Look at the first twelve verses of this great song. From the first six verses we discover that God knows us thoroughly and completely. God is omniscient. Furthermore, we learn that God is in full control. Nothing occurs outside the realm of His sovereign will. God is omnipotent. Then, in the next six verses, we find that He who knows us is always near us. God is omnipresent.
Read MoreCategory Archives: God
Nothing Is Hidden from God
There were times in my childhood when I would become fearful at night. (You may recall having similar feelings.) At those times I would grab the covers and snatch them over my head. I can still remember tucking myself far down beneath them, thinking that I would be kept from harm. How childish, yet how much like adults! In a figurative sense, we do this when we think that doing something in secret will somehow escape the Lord’s notice. This ancient song . . .
Read MoreGod Is Ever Near
All right, so God knows me and controls me (Psalm 139:1–6); He can do that at a distance, through millions and millions of light years of space. But is He near? According to Psalm 139, David’s song about the amazing attributes of God, yes.
Read MoreGod Controls the Details
The Lord remains in complete control of the smallest details of His creation; He is all-knowing and all-powerful. Knowing us as He does, He puts the necessary controls upon us. The fact that He “encloses” us could be misunderstood. This is the translation of a Hebrew term used for the besieging of a city in battle—closing off all escape routes. One Hebrew scholar says it means “to be hemmed in.” The idea is that God has us in inescapable situations . . .
Read MoreGod’s Intimate Knowledge
If you’ve ever been a part of a large organization, such as a multibillion-dollar corporation or a governmental agency or a university, it’s unlikely you’ve ever met the people at the top of the leadership chain. You may have heard their names or read their announcements, but you probably didn’t know them personally. And they undoubtedly wouldn’t have known you from any other person in the organization. So, it’s only natural to wonder if the supreme Ruler of the universe has the slightest idea who you are.
Read MoreDoes God Hate?
Hate is a powerful word. We are taught from childhood to avoid hatred at all costs and to obey the command of Christ to love everyone, including our enemies. So it’s shocking to read the words that Paul quoted from Malachi, who declared that God loved Jacob but hated Esau (Malachi 1:2–3). How can a […]
Read MoreThink Theologically, Not Logically
I confess to you, at times I doubt God’s purpose and promise. I say that to my own embarrassment. When things haven’t worked as I thought they would, when I received a no instead of a yes or a yes instead of a no, when I couldn’t unravel a situation and fit it with the […]
Read MoreThe Eternal I AM
Until your eyes are fixed on the Lord, you will not be able to endure those days that go from bad to worse. Fix your eyes on the Lord! Do it once. Do it daily. Do it ten thousand times ten thousand times. Do it constantly. When your schedule presses, when your prospects thin, when […]
Read MoreThe Trinity and Salvation
You can easily zip through 1 Peter 1:2 and miss the Trinity in the work of salvation. Many Christians forget—or at least fail to appreciate—the fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together in perfect harmony to secure our eternal destiny. One author writes, “Each person of the Godhead plays a distinct role: […]
Read MoreWhy We Praise One We Can’t Comprehend
The culture in which we live, work, and play complains that God makes no sense, so how can He be trusted? They refuse to worship a God they can’t comprehend. My thought is the exact opposite. Unlike others, I find God’s incomprehensibility absolutely refreshing. Especially in a day like ours when executive moguls prance like […]
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