The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer, is a tiny book filled with great wisdom. Join me as I post about the things that inspire me to keep pursuing the ONE who first pursued me! Click here to visit these posts...
Psalm 32:7, 8, 10, 11
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart! (from New International Version)
Dear one... The Lord is our only "hiding place". When we fail, when we fall...when we feel consumed with our sin...He is our hiding place....the place where we can run to find forgiveness and restoration.
Troubles may surround us, but "our trouble ceases to be trouble when God is our preserver". (1)
When we run to our precious protector, a wonderful thing happens. We are surrounded with not only his love and forgiveness, but also the favor of God. We are surrounded with songs! Songs of deliverance!
"A whole crowd of troubles encompased him [the Psalmist, David] when through his sin God was estranged from him; but now, instead, a circle of joyous songs encompass him through the favour of God. The Hebrew for songs (ramee) is the same as is translated "shout for joy"...(2)
In our Lord, we find shelter...a place to hide from the storms of life...a place to find joyous deliverance. Run to Him, dear one, and find yourself surrounded with His love and compassion, with arms that will keep you safe from all harm and danger, with songs of love and shouts of joy!
Be blessed,
(1 & 2 taken from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
What do you think of when you hear the word surrender?
Does a scenario come to mind with men on an old battlefield, come to the end of their fighting and desperately waving a white flag of surrender?
Perhaps you think of surrendering to a cause that has pricked your heart and you know you must be involved.
Or do you remember a battle of the will with a friend or family member, and you know that right is on your side and surrender just isn't going to happen!
Maybe you know an old hymn of the church...I can hear the tune now running through my mind... "I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Jesus, I surrender. I surrender all."
I would suppose that many of us who are walking the Christian faith feel that we are living a life completely surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. I would be one of those... but then there are days when God grips my heart and I realize that there are still some places neatly tucked away in my heart to which I still must open the door.
Today as I was reading from A. W. Tozer's book, THE PURSUIT OF GOD, a came upon a section about Abraham and Isaac. It is a re-telling of the familiar account of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his only son Isaac.
Isaac was the 'child of the promise'. God had promised Abraham and Sara that they would have a child, and the child came but only after many years of waiting. Isaac must have been the delight and total joy of their hearts. At the age that they should have been grandparents, they were chasing a toddler! Then as time passed, he grew into more than just delight. He became their life... the promise of a family heritage, tradition carried on... a genealogy that would continue through the ages!
"The baby represented everything sacred to his father's heart; the promises of God, the covenants, the hopes of the years and the long messianic dream. As he watched him grow from babyhood to young manhood, the heart of the old man was knit closer and closer with the life of his son, till at last the relationship bordered on perilous. It was then that God stepped in to save both father and son from the consequences of an uncleansed love. (A. W. Tozer, Pursuit of God)
"Take your son, your only son -- yes, Isaac, whom you love so much -- and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you." (NLT)
Astounding! Can you imagine being given this command? What depth of relationship this required! Abraham was a man who knew the call of God as well as the blessings of God. Now, God was asking the ultimate sacrifice and surrender... the child of the promise. Abraham's trust must have been so deep that when he heard these words, he knew obedience was the only choice and that God must have another plan for completing his promise.
"God let the suffering old man go through with it up to the point where He knew there would be no retreat, and then forbade him to lay a hand upon the boy. To the wondering patriarch He now says in effect, 'It's all right, Abraham. I never intended that you should actually slay the lad. I only wanted to remove him from the temple of your heart that I might reign unchallenged there. I wanted to correct the perversion that existed in your love. Now you may have the boy, sound and well. Take him and go back to your tent'.... (A. W Tozer, Pursuit of God)
"Don't lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son." Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh, (which means 'the Lord will provide'). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.' (NLT)
This drama from Abraham's life played out on Mt. Moriah... a place that would eventually become the Temple Mount... the supreme place where God's presence would dwell on earth... the place where He would choose to place His Name. It is fitting that we remember that it was on this mountain that God asked for complete surrender, complete obedience and then gave absolute provision.
"The old man of god lifted his head to respond to the Voice, and stood there on the mount strong and pure and grand, a man marked out by the Lord for special treatment, a friend and favorite of the Most High. Now he was a man wholly surrendered, a man utterly obedient, a man who possessed nothing. He had concentrated his all in the person of his dear son and God had taken it from him. God could have begun out on the margin of Abraham's life and worked inward to the center. He chose rather to cut quickly to the heart and have it over in one sharp act of separation... After that bitter and blessed experience I think the words my and mine never had the same meaning for Abraham. The sense of possession which they connote was gone from his heart. Things had been cast out forever. (A. W. Tozer, Pursuit of God)
Have you examined your life lately? Who is sitting on the throne of your heart? I know that the above scriptures and quotes make me pause to reflect on my 'state of surrender'. Have I let people and things occupy the place that only Christ must have?
May we all see the areas in our hearts that need to be surrendered and may be we transformed by the power of His Love....
Happy Blue Monday!
I hope that you are all ready for a beautiful video featuring pictures from the Google Earth Sky 4.2. The amazing pictures are accompanied by a song that moves me to tears each time I hear it..."You Are God Alone" by Philips, Craig and Dean.
Seeing this video brought to mind one of the great Psalms of David, Psalm 19. Like the psalmist, God speaks to my heart through His creation. When I look at the moon and the stars, I am amazed and remember that God calls each one of them by name. The sun blazes on our tiny planet, bringing nourishment and light. David writes that there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.They hover over us all equally, speaking their magnificence to each heart and soul.
Thank you to Sally, at Smiling Sally, for allowing me to link with her Blue Monday friends. Please visit them and enjoy their Blue Blessings!
Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
I am the most blessed person I know. I have a loving family, a home filled with peace, a church that I cherish, and above all else, a God who gave His life for me and enjoys blessing my socks off!
