Knowing God - The Lord is Someone to Awe

Psalm 33:8

Let all the earth fear the LORD:

 let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

The Lord is Someone to Awe

Our God is worthy to be someone we stand in awe of.  He is powerful.  He is the Creator.  He is the judge of all the earth.  He holds the key to eternal life and He alone is pure and holy in all He does.  As we approach the day, it would be wise for us to pause and consider the position and power of our God.  As we do we should not only be in a place of awe that leads to a healthy relationship of deserved obedience but a place of safety knowing this God is our Father and the One who purchased us by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Fear the Lord.  Stand in awe of Him.  Begin to speak of His character and worship Him in truth.  You and I will find ourselves in a sober state of mind as we exalt the Lord and worship at His feet.

Proverbs - Debate Your Cause

Proverbs 25:9 -10

Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:

Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.

It is very tempting to repeat a matter to another when we feel we have been wronged.  We may want to go to someone and let them in on our injustice and offense.  The Lord is telling us to go to the person himself and don’t let others in on it.  If we tell someone else and not the person who offended us, he might hear of it and our reputation will follow us.  It is easy to call someone we might sense will take our side.  It can make us feel coddled and comforted.  As women who claim to serve the Lord Jesus, we should go to the Lord alone and debate our cause.  If we must seek counsel, may it be with someone with spiritual maturity who won’t just take our side because they like us but desire to see us please the Lord in our responses.  When hurts abound and our hearts might be wounded, be cautious who you tell and consider talking to your neighbor with whom you have conflict.  This will help your reputation and demonstrate your desire to live at peace with all men as much as lies within you.

Knowing God - A Drop in the Bucket

Psalm 33:7

He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:

he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

The Sea is a Drop in the Bucket to the Lord

The Lord is in charge of all the oceans.  He controls their boundaries and gives the waters the right amount of space to fill and support the life within it.  This helps us to know that the Lord is in charge of the different waves of life that come our way.  He will tell them they can only go so far and He is much bigger than the deepest times of tragedy and darkness.  If our God is able to take all of the waters of all of the seas and gather them together the way we pick up around the house, how could we not begin to trust our God with the most intimidating of circumstances?  He controls the oceans.  He is over those things that seem too deep and big for us.

Proverbs - Don't Strive Hastily

Proverbs 25:8

Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

We shouldn’t want to contend about something quickly.  We must be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to wrath.  We are told in this proverb that if we try to take a certain position quickly we might find ourselves in the wrong as the conversation goes along.  It is better to start with questions than our position on a matter.  We usually don’t have all the facts and have come to a wrong conclusion.  Let us ask questions hoping to discover the truth before we contend and strive about a situation.  There are things worth fighting for but it is so important that we search out a matter first.  With our husbands, friends and children we might start the conversation with a question before our judgment or opinion.  We can stop and pray with them before we talk so that the conversation is guided by the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth rather than the heated passions of men’s convictions.  Jesus often asked questions first and HE knew the answers already.  How much more for us to be those gentle and quiet spirited women, should we approach a potential conflict in humility of mind and not go forth hastily to strive.

Knowing God - His Word Creates

Psalm 33:6

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

The Lord’s Words Create

The Word of the Lord creates.  His breath fills all He makes.  When we expose ourselves to the Word of the Lord, we will find new things created within us.  Where maybe we were once lazy and slothful, we may find a brand new zest for labor.  Where we were once weary and discouraged, we may find a resolve and fortitude that wasn’t there before.  Where we were once annoyed or bothered by someone, we may find ourselves affectionate and fond of them.  The Word of the Lord has creative qualities.  Reading the Word is not just a discipline designed to give us instruction but can actually create things within us that once were not there!   THAT is good news and should cause us to take in His Word with an even greater excitement and anticipation.

Take the Lower Place

Proverbs 25:6-7

Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king,

and stand not in the place of great men:

For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

We are told by the Lord that we should not put ourselves in places of honor by own volition.  We are not to assume or desire a place of worldly prestige or position.  The Lord tells us to take the lower seat at a feast.  If we are asked to come up we are blessed.  It is better to humble ourselves and allow the Lord to lift us up.  When we go to a party or event don’t assume you have the head table.  When you are in the presence of anyone in direct authority over you don’t strive to sit by them or schmooze your way into an inner circle.  This could show that we are presumptuous and think more highly of ourselves than we ought.  Take the lower place and allow the Lord to lift us up.  It is better to be told, come up here than be asked to go to a lower place.  The Lord is trying to save us embarrassment and reminding us that truly we are but dust.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.  Don’t ever presume position or privilege.

Knowing God - His Goodness Fills the Earth

Psalm 33:5b

…the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

The Lord’s Goodness Fills the Earth

The devourer is active and destroying so many lives and things on this earth.  We can begin to focus on this and end up missing out on the fact that the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.  Do you believe this?  Well….let’s hide this scripture in our hearts today and trust that it will illuminate His goodness throughout our day that we might otherwise miss out on.  Look around and behold His goodness.  Don’t let the enemy blind you to His goodness, power and magnificence!  Open your eyes and behold how good our God is.  I trust that today we will see things we would not have seen as we expect to see His goodness.  Then we will be greatly encouraged that our God, yes, our God, is good and over all!