Unforgettable Deeds

Posted on by korgrocker

“Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.”
Psalm 9:11-12 NLT

The problem about what people do in their lives is that most of them are forgettable. They quickly disappear into the mists of time, with very few lasting legacies. Occasionally a “deed” is remembered and is recorded in the history books. Something like Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin. Or when Martin Luther affixed a document with his 95 Theses to a church door in Saxony over five hundred years ago, starting the Protestant Reformation. Florence Nightingale is remembered for her compassionate deeds caring for wounded soldiers in the Crimean war. But there are dark and wicked deeds that are remembered today. Deeds committed by evil men such as Hitler or Stalin. 

But what about God’s “unforgettable deeds”? The most well remembered deed committed by God was the time when His Son Jesus was crucified two thousand years ago in propitiation for our sins. Jesus took on Himself the punishment for the sins committed by human beings, past, present and future. A single act of love and grace that has secured the future of the human race as God intended – in His presence for eternity. Of course, this is only if people respond to this “unforgettable deed” in faith, confessing and repenting of their sins and receiving God’s forgiveness. And that is the issue for any of God’s “unforgettable deeds” – it is the way we respond to them. If we read about all that God has done for us and then walk away with a “that’s nice” and promptly forget what He has done, then there will be consequences that could affect us for ever. The Bible is packed full of God’s “unforgettable deeds”, and it is only as we read about them and believe them, that they will benefit us and bring about an ever closer alignment between God and ourselves. 

The Psalmist, David, continued to declare God’s righteousness and compassion. Those who commit murder will face consequences because He cannot, because He is righteous, allow such a crime to go unpunished. We think of all the murders that are committed every day in the UK, with unborn children having their lives terminated at the whim of parents, an act of murder carried out by medical professionals. David wrote that God “cares for the helpless” and He will avenge their murder. A truly sobering thought. And regarding people who have already been born, Open Doors has recorded that 4476 Christians world-wide were murdered for their faith last year. And that’s the ones they know about. God “cares for the helpless” and He will avenge their murder. In our sin-ridden world, God’s care extends beyond the grave and one day the murderers will be held to account.

So we pilgrims pick up our Bibles and read, and read. It is an amazing Book packed full of God’s “unforgettable deeds” and the Holy Spirit will reveal to us time and time again all that God has done for us. Of His goodness and mercy there is no end. David started verse 11 with the exhortation to sing praises to the Lord. One day the Lord Jesus will rule and reign in Jerusalem – we know that because we have read to the end of the Book. Will we be counted in the New Jerusalem’s population? Of course we will and we praise the One who made it all possible by the most famous of all of God’s “unforgettable deeds”.

Dear God. Thank You for Your Son Jesus, who has indeed done it all for us. Amen.

God Our Refuge

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.”
Psalm 9:9-10 NLT

In our natural thoughts, we read these verses today and immediately reflect on a place of safety. It could be our home once we have closed and locked the front door.  It could be the thought of a castle like Eilean Donan in Scotland’s Kyle of Lochalsh, or Edinburgh Castle, places thought to be almost impregnable when they were built. Then there was Masada, the last place of safety for the Jews after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And I’m sure David, when he wrote this Psalm, had something similar in mind. Psalm 9:9 mentions the “oppressed”, implying that these were people who were under attack of some kind. Perhaps it was some sort of religious persecution, or difficulties with a landowner or landlord. Even a military source or a thief. In David’s day, there wasn’t the societal cohesion that we enjoy (most of the time) in our Western communities. The “times of trouble” can have many guises. Another Psalmist picked up this theme in Psalm 46:1-2, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea”. In this case, the Psalmist expands on the thought that God is someone to whom we can turn when there are natural disasters. 

Today, we can find ourselves, though, in places of oppression from our enemy the devil. He will find our weak spots and will often waken us with worrying thoughts in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps there is an unpaid bill worrying us, or a family situation that is proving difficult to resolve. Of course, none of these things can be escaped from. We live in a natural world with its rules and regulations, difficulties and challenges, a world degraded by sin. But our enemy will maximise our discomfort because that is what he does. The same old lie from the Garden is still on his lips today, “Surely God did not …”

An 18th Century prayer for children was, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, Watch and guard me through the night, and wake me with the morning light“. The picture emerges of God’s protection extending over little ones, easily frightened by events or noises around them. Another verse that reassures us of God’s enduring protection can be found in Deuteronomy 31:8, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you”. 

God is indeed a refuge for us, a stronghold impregnable to the attacks of the enemy or anyone else. He will keep our spirits safe forever. There is a Psalm I have turned to in the past when faced with a problem, seemingly insurmountable. Psalm 91:4 contains a wonderful word picture of a mother hen guarding her chicks. But God is far more than that and I can remember one time, when the company I was working for was facing financial difficulties and redundancies were threatened, that God took me to Psalm 91:7, “Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.”

But whatever our situation, God “is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble“. He is always there for us. And sometimes, if He allows something to happen to us regardless of our prayers, He knows of something better coming along. Our God is a wonderful caring and loving God. He will always be there for us, and has our highest interests at heart. Oh – by the way – I wasn’t made redundant although others were. God is good!

Dear Father God. You are our wonderful Protector in all circumstances. We may still walk through the valley of death, but You are indeed always with us. Thank You. Amen.

Our Forever God

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.”
Psalm 9:7-8 NLT

A small child’s question “Who made God?” is understandable from a natural perspective, as young minds grapple with difficult issues in life. Everything around us has been made at some time or another. Our natural world emerged in the Genesis account of creation, our material world of houses and cars and so on contains objects created by human beings. But then comes along the scientific distortions based on the largely unsubstantiated views and “research” by scientists like Darwin and others, bring confusion and contradictions, and media journalists propagate reports of a world formed a very long time ago when some geological discovery is made. But I lack the faith to believe in a world that is populated through a chance meeting of molecules many billions of years ago, or was formed by an apparent celestial explosion even further back into history. And none of these scientists have ever explained where all the matter that formed the universe came from in the first place. So a young mind, perhaps through a Sunday School lesson or teacher’s comment, and unable to make sense of the enormous amounts of data available, intuitively believes that there must be a Creator, and asks where God came from.

It may be a difficult concept to believe, but our God, the Lord, “reigns forever”. God has always been present. Jesus said in Revelation 22:13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End“. So the answer to the small child’s question “Who made God?” is “No-one – He has always been there”. And there is something special about that knowledge, that our Creator God, the One who loves us and has graciously saved us, has always been there. And there is more – Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes”. Such knowledge elevates us into Heavenly places that are unseen with our physical eyes but home to our spirits.

David also declared that God has always been there and His righteousness prevails through His judgement and fairness. And there is coming a time when He will rule the nations. We can only pray that this will happen soon, as the world around us seems to descend further and further into depths of evil and depravity. But instead of getting depressed we look up to the One who made it all. The One who created our world and populated it with human beings made in His image. The One who holds all things together – Colossians 1:17, “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together”. By looking up we get God’s perspective and receive the assurance that He is holding back the full potential of the forces of evil.

Paul continues in Colossians 1:19-20, “For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross”. Perhaps a better question should be “How could the One who has always been there send His Son as a human being, to save us from our sins?” The answer to such a question we will never fully understand until we meet the One who made it all possible. But we are so grateful for Jesus. Perhaps John 3:16 doesn’t really fully communicate the heart of God and His love for you and me. We will never get our minds around what it must have cost Him. God wants to be involved intimately in the affairs of His creation, and in response we feel our hearts lift within us, a warm glow flushing away the thoughts of a sad and bad world. We want to shout out our praises to the One who has done it all. Jesus!

Dear God. You have always been present, because that is what eternity means. Thank You that Your love and grace is eternal and present with us today and every day. Amen.

Trouble and Strife

Posted on by korgrocker

“My enemies retreated; they staggered and died when you appeared. For you have judged in my favour; from your throne you have judged with fairness. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever. The enemy is finished, in endless ruins; the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.”
Psalm 9:3-6 NLT

Why is it that so many of the Psalms contain references to “enemies”? David often brought his enemies before God with a request that they be judged and dealt with, leaving him vindicated. And he continued to pray for judgements and punishments to extend beyond his boundaries into the adjacent nations. The political situation in David’s days was volatile and has continued unchanged right up to the 21st Century, with the Middle East being a hot bed of factions and different political interests, with nations, and even people groups within the nations, striving with each other and at times descending into extremes of violence. External influences stoke up the flames of discord and hatred, raising them to intolerable levels, with violence viewed with puzzlement by peoples in other parts of the world. The nations and borders might have changed since David was king in Israel but the strife has continued across the generations almost as though the very ground in that part of the world is cursed. 

Of course, the glib answer to the Middle East’s problems is laid at the door of sin, and the enemy who introduced it to the world, in the Garden, itself being located in an adjacent area, so some have thought, near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Southern Mesopotamia. But whatever the geography, the very fact that there are people regarded as “enemies” indicates that sin is present. David expected God to be his arbiter and rule in his favour, and his writings describe both real and imagined Godly judgement, with punishments meted out on his “enemies” and even their infrastructure.

It is true that God has judged sin and wickedness in the past – think about the situations in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Noah – but does He do that today? Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. From that perspective, does God therefore favour one people over another, and bring judgement to bear in these modern times? But introduce into that scenario the following verses in Romans 3, “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26). Sinners have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and now stand righteous in God’s presence. This elevates us into a different kingdom, God’s Kingdom, and introduces a different emphasis, as we read in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places”. Two kingdoms emerge, the kingdom of the world which contains all unredeemed peoples wherever they live, and God’s Kingdom where His people are united through His love and grace. We have weapons of defence and one of offence, all of which can keep us safe from our enemies, should we choose to use them as God has ordained. 

We pilgrims read what David wrote all those years ago and superimpose over his words the principles and perspectives of the Kingdom of which we are a part. We have a Judge who rules with righteousness and love, with mercy and grace, and who will ultimately deal with the sin and sinful people that has polluted this world. We might not see a solution to the battles taking place in the Middle East in our earthly lifetime, but we will one day see all wickedness and evil being dealt with, and banished forever. 

Dear God. You are the righteous Judge, who will fairly deal with all human beings one day. We pilgrims thank You that, although sinners, we have been redeemed by Your Son, Jesus, and can come before You covered over with Jesus’ righteousness. Thank You for the miracle of Your grace and love. Amen.

Praise the Lord!

Posted on by korgrocker

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvellous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”
Psalm 9:1-2 NLT

Another Davidic Psalm from the Bible’s song and prayer book. These two verses contain words such as “praise”, “tell”, “filled”, “joy”, and “sing”. These are all words that are not very common in the secular society around us. Unbelievers won’t experience the joy of being able to praise God. They won’t appreciate the “marvellous things” God has done. They won’t be making their ways to work this morning humming a hymn tune or singing His praises in their hearts. I can remember some years ago walking through an underpass under the River Thames in London and many people were hurrying the other way, heading for work. I was struck by the tight and drawn look on the faces of most of them. No joy visible. No lightness and freedom present. The best efforts of a busker largely ignored. Just people existing in a Godless environment, shackled to a secular world where there is no God worthy of praises, able to fill them with joy. 

In 1 Kings 8:23, Solomon starts his prayer of dedication with, “ … O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion”. The Psalmists were scathing about those who denied the existence of God. Psalm 52:1, “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!” It is so sad that all those people who do not know God, who have not ever experienced the joy of salvation, who have never seen the marvellous works created by God, and who have no song of praise to sing, just exist without hope, heading for a lost eternity.

At the start of this day, we pause and step through the door into another Kingdom, where we find God in all His glory. Where we focus on praising Him. Where we feel His joy filling our hearts. Where we feel His touch and His Spirit bringing reassurance and guidance for the day ahead. And as our time with Him draws to an end, we step back into our monochrome world but bringing the colour of knowing God into the dark places of hopeless souls. People with no hope who are desperate to hear some Good News. Where the “marvellous things” of God will be able to penetrate their hardened hearts. In the Old Testament we read about Moses having to wear a veil, because His face radiated the glory of God. “When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord. … But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord” (Exodus 34:29, 34-35). As we pilgrims emerge from our time with God, do we have radiant faces. Are we glowing with the presence of the Lord? Perhaps those around us will see God in us, in our faces, and will feel within themselves something lighten up. And they might even ask us why. Why are we so joyful when circumstances dictate otherwise? We have an answer to that question, in the person of Jesus. Only He has the words of eternal life. Only He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And we pilgrims, shining like beacons in a dark and dismal world, can introduce the hopeless and depressed around us to our wonderful Saviour.

Dear Lord Jesus. We praise and worship You, the Giver of life to the lifeless, the Giver of hope to the hopeless, and the Giver of salvation to all who come to You in faith and repentance. Thank You. Amen.

In God’s Image

Posted on by korgrocker

“what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honour. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.
Psalm 8:4-8 NLT

David wrote that human beings are entrusted with the care of all that God has made. If we read Genesis 1 we find just that mission in verse 26. “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, 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’”. We also find from this verse that God created mankind in His image. But when we look around us and see the unlimited and infinite extent of God’s creation, and all made from nothing by the way, we wonder what being made in God’s image really means. In so many ways, mankind is no different from the other created animals around us. We are of a family of mammals, that produce living young. We are bounded by constraints imposed by our physical abilities. Although we have a much enhanced mental capacity, when compared with other animals, there are still limits. God has no boundaries, either with who He is, or what He can do.

According to Genesis, human beings are supposed to be caring for the rest of God’s creation, but looking around us we see a world abused and even destroyed in places by man’s selfish ambitions. Sin has corrupted the very essence of God’s plans and left us a long way from what should have been. And then God is Spirit, exposing another difference. But we do have to accept that we are in part a reflection of God in our moral and mental capacities. For example, God loves us, and we can love others. God is righteous and we can make righteous choices. God is caring and compassionate and we can look at our families and neighbours, our hospitals and charities, and be caring and compassionate people. 

We read Genesis 1:26, and see a very significant word – “our”. Mankind was made by our plural God, and in Genesis 2:18 we read, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him””. With the advent of Eve, and the concept of marriage we continue to be socially reflecting God in His image. 

Sin, introduced in Genesis 3, marred what God intended for those created “in His image” and corrupted both mankind and God’s creation, which, as we read in Romans 8:22 is struggling under the weight of sin. “For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time”‭‭. But God had a plan of redemption for human beings through Jesus and we read about this in Ephesians 4:24, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy”. By choice, and thanks to Jesus, we are able to return to what God originally intended. What a gracious God we serve! In spite of our rebellion and sin, He still reaches out to us with love and grace, with mercy and compassion, and we can still function “in His image” if we so choose. 

Dear Father God. Please help us to make right choices in our lives and put us on the path to return to the state You originally intended for us, in Your image. Please forgive us for our sins we pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mere Mortals

Posted on by korgrocker

“what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honour.”
Psalm 8:4-5 NLT

Was David elevating himself above his station in life when he declared that mankind has been “made only a little lower then God”? The NIV translation reads, “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour”, but it seems the original Hebrew does in fact say “God”. There are many differences between human beings and God. In fact, the gulf is so great that it is almost mutually exclusive. God is Spirit, mankind is physical. Two different kingdoms, but there is a link between God and man, as there is between a Creator and His creation. Isaiah wrote about the connection between a potter and the pots he was making. “How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?” (Isaiah 29:16). Paul took up this theme in Romans 9, “ … Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?” (Romans 9:20-21).

There is of course perhaps a degree of relativity here, with human beings having intelligence far above that of an earthworm, for example, and the ability to be creators in their own right. Just look around us and we see many “potters” making their own “pots”. Each one of us is able to create something from the materials we have to hand. And of course we all know someone who sets themselves up as a “god” in their environment, be it the workplace or their local neighbourhood. But the fact remains that David wrote something that, superficially at least, seems to be incorrect. How could human beings be a “little lower” than God?

Perhaps David was writing something prophetic about what was to come. If we turn to Hebrews 2:9 we read, “What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honour.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone”. Paul wrote in Romans 8:29, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters”. Through our connection with Jesus, and amazingly how bizarre it sounds, we have the potential within us to join Him in His status as being a “little lower than God“. In our positions of being brothers and sisters of Jesus we have within us unlimited possibilities to do God’s work. Have we really got our minds around what Paul write in Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think“? It is this potential for accomplishment that is possible because of His power, and our willingness to serve and be obedient to Him, that challenges me. Does this elevate us pilgrims through faith to a position a “little lower than God“? God said it can. Do we believe Him?

Dear Father God. In You we have enormous potential to do great things for You. Stir us up, we pray, to violate our human thinking and replace it with Your thoughts. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

The Night Sky

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”
Psalm 8:3-4 NLT

We can just imagine David, lying back in a meadow during his sheep-caring days, looking up into the sky and seeing all the heavenly objects displayed before him. There was no light pollution in those days and the moon and stars would have been blazing out in all their glory. David rightly attributed the wonder before him to the “work of [God’s] fingers”, creative power of which he had no doubts about who was responsible. Today, the same vista is still there, full of wonder and “wow”. I can remember one clear night, while holidaying in a remote part of the West of Scotland, looking up into the sky, amazed at how many dots of light there were. There were no street lights fogging the raw visual effect of the universe, displayed unfettered before me.

We read in Genesis 1:14-18, “Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good”. Why did God create the sun, moon and stars? The sun because it warms the planet on which we live, and the other celestial objects can help with navigation, but David was reminded about the works of our Creator God. The heavenly lights are indeed a constant display of God’s power and glory, perhaps put there for the benefit of mankind, who have been created in His image.

Atheists I feel sorry for. They too can look up and see what David saw, but rather than lapsing into praise and thanks to the One who put them there, they shrug their shoulders, thinking that what they see is just the result of a random event that they think happened billions of years ago. The physicists try and devise theories about how this could ever have happened, coming up with ideas like the “Big Bang” but ignoring issues such as where all the matter out of which the moon and stars were made, actually came from in the first place. But we pilgrims can look up and enjoy the heavenly spectacle, secure in the knowledge of the God of Genesis. 

David’s thoughts moved on to the wonder of why the God who created what he could see in the heavens would consider such lowly mortals as himself. And more, why God should care for human beings at all. And that is a challenge, as we consider that God’s created humans have become so badly corrupted by sin and evil. Why should God care for us at all? Why not wipe us all out as He did to Noah’s generation or the people in Sodom and Gomorrah? No, God had a better plan called Jesus. And the wonder continues. The God who created the moon and stars, cares so much for us, that He sent His Son to die for our sins, taking on the punishment that we deserved so that we could be the people God wanted us to be when He created us. The wonder of creation didn’t stop with the night sky. It continues in the hearts and minds of all those who look up and beyond the heavenly objects right to the throne of God Himself.

Dear Creator God. We thank You for Your care for mere mortals like us. Your wonder, glory and power is without end. Amen.

Children and Infants

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“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
Psalm 8:1-2 NIVUK

The Amplified translation of Psalm 8:2 reads, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, That You might silence the enemy and make the revengeful cease”. In a world where strength is associated with the most able and ruthless individuals, David writes that God uses the weakest in society for the strength needed to silence His enemies. After Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem He cleared the temple of the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifices, and healed the “blind and lame”, and in the process He upset the Pharisees and leading priests who, we are told, “were indignant”. Why? We read in Matthew 21:15, “The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant”. The next verse reads, “They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’””

Three chapters earlier in Matthew, Jesus was asked about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the worldly kingdoms, we see the “greatest” as being our politicians, our business leaders, our scientists – we know who they are because their reputations precede them. But Jesus turned things on their heads when He gave a demonstration of who is greatest in God’s Kingdom. We read in Matthew 18:2-4, “Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven”. 

Some years ago, at a children’s church meeting attended by my own children, a child with bad eczema was prayed for by the children around her and to their amazement they watched the eczema disappear before their eyes. They were buzzing that day, their faith built by the works of our gracious healing God. Young children don’t have the hangups and barriers we develop as adults, and God can use them in their humility and innocence to do His work. Interestingly, it was the children in the Temple who were declaring the praises of God. No fear of being thrown out of the synagogues. No fear of what the religious leaders and their peers would think of them. Unwittingly the children knew who Jesus was and they shouted out praises to Him that day, and in the process a stronghold against God’s enemies started to appear. 

In God’s Kingdom it is the weak, those who are childlike, who can be used by Him for His purposes. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 we read, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important”. Our role model is Jesus, who exemplified a life of Godly obedience and humility but who ended up in the place of highest honour (Philippians 2:9). 

David wrote that it was through children that God’s enemies were silenced. Perhaps our children, and particularly the children’s work, should be the priority in our churches. A common statement amongst Christians is that children are the church of tomorrow. God says that they are the church of today.

Dear Father God. Thank You that Your Kingdom has a place for all believers and not just a favoured few. Please help us to consider and respect those who are younger in our congregations. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Your Majestic Name

Posted on by korgrocker

“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.”
“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!”
Psalm 8:1-2, 9 NLT

Momentous words start and end this Psalm. David, musing with his “stringed instrument” is overwhelmed with thoughts of God’s majesty, and how the whole earth reflects it. The dictionary definition of “majesty“, of “sovereign power”, doesn’t really do justice to the majesty of God. An earthly king or queen may be referred to as “your majesty” but their human bounds put them far below the majesty of God. In the presence of the UK’s King Charles, we can refer to him as “your majesty” but we have to be there with him to do so. But David’s majestic Lord is everywhere, and as we look around us we see His majesty displayed for all to see. The skies and clouds. The celestial objects. And around us we see God’s earthly creation everywhere we look. The plants and animals, human beings populating the world. David was correct when he said “Your majestic name fills the earth”. 

David also wrote about the glory of God. We can never adequately define God’s glory, because it encompasses all that he is, and we can never get our human minds around it. His beauty, His Spirit, His creative power, His … The list goes on and on. And David again correctly wrote that God’s glory extends far beyond all that we see, because God is all and is in all. 

Majesty and glory surpassing what our minds can encompass. We can never get close to God and really know who He is. Dr S M Lockridge wrote this: “Well, I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him? Don’t try to mislead me. Do you know my King? David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is the only one of whom there are no means of measure that can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of the shore of His supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing“.

We only have to look up and gaze in wonder at the heavens above us to get a glimpse of the majesty of God. His glory can be seen in the myriad of celestial bodies that lighten the night sky, and the most powerful telescopes known to mankind have not reached the limits of what God has achieved. But closer to home we have been loved and blessed without limit by our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus. Fellow pilgrim, do we know Him? Really know Him? If not, like David we can sit back and muse on our majestic God. Let us set aside the thoughts and cares of life, and instead shift our focus heavenwards, and, as the old song says, “the things of earth will go strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”.

Dear Heavenly Father. We lift our hands to You in worship today, basking in Your love and grace, and proclaiming Your majesty and glory, with grateful hearts. Amen.