes “the Most High” their dwelling place. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him, I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

This picture of God’s protection could hardly be more comprehensive and confident. This is most likely the reason the Christian Church and the Jewish Prayer Book recommend reading this psalm before evening prayers or retiring at night.

The psalm ends with an acknowledgement that trouble will come to those who love the Lord. The world is filled with occasions to be fearful, but trusting believers have God’s promise of presence, deliverance, satisfaction, and salvation (v.15-16). What better security and protection could you desire than this?

However, we do need to remember that the security provided in this psalm is conditional. It is the gracious blessing of a continuing relationship with God. Jesus made this promise his disciples, “If you remain (dwell) in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (Jn. 15:7).

Finally, the psalmist reminds us that we need to call upon the Lord. We should not presume that because God is omniscient (all-knowing) there is no need for us to pour out our hearts to God. “He will call on me, and I will answer him;” (v. 15). So, I encourage myself and you to call on God and tell him what is happening in your life, and how circumstances and people are affecting you. Yes, my friend, he promised to hear and respond to our cry. May it be so in your life.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 12, 2019

Remembering To Forget

The older I become the more I sense the importance of “remembering to forget.” This may sound strange to those of us who are haunted by the fear of forgetting when we cannot remember names or dates, or where we put our glasses or car keys. We fear forgetting because we keep telling ourselves that forgetting is the first sign of growing old and possibly becoming a victim of dementia. We fear becoming a useless and undesirable person.

However, that’s not the kind of “forgetting” that I’m speaking about. I’m using the word “forget” as meaning “to let go.” And so to “remember to forget” is about the need to forgive fully and forever. Biblical wisdom admonishes us to forgive fully and forget (let go) forever the old wounds from our past; to forgive fully and forever those who caused us pain and anger.

From Jesus we hear, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25).

And from the apostle Paul, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32).

Old resentments and lingering bitterness must be discarded in order for us to enjoy a good life of health and peace as we grow older. It is the only doorway to experiencing God’s abundant life of divine forgiveness, peace and joy.

And likewise, we also need to “remember to forget” (forgive fully and forever) our own self for the failures, the regrets, and the wrong choices we made in life. There is no sense or gain in torturing ourselves with regrets and remorse over what might have been or with our failures.

Psychological research regarding health and religion continues to confirm that being a forgiving person is essential to good health and happiness. When someone wrongs you, the feeling of anger or hatred only causes your life to descend into stressful misery and resentment. You are the one who suffers, not the person with whom you are angry. In contrast, remembering to forgive and forget erases the resentment and relieves the stress.

Everett Worthington Jr., a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a pioneer in forgiveness research, has found that people who won’t forgive the wrongs committed against them tend to have negative indicators of health and well-being; that is, more stress-related disorders, lower immune-system function, and worse rates of cardiovascular disease than the population as a whole. In effect, he says, by failing to forgive, they punish themselves.

His research also suggests that unforgiving people experience higher rates of divorce, which reduces a person’s well-being, given that married men and women consistently do better on most health barometers, including longevity.

In contrast, Worthington’s research confirms that people who forgive have better health, fewer episodes of clinical depression, longer marriages and better “social support,” which suggest that forgiving people get along better with others, who in turn come to their aid in social-support situations.

When Jesus taught us to forgive those who sin against us, he was not just teaching holy living; but he was also giving us practical, down-to-earth advice on how to experience the abundant life, how to better enjoy the “golden years” of life.

The biblical Joseph had a lot of hurtful and bitter memories: the hatred and jealousy of his brothers, their treacherous betrayal, and their murderous act of selling him into Egypt. But he had learned the grace of forgiveness. He even named one of his sons “Manasseh” which means “God has made me forget.”

The apostle Paul also experienced much hardship, persecution and pain, and yet encourages us to live life as he does. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Yes, all of us, would be well-advised to “remember to forget” by fully forgiving the hurts and failures of yesterday and forever remembering them no more. We need to turn these painful experiences and emotions over to God, who alone can help us forgive the situations, events, and persons that caused us pain, anger, and resentment. Look to Jesus, and let his peace of forgiveness give you a wonderful today of joy.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 5, 2019
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley