Thoughts on Jesus' Divinity

 

Psalm 22

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
⁴ In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
¹⁵ My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶ Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸ They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

¹⁹ But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
    he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
    and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

 

 

I read this during my morning devotions.  I remember that Jesus quoted the first line of this Psalm when he was dying on the cross.  It only just now struck me what he was saying to the crowd around him.  I always thought that the Psalm was prophetically relaying what Jesus would do when he was dying, but I didn't make the connection that Jesus then reminded the crowd that He was the one about whom the Psalm was referring.

 

Looking at verse 8, I am reminded that the one thief dying next to him mocked him in a similar manner. Then there are the descriptions of pouring out his life, like a drink offering, pierced hands and feet, casting lots for his clothing, and the promise of redemption for all those who "remember" (verse 27).  Since it was a custom of the Jews for the young men to study the scriptures, I would imagine that many were familiar with this Psalm.  I wonder how many went home and pondered this, or if anyone brought it up in the synagogue later (if they dared)?  I am amazed at how each part of scripture is related, how God brought all things together.  The God that lives outside of time moved David to record Jesus' suffering down to the smallest of details, then Jesus reminded the people of just what had been predicted and how accurately in the details.  Yet they did not see.

The Process

I just finished "God Distorted" by John Bishop.  It was very, very good!  One line that really touched me at this time in my life was this:

"We never want the process -- we only want the destination -- but it is in the process we find God."

This has proven true over and over again in my life.  If only we could remember how much God loves us when we are struggling with life's complexities.  We could learn the lessons God has for us, grow in the process in our relationship with Him, and we could stop stressing so much!

discrimination

Do you look down on me because of the way I dress?  My economic status? My lifestyle?  Where I went to school? The color of my skin? My gender?  My mistakes?

Don't worry.  Jesus died for people like me.

And I won't worry, either, because Jesus died for people like you!

Validation

My Bible study last night was from Luke 7:18 - 35.  It starts out with John the Baptist sending his disciples to inquire if Jesus truly was the long-awaited Messiah.  I was intrigued that someone like John could have doubts.  He knew who Jesus was since he was in his mother's womb, and he would have doubts?  I found it encouraging.  You see, John was in prison.  He had really angered the king, so I am sure he knew that he was never going to be a free man again.  I am sure he was asking himself if he had really made a difference in his life, which he had devoted to serving God.  I feel like that often, too.  Am I really doing what God has intended for me?  Have I somehow missed the mark?  Does my life really make a difference.

I was pleased with Jesus' response:  "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard:  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Vs 22.  Jesus doesn't simply tell him, "Yes!"  He tells him, "look at the facts."  He tells us the same thing.  When I am questioning God, he can tell me, "look at the facts."  "See what I have done for you in the past.  See what I am doing now.  Look at the evidence all around."  God is real.  He is changing lives every day.  The Bible tells us what has happened in the past, we can see His work all around us now, so we can just look at the evidence, and our worries, our fears, our uncertainties can disappear.

Then, Jesus takes the opportunity to address those on the sidelines who were listening, to answer any doubts they may have as well.  He confirms John's call to ministry and his loyalty to God.  Jesus makes a bigger lesson out of one man's doubts, validating the crowd's belief as well.  We can do that too.  When we have questions, and God reveals the answers to us, we can be confident that others are struggling with the same worries and questions.  We can validate them with the help and the hope that God gives us during times of trial and doubt.

I am so glad that our great God is concerned with how we feel and helps us to look out for each other.

chicken coop

This spring, we decided to add chickens to our small farm. What an adventure! When we brought our new baby chicks home, they were so cute and fuzzy! The lady at the feed store gave us some tips on how to get started, and what to expect. But, as is usually the case, the information wasn't nearly complete.

We started our new little chicks in a large bin in the back bedroom of our home, so that they would stay warm and safe. They had to have a red heat lamp on them at all times and the temperature had to be just right. We could decrease the temperature by 5 degrees a week, until they were fully feathered and could tolerate 70 degrees or less.

Well, they quickly grew feathers and outgrew their box. We had to start working on an appropriate living situation for them, and the time was creeping up on us fast. Unfortunately, there are so many things competing for the little free time we have in the early spring. So, we were trying to squeeze in a chicken coop among all the other pressing items on our to-do list.

We are slowly puting together a very nice, appropriate home for our new chickens. But, until it is finished, they are only able to be outside during the day, when someone is around to watch over them. At night, I still have to bring them in and put them back in the box. I know they wish they could stay out all night, but it is not safe, nor is it warm enough at night, yet.

This makes me think about my relationship with God.  Jesus said when he left our little world that he was going to prepare a place for us, and that he would come again and take us to be with him.  He knows that we don't really belong in this "box", but we have to wait just a little while longer, until everything is just right.  When we are ready, and when he has everything in place, we will get to go to our real home, prepared just for us.  Until then, I need to trust him to keep me safe, just as my little chickens need to trust me.

True Faith

This week at my small group Bible study, one of the members commented on how amazed she was at how I have maintained my faith, with the very difficult trial that I have endured in my life over the past year and a half (and is still ongoing).  I could not accept her compliment, as my faith is wavering more than ever.

Not that I don't believe in God.  I am not even questioning that He is sovereign over my situation, as that is truly what has sustained me in the most difficult times.  But I have been questioning what God is up to.  Why has He let it go on for so long?  What lesson am I supposed to be learning?  What am I supposed to be doing with this situation?  (Oh, how I wish I could do something, rather than just trust) Why isn't He giving me more direction?  The questions go on and on.

Now, I just happened to start reading "The Attributes of God" by A.W. Tozer this week.  What a blessing!  My lesson for this week:

"God is above all things, beneath all things, outside of all things and inside of all things.  God is above, but He's not pushed up.  He's beneath, but He's not pressed down.  He's outside, but He's not excluded.  He's inside, but He's not confined.  God is above all things presiding, beneath all things sustaining, outside of all things embracing and inside of all things filling.  That is the immanence of God." p. 22.

Wow!

Then he mirrors what I keep thinking:  "You know, it's awfully hard to get a Christian scared.  It's hard to get him panicked if he really believes in God.  If he's just a church member, you can get him panicked.  But if he really believes in God it's very difficult to do it."

This is the kind of faith I want to have.  My head knows that God is all in all.  There is nothing He can't handle.  He has it covered.  But getting that message to my heart is the difficulty.

So my prayer, for today is, "Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!"

 

Praying for Toilet Paper

Many years ago, when I was still in college, with two babies in diapers, I was about as poor as one can be in America, short of being homeless. I had been paying tithe on my meager income for about two years by then. I really felt that I needed the money more than God possibly could, but I chose to give it anyway.

I remember one afternoon sitting on the floor in my small apartment, holding a single dollar bill in my hand, and crying. You see, it would be days before my next check would arrive, and I was completely out of shampoo and toilet paper. I would have to choose which one we needed most, and wait on the other. What was I to do?

I had barely finished praying, when God sent an angel in the form of a dear friend. She came to see me, and she had with her the largest package of toilet paper I had ever seen! (She had been shopping at a new place called “Costco” and had picked up an extra, since it was on sale!). I had never imagined that a blessing could come in the form of toilet paper.

Now, I wouldn't want to lead you to believe that God met my physical and financial needs because I returned tithe. If that were the case, I could say that I earned this blessing because of my faithfulness. It doesn't work that way. Rather, God longs to pour out blessings on each of us in every way possible. When we decide to stop holding back and to offer Him the time (Sabbath) and resources (tithes and offerings) that He asks of us, we receive an even bigger blessing than just having our needs met. We ultimately develop a deep and trusting relationship with God.

God did not need the few dollars that I returned to Him when I was poor. What He really wanted was my heart. When I made the decision to trust Him, even when it didn’t make sense, He was able to show me who he really is, and that was the true blessing!