MOSES ON THE WAY TO MOUNT NEBO

Moses. Old. Experienced. He had heard God’s voice on numerous occasions…but he also heard – more often than he wanted to – the complaints, the murmuring, the grumbling of the rebellious, stiff-necked people he was chosen to lead. Moses had seen God’s glory! He knew the Lord face to face (Deut. 34:10)…but he also saw the spiritual corruption in the people’s hearts when he saw them worshiping the golden calf. Moses was a godly leader…but first he learned to follow his God who said “I will send you.” (Ex. 3:10). Moses was an encourager….but only because he trusted in the words of his faithful God: “I will certainly be with you” (Ex. 3:12). As a young man, Moses was overly enthusiastic and took justice into his own hands…as an older, experienced leader, we see a mellowed Moses, who learned to wait and trust God’s plan; but it took years.

However, in one foolish act of impulsive disobedience, Moses was denied entrance into the Promised Land. After striking the rock to get water when God instructed him to speak to it, Moses heard God’s sentence: “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12) Moses was told that instead of entering the Promised Land, he would die on Mount Nebo.

Moses. Old. Experienced. He knew he messed up; he didn’t blame anyone. He didn’t pout, whine or wallow in self-pity. Moses understood that he would view the Promised Land from afar, but not enjoy it. Before he went up Mount Nebo, where God, in His mercy, allowed Moses to see the land of Canaan from afar off, he called one last assembly of God’s people. There he shared with them a song he had in his heart; a song of praise to God, who was faithful every step of the way. His song, in part, went like this:

“…for I proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” (Deut.32:3,4)

Moses. Old Experienced. He couldn’t enter the Promised Land, yet his last words were words of praise. Then he went up Mount Nebo.

THE GREATNESS OF THE PROMISER

Charles Spurgeon was a very prolific preacher and author of the nineteenth century, and one of my favorite writers. Referring to our faithful God, he encourages us to “fix our eyes on the GREATNESS OF THE PROMISER” in one of his writings that I read a short time ago.

Reading that, I immediately recalled King Solomon’s blessing in 1^st Kings 8:56: “Blessed be the Lord…there has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.” Solomon looked back in history and highlighted God’s faithfulness. God allowed those reassuring words to be preserved for many, many centuries, and today you and I can rejoice in them.

Promises are only as good as the promise-giver. Praise God, He is the faithful, compassionate and unchanging promise giver. Every promise He made, even thousands of years ago, are just as valid today as they were then. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on the GREATNESS OF THE PROMISER, and praise Him today!

Praising God Through the Seasons

Today is my birthday. I look back at my childhood; I remember my godly parents and the loving home we were nurtured in, and I am thankful. I remember the day I said “No” to sin and “Yes” to Jesus, and started to walk with with Him. He’s faithfully led me many years, in so many different seasons; He gave me countless blessings, the greatest being Jorge, the love of my life, and three precious children. How can I thank Him enough for these, and so many more blessings?

I thought all day long about what I could write that would be really inspiring, profound and inspirational…but all I can do is copy something that was already written a few thousand years ago. The Psalmist expressed my sentiments to a “T” when he wrote: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O Most high; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.” (Psalm 92:1,2)

The Psalmist praised God through many seasons, because He is good and faithful. Take a few minutes to listen to one of my favorite songs, and let the simple words of praise be yours, too, in whatever season you are in. http://youtu.be/zeIGan5YD9Q

One More of God’s Singers Went Home

Ana Nemec - One of God's Singers

My mother-in-law was a singer. She had a beautiful voice, and used it to sing praises to God. In her younger days, she often sang solos in church. As she aged and couldn’t do that anymore, and too weak to even leave the house, she spent hours listening to old hymns by her well-worn cassette player.

On Saturday, Jorge talked with his mom for the last time. Her voice was weak and her words were slurred; she was physically incapable of singing a song of praise, but with the phone on “speaker”, across 8,000+ miles (from Argentina to Ohio), we were able to rejoice with her as she made tremendous effort to repeat over and over, “Gracias a Dios”. That’s all she repeated.

Today, one more of God’s singers went home. She was anticipating her home-going for the last few months. She often expressed a longing to be with the Lord Jesus, who saved her at a young age and faithfully and lovingly held her hand for so many years. Ana Nemec was 85 years old. Now she is singing with a perfect voice, praising God. I’m sure her song is loud, and clear and beautiful…

Click on the link  to hear a wonderful old song that I was reminded of today: “When All of God’s Singers Get Home”  http://youtu.be/2I77hsX4vh4

IS GOD A CLOUD?

Recently one of my co-workers told me that her four-year old, TJ, asked her: “Mommy, is God a cloud?”, and she related more of the questions TJ had in the course of their conversation: “Why can’t we see God?…Where is He?…Who made God?…” The concept of our all-present, eternal, invisible God was quite mind-boggling to little TJ….in fact, sometimes it is for us, too! An answer that the Bible gives us is that “No, God isn’t a cloud, but sometimes He used a cloud to represent His presence to His people.” Here are a few examples from the book of Exodus, when God’s people were heading towards the Promised Land:

GOD’S PRESENCE IN A CLOUD FOR GUIDANCE: “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way….He did not take away the pillar of cloud…from before the people.”(13:21-22)

GOD’S PRESENCE IN A CLOUD FOR PROTECTION: As they were “stranded” between the pursuing Egyptian army and the Red Sea, God moved that pillar of cloud to protect His people: “And the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud of darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near to the other all that night.” (14:19-20)

GOD’S GLORY REVEALED IN A CLOUD:  “Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days…” (24:16-18)

GOD’S PRESENCE IN A CLOUD MOTIVATED WORSHIP: “…when Moses entered the tabernacle…the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped…” (33:9-11)

No, TJ, God is not a cloud, and today we don’t have a special cloud to guarantee God’s presence with us; but like thousands of years ago, God’s presence still guides us and protects us; His glory is revealed through His presence. We don’t see a special cloud with our eyes like His people did back then, but by faith we believe His words: “…He Himself has said ‘I will NEVER leave you or forsake you.’ “ (Hebrews 13:5) …and THAT motivates our worship!

DIALOGUE BETWEEN DOUBT AND TRUST

When Mr. Trust focuses on GOD, who He is and what HE promised, Mr. Doubt is totally squelched. He’s a loser. Listen to the following dialogue:

DOUBT: “I don’t know why this is happening to me…”
TRUST: “But God knows! He has a plan for me, and He will perfect it!” (Philippians 1:6)

DOUBT: “I sure can’t see any good that will come of this.”
TRUST: “But God is working everything for my good – to make me more like Christ.” (Romans 8:28)

DOUBT: “I’m afraid…”
TRUST: “But God is my strength!” (Psalm 18:1,32)

DOUBT: “I’ll never be able to do that; it’s way too hard!”
TRUST: “But God can do exceedingly, abundantly more than I can ask or think!” (Ephesians 3:20)

DOUBT: “My resources are so few…I don’t have enough…”
TRUST: “But God is the Maker and Owner of everything. His resources are limitless!” (Psalm 95:1-5)

DOUBT: “I just can’t go on anymore.”
TRUST: “But God gives me strength and grace!” (2^nd Corinthians 12:9)

DOUBT: “The future looks bad. Really bad.”
TRUST: “But God is with me, and promised never to leave me. EVER!” (Matthew 28:20)

ARE YOU FORGETFUL? GOD ISN’T!

“Oh, yeah, I think I remember that….”
“Where’s my cell phone? I can’t remember where I put it…”
“Oh NO! I completely forgot…!”
Too often we say or hear similar expressions. Some of us are too busy to remember important things; some are distracted, and others are naturally scatterbrained. Factor in aging and we’re doomed to forgetfulness. It’s very reassuring to know that God isn’t forgetful. Here are some things He never forgets:

GOD DOES NOT FORGET THE SPARROWS – OR ME! I am valued and loved by our heavenly Father. In Luke 12:6,7, Jesus taught that “…not one of them is forgotten (sparrows)…do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Centuries before that, the prophet Isaiah penned these comforting words from God to His people: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15) Isn’t that comforting?

GOD DOES NOT FORGET MY PRAYERS! Every prayer I’ve ever prayed is stored in His infinite, limitless memory. The Psalmist assures me of that in Psalm 9:12: “He does not forget the cry of the humble.” Even if the answer didn’t come yet, He didn’t forget about it. Isn’t that reassuring?

GOD DOES NOT FORGET THE WORK I’VE DONE / DO IN HIS NAME! “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name…” (Hebrews 6:10) Everything I’ve ever done for the Lord is forever recorded in His memory: the times I’ve witnessed of Christ’s love, all those small sacrifices I’ve made to help others know Him, the offerings and contributions to missions…God will never forget that! Isn’t that encouraging?

GOD DOES NOT FORGET HIS PROMISES! “(for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.” (Deuteronomy 4:31) God remembers every promise He ever made to the fathers of the faith. He will not forget the promises Christ made to us, either. The most precious promise of all is probably the most well-known: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Isn’t that something to celebrate?

Let’s not forget to praise God today…because He’s not forgetful!

LOOK UP! Psalm 121

“I will lift my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
If God created the entire universe with such perfection, can I trust Him to take care of me and my little world? OF COURSE I CAN!

“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel (insert my name in the place of “Israel”) shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
Is there ever a time that He is off-duty, or resting? When He’s not caring for me? NEVER!!

“The LORD is your keeper; the Lord is a shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.”
Is He looking out for me day and night? ALWAYS!! How close is He? AS CLOSE AS MY SHADOW!

“The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.”
What does He protect me from? ALL EVIL! He protects my SOUL!

“The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
How long will this protection/help/care last? FOREVER! From now on, and FOREVER!

What a privilege! What a blessing that I can look up to God and know that these are not mere words, they are not theories; they are truths that the Psalmist experienced and that I can also experience!
Praise God! I can look up and KNOW that He will always be wide-awake, on His throne, preserving my soul from all evil. He never gets tired of showing me His mercy. He will never retire or go on to bigger, more important projects. While He’s spinning the world on its axis and holding the universe together, He’s concerned about little me, and will be forever. I cling to and believe these truths. And THAT’S why I look up to Him! PRAISE YOU, LORD!

PRAY. NO ANSWER….Then Good News!

Pray. No answer.
Pray harder. Still no answer.
Keep praying harder.  No sign of an answer.
Read Psalm 40:1: “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard my cry.”
OK, God hears.
Pray. No answer yet.
Pray harder. Still no answer yet.
Keep praying harder. No sign of an answer yet.
Read Psalm 9:10, 12. “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You…He does not forget the cry of the humble.”
Pray. No answer.
Pray harder. Keep praying harder. Heaven is still silent. Nothing has changed. Or has it?…
The good news is that God hears our cry.
More good news: He has never forsaken those who seek Him.
The most very good news transforms us: He does not forget our prayers.
And knowing that is VERY good news!
Pray. No answer. Good news…

TRUSTING IN THE GOD WHO IS ABLE

The story of the three young Hebrew men who were faithful to God under unimaginable pressure to bow down to the pagan king is fairly well known. (Daniel chapter 3) Given a second chance, and with God’s glory at stake, they declared: “Our God, whom we serve IS ABLE to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King. But if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (17,18)

Hearing their declaration, king Nebuchadnezzar was in a rage. He commanded the fiery furnace to be heated up seven times more. When they were cast into the furnace, the king was astonished to see the Son of God walking with them in the furnace.

This account parallels with what the apostle Paul wrote hundreds of years later in Ephesians 3:20, 21, that our God “IS ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…”  Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego unflinchingly declared “Our God IS ABLE”, but they DIDN’T expect Him to do the “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” part! They had no idea that God would transform the king’s heart, and that the change in him would affect the entire kingdom! When the king saw that they came out of the fire unharmed, and didn’t even smell like smoke, he was so impressed with their God, that he did three remarkable things:
1. He made a decree that no other god should be worshiped in his kingdom. God was glorified publicly!
2. He acknowledged that “there is no other god who can deliver like this”
3. He promoted the three young Hebrew men in the province of Babylon.

When His glory is at stake, God IS ABLE to do what we ask, and that’s why we can trust Him. As we trust Him, we can also praise Him because He IS ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. Just ask Shadrack, Meshach and Abed-nego – and let’s TRUST HIM!