'Divine Presence' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.” vss. 14-15 Psalm 31:9-16 The psalmist doesn’t specify which terrors were plaguing him at this period of his life. It could have been almost anything: illness, persecution, depression, aging. The list of those things which bring us to our knees in the course of a lifetime is endless. But we do know that he…
Daily Devotions
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” vs. 8 Isaiah 55:6-9 Whatever might be said about Isaiah, he certainly had his finger on the pulse of the Divine Presence. For the most part we humans have been hopelessly confused about the nature of God, and have in fact created God in our own image. We claim to know God’s will about any number of things, and assume that God will always behave…
Daily Devotions
O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.” vss. 4-5 Psalm 80:4-7 It’s not unusual to hear people complain about God. Many cannot understand how a good God could have created a world in which so many ugly things are going on, seemingly without end. We’ve heard those promises about a peaceable kingdom and restoration,…
Daily Devotions
To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” vs. 14 Daniel 7:13-14 One of the consolations that the losers have in our elections is that the winners aren’t going to be around forever. Even while we’re appalled at the policies and regulations that come with a change in regime,…
Daily Devotions
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” vs. 16 Hebrews 4:12-16 Through the centuries humans have come to believe that there will be a final judgment. And though some now disparage that notion, they need to recognize that eliminating judgment will also pretty much do away with any sense of accountability for how we live our lives. In fact, the major reason…
Daily Devotions
All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.” vs. 24 1 John 3:19-24 While there is nowhere that God is not, sometimes individuals wonder whether God dwells within them. They yearn for some kind of proof that the Divine Presence is in their hearts. For such folks John indicates that there is an external sign that God…
Daily Devotions
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” vs. 11 Matthew 2:1-12 Matthew really didn’t have much to say about the birth of Jesus. According to his sources, Joseph had a home in Bethlehem and the child was born there–there’s no mention of an inn or a stable. But he does add a follow-up…
Daily Devotions
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.” vs, 7 Psalm 96:1-9 To his credit, the psalmist did not consider the Lord to be Israel’s national God. Even though there was a temple in Jerusalem, there was no statue of the Lord to be found there. The God of Israel was also the God of the nations, and the psalmist dreamed of a day when all the families of the peoples would…
Daily Devotions
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” vs. 6 Psalm 23:6 The psalmist knew that he continually lived in the Divine Presence. There was never a day when he was apart from God, and as a result goodness and mercy were his constant companions. He had the kind of close connection that many crave, and few seem to have. It…
Daily Devotions
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” vs. 43 Matthew 21:42-46 The scribes and the high priests may not have gotten the point when Jesus told the parable of the unjust tenants, but they had no doubts about his interpretation. As he had many times in his ministry, he makes it plain that God doesn’t care a fig about our fine…
Daily Devotions
Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?” vs. 12 Psalm 80:8-15 Like Isaiah the psalmist uses the metaphor of the vineyard to describe Israel. But the questions asked are different. Isaiah asks “Why did the beautiful vineyard yield wild grapes?” but the psalmist asks “Why did God break down the vineyard’s walls?” Isaiah the prophet implies that Israel had disappointed the Lord, but the psalmist seems to have…
Daily Devotions
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” vss. 12-13 Philippians 2:5-13 Paul is not telling the Philippians to forget about the grace of God with these profound and insightful words. Not at all! All…