Greetings to you…”beloved of God”…in the Name above every name, Jesus Christ – THE Risen Savior! Another beautiful morning in the Kingdom with a covering of new-fallen snow and some blue sky peeking at us. Indeed, this must be the day that the Lord has made for us and we will rejoice and be glad in it as we discover all that is available to us. I trust that you have had a good week with a few God-moments to share with your family and friends…and I hope that you are looking forward to the weekend. This morning I will be praying for you, asking the Father to allow you to experience His presence in a way that you have never done so before…may you receive His grace and mercy…may you be encouraged by His attention to what brings you joy.
This morning I found myself being drawn to Psalm 91…and already the words are beginning to come from your heart and mind. In particular, I found myself pausing to “ponder” eight words…I will say of the Lord, “He is…” Psalm 91:2 NIV. “He is” – what a powerful declaration, and yes the psalmist has his own words to complete the sentence but how would I complete the thought? What collection of descriptive words would you add to “He is” to make it personal? In doing so, we make a profound discovery about our faith since to add to those two little words we are acknowledging that God is real and has substance in our lives.
Interestingly, in Jewish tradition, the daily prayer – the Shema – begins with the words: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is…”! The Lord is God…the Lord is one…Deuteronomy 6:4. Many times the Psalmist declared that the Lord is…a shepherd, a hiding place, a refuge, a fortress, a present help in time of trouble, and more. There is even a song or two that begin with the declaration…He is all I need.
I suppose that sometimes I need to be reminded that God is not some theory or concept but a “someone” who is real and who “is” – a present reality. I need to be reminded that He is not limited but “He is” whoever and whatever and whenever. I need to be reminded that as I walk the Lenten road to Easter it is not something that was or will be but “is” that I am seeking.
One more thought creeps into my understanding…as much as I know that this is true. I cannot truly understand it for it is divine mystery and as long as I know that “He is” – I can live with that.
Something to ponder – have a blessed day!