Coffee With The Lord

Israel was in deep trouble!  They had rebelliously gone their own way and had reaped God’s judgment!  They needed a savior desperately, and the Lord promised to be that for them.  This morning during “Coffee with the Lord” I read a wonderful passage In which the Lord declares what He would do for them as their Savior

What the passage declares reminded me of our wonderful Savior… We all needed One!  We have reaped the consequences of our self-will and sin!  The promise He made to Israel as their Savior has rich application and significance for us!  As the old gospel song declares… “Oh what a Savior!”

Here’s the rich taste of His promise in Isaiah 53… I savor its words and relish it’s promises… It has wonderful application for each one of us!

“But now thus says the Lord, He who created you… He who formed you: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.  Fear not, for I am with you… everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made… Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. ¹¹ I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior… Also henceforth I am He; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back? … I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King… Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert… For I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise… I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”  (From Isaiah 43)

What a wonderful testimony to the mercy and grace of God!  “Oh what a Savior!  Oh hallelujah!

When a family member – especially a son or daughter – betrays you that is a very dark and troubling day!  It knocks the props right out from under you!  It leaves you feeling embattled, betrayed and disillusioned!  Where do you turn?  Where can you turn?  Psalm 3 addresses that issue!  The traditional preface to the Psalm reads, “A psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.”

These were David’s words in that crisis – that soul-shaking experience…

“O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God!

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head!  I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.  I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me!  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.  Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!”  (From Psalm 3 ESV)

This wonderful Psalm has been set to music!  A wonderful ladies ensemble, the Sisters, has recorded it… Here is the URL for their rendition of it.  If you’re experiencing the pain and shock of betrayal right now, why not join them as they sing the words of this Psalm to God,  Himself…

Let me be clear; I embrace the redemptive love of God for all humanity expressed through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus!  Every word of John 3:16 is true!  “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life!”  And in another place, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”  (Romans 5:6–8 NLT)  And one more: “The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (1 Peter 3:9)  And there are many more…

What that all means is that God’s desire for humankind is for their salvation!  His love for all was expressed in sending His Son to provide for their complete salvation from sin through His death, burial and resurrection!

However, having said that, what are the consequences of rejecting His love, pushing away His provision, rebelling against His will, and asserting your independent selfwill from His authority?  Not pretty, I can tell you!  My dad used to put it this way… He’d say, “Son, you can’t win that one!  It’s like having a fistfight with a brick wall!”  And that is precisely the kind of outcome Psalm 2 describes!  I read it this morning in my Bible…

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,  ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying,  ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.’  I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you… Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.“  (From Psalm 2 ESV)

So, one more time:  In the words of my Dad… “Son you can’t win that one!”  And in the inspired words of Scripture… “He is not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance!”