Promises, Promises...
I just finished reading through Psalms and am well on my way through Proverbs. What an amazing and fascinating journey. Psalms always capture my emotions because I can relate to some of the seemingly emotional ups and downs that David and the other writers of the Psalms go through. One minute it's "God where are you, don't abandon me to my enemies" and with good reason as David finds himself on the run from Saul, from his own son, and at different times from other nations. But almost every Psalm that starts out that way ends with "Yet I will praise Him" or "I will remember His promises and the marvelous things He has done"
My journey as I've been reading has included asking God to show me a common thread that goes through all scripture. He's shown me many actually. One I talked about in an earlier post about God's UNFAILING love. That is a HUGE thread running through every page. Another one though, that I picked up on today is God's promises and that they too are UNFAILING. Proverbs is all about wisdom and a father speaking to his children to not despise discipline but to regard it as a gift, keeping them on the path of the righteous. But Solomon also reminds them of God's promises to Israel and all who fear the Lord. He talks about the wicked being swept away, and the righteous being justified, and avenged. His wisdom comes directly from the Lord (because He asked for it!... whole other post) and He focuses on discipline and the coming fulfillment of the promises of the Lord.
So what's my point?
Well... for me, I'm discovering that God is safe. He is not tame ( as Mr. Tumnis and Lucy discuss in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) but He is good. Safety is important to me as I've lived most of my life in "survival" mode.
For God to be safe, meaning, loving and consistant, just and holy (see previous post) means I can let my defenses down and let HIM be my protector and champion. No small thing when I've taken on that role myself for the last 35 + years (and not done so well at it either... )
I've read through the Bible before, and at IHOP (prayer not pancakes) even did it once in 30 days, but I have never felt the impact of the words UNFAILING LOVE and UNFAILING PROMISES like I have this time through. I'm only a day past half way through the 90 day reading plan, but I am in awe of the power of His word in my life right now.
To end as David so often does "Praise the LORD"
My journey as I've been reading has included asking God to show me a common thread that goes through all scripture. He's shown me many actually. One I talked about in an earlier post about God's UNFAILING love. That is a HUGE thread running through every page. Another one though, that I picked up on today is God's promises and that they too are UNFAILING. Proverbs is all about wisdom and a father speaking to his children to not despise discipline but to regard it as a gift, keeping them on the path of the righteous. But Solomon also reminds them of God's promises to Israel and all who fear the Lord. He talks about the wicked being swept away, and the righteous being justified, and avenged. His wisdom comes directly from the Lord (because He asked for it!... whole other post) and He focuses on discipline and the coming fulfillment of the promises of the Lord.
So what's my point?
Well... for me, I'm discovering that God is safe. He is not tame ( as Mr. Tumnis and Lucy discuss in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) but He is good. Safety is important to me as I've lived most of my life in "survival" mode.
For God to be safe, meaning, loving and consistant, just and holy (see previous post) means I can let my defenses down and let HIM be my protector and champion. No small thing when I've taken on that role myself for the last 35 + years (and not done so well at it either... )
I've read through the Bible before, and at IHOP (prayer not pancakes) even did it once in 30 days, but I have never felt the impact of the words UNFAILING LOVE and UNFAILING PROMISES like I have this time through. I'm only a day past half way through the 90 day reading plan, but I am in awe of the power of His word in my life right now.
To end as David so often does "Praise the LORD"
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