Week 45
Psalm 48:14 “This is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.”
Christianity is more than theism. It is important to be a theist, believing there is a God. It is also important to be a Christian theist, believing that God is the God of Scripture, the Creator God, and the sovereign God over all creation and human history, but this is likewise not enough. This is insufficient to face life’s critical moments and our journey’s tragic soul-sapping challenges.
If we are to engage life with hope and joy, we must possess two important qualities. First, we must see THE God as OUR God. There is a great difference between believing in God and knowing God to be our God.
The Bible says in James 2:19 that demons believe in the existence of God. There is not an atheist in hell, nor will there ever be. By the time an entity or person goes to hell, there is no shadow of doubt that THERE IS A GOD, the Lord God of the universe! The devil himself believes in the existence of God.
Second, we must believe that as our God, He will guide us now and in the future in keeping with His will and purpose.
When our belief about the existence of God comes to mingle with faith in God as our personal Savior and Lord, then we are talking about a truly remarkable change. This changes our attitudes and perspectives. This changes how we see the world; this changes how we see ourselves and others. This changes everything. A personal relationship with God inspires faith, peace, joy, and hope. We no longer feel alone in our life’s journey. We no longer believe that we are isolated in reality and in life’s conundrums and complexities. Even if we believed in God’s existence, we might feel abandoned by Him or betrayed by Him. But if we know that “this God” is “our God forever and ever”, then we realize that THE God is OUR God, He is with us, and He will connect to us most intimately; nothing in the past, present, or future will ever disconnect us from Him. This certainty means we can count on Him, it means we can rest in His promise, and it means we can depend upon His providential care and provision. This becomes the CERTAINTY OF ALL CERTAINTIES; this becomes the ground of our absolute security and joy.
Furthermore, as we journey on in our lives, we find that the Lord, our God, is our guide forever and ever. The text reminds us of this: “He will guide us forever.” There is wisdom, love, intervention, oversight, and protection in this promise. What a promise this is! He will guide us when we are confused; He will guide us when we struggle. We never deserve this guidance, and this guidance does not depend upon us; it depends upon Him and His promise to us. So, Christian friend, lean hard on THE God, YOUR God. He chose you, you belong to Him, Christ died for you, and you are His! Walk on, keep to His path, and trust in His power, His goodness, and His guidance. You are headed toward your Father’s heavenly home; all is well.
Prayer: Lord, grant that I might trust in You, no matter how I feel or what I think or see in my life. Help me to do my best, depending upon Your promise and resources. Thank You for loving me; thank you for guiding me. Amen.