He Rejoices Over Us

Dear Readers,

No words can describe how happy I am to be able to write for you today!  Since my last entry was published in June, my life has been, shall we say...a beautiful mess.  There have been extraordinarily beautiful moments where God touched me in a powerful way (while I was smiling), and there have been extraordinarily painful moments where God touched me in a powerful way (while I was crying).  I can honestly report that I am thankful for the full spectrum of beauty and pain I have experienced this summer, because each vivid moment spent with God has made me stronger.  Jesus is so good!

And now, to dive into our pressing subject matter: US.  No, I am not talking about the slang abbreviation for our wayward country...I am referring to YOU.  Me.  We.  Humans saved by God’s grace…and delighted in by our divine Father. 

Here I have documented some of your likely initial reactions:

1) Huh?

2) Ha-ha.

3) Heresy!

4) Hmm, I’d rather not…

If you find you are somewhere in between, or that you are a bit of each: good.  That means I’m not alone! 

Standing straight, palms facing up, head bowed down, I prayed in earnest:

Dear God, I am such a sinner…so wretched before You…how can You love a person as messed up as I am?  Just tell me what You want me to do, and I’ll do it!

And although I was immersed in a sea of Jesus-worshippers, I felt almost as solitary as if I were completely alone.  I was at a church conference for teenagers, waiting for God to reveal Himself to me in a new way…and during the first few worship songs (which were really like corporate prayer sessions), it didn't seem like God would ever show up.

Then came the song “Mighty Fortress,” and my whole world began to shift a bit:

Like a mighty fortress, He is our God
Like a mighty fortress, He is our God
When enemies surround us, rising like a flood
They break into pieces, swallowed in dust

At this point of the song, everything for me was fine, normal…it is the next stanza that really sent me into a spiritual tailspin:

He rejoices
He rejoices over us

The rest of the song is awesome, and I really gelled with the lyrics in worship…but the phrase “He rejoices over us” made me cringe a little every time it was used, evoking a simultaneous “Heresy!” and “Hmm, I’d rather not…” reaction in my gut.  I was disturbed by the fact that many of the other worshippers around me loved this part of the song.  Smiles flashed and eyes shined.  Some worshippers even danced.  I ducked my head down and sort of apologized to God for the selfish assertion.  You may think at this point that I was merely being humble, but what I was really experiencing was a sense of deep, crippling unworthiness that’s root was not exactly grounded in Truth. In fact, focusing on one’s inability to serve God reflects a lack of faith, and an excess of fear. 

Consider, for example, the story of Moses in the Bible.  God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and his response to God was that he was "not capable."  While Moses did not seem to struggle so much with unworthiness as He did with fear of man, the concept is similar: Moses focused more on his weakness than he did on God's power to use him despite his shortcomings.  If we really desire to serve God, we must see and understand Him as He truly is--all-powerful, graceful, and loving--and not as our feelings dictate.  If God's Word says that God is the One who makes those faithful to Him worthy (2 Thessalonians 1:11), then who are we to say we are unworthy?  After all, God knows us better than anyone else, including ourselves (Psalm 139)!

If you still don’t understand what was wrong with my reaction, consider for a moment the fact that we are called sons and daughters of God (2 Corinthians 6:18).  Now imagine that your biological dad asks you to help him partake in a community outreach.  You feel so unworthy to help your dad minister to the community that you require him to tell you what to do step by step, and apologize for your lack of proficiency in completing the tasks he gives you every time you trip up, or even for no reason at all.  Your dad would probably be more frustrated than flattered by your dependency, and consequently try to teach you to be more independent.  You and He would still be a team by necessity, but you would have to learn to take more initiative, to take leaps of faith…and to not be so afraid to mess up that you choose to not do anything to help at all.  In short, you would learn to co-labor with your father.

Zephaniah 3:17 declares,

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

Honestly, the thought of God rejoicing over me is still very overwhelming, and I still will often bow my head down low when I hear the phrase “He rejoices over us,” but now I smile, because I know that my identity as His daughter makes that statement 100% correct.  He does not revel in my sinfulness, but in the victory that He foresees in my life.

In Jeremiah 29:11 God promises,

"I know the plans I have for you...They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

And in Philippians 1:7, Paul asserts,

"I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Shalom!

Ardently Yours,

Megan

DREAMER'S CHALLENGE: Day 6

    I do not remember what I dreamed last night (I am still adhering to the "no TV" Dreamer's Challenge!), but this morning I read an interesting passage of Scripture that encouraged, awed, and disturbed all at the same time!

    If you read Psalm 50 for yourself, maybe you will see what I mean, but for those of you who do not have the time to do so, here is a summary of and few selections from the psalm:

    Psalm 50 begins with this awesome introduction of God's power:

1   The Mighty One, God the LORD,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God will shine forth.
3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. 

    The writer shifts gears and begins to document a "conversation" God has with his people, the Israelites.  He tells them that He has some complaints against them.  He starts out by clarifying that it is not His people's sacrifices that He is displeased with, for these are faithfully served at the appointed times.  He even says that the sacrifices are not the point, because what He really wants is for the Israelites to be THANKFUL, thus glorifying Him.  This proves to be His true complaint against them.  
    Next, He mentions what He wants to do for those who choose to be thankful to God:    

14 Offer to God thanksgiving,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

He then rebukes the wicked:

16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
 Or take My covenant in your mouth,
17 Seeing you hate instruction
 And cast My words behind you?
18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him,
And have been a partaker with adulterers.
19 You give your mouth to evil,
And your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I kept silent;
You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And set them in order before your eyes. 

God concludes Psalm 50 by warning His people:

22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces,
And there be none to deliver:
23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”

My initial reaction was not PRAISE GOD, it was more like...

WHAT?!

After all, the picture painted of God with "fire devouring before Him" and tempestuousness circling around His feet sounds pretty scary for the casual reader!  And what is with God's demand to be praised and thus glorified by His people under threat of being torn to pieces?  Isn't God supposed to be...loving?

My prayer after reading that passage was one of desperation and pained trust in God...I basically begged for God to reveal the truth of the unsettling passage to me as soon as possible!  My faith was wavering, my heart pounding in my ears.  How could one moment's worth of spiritual confusion so quickly reduce me to such a spiritually vulnerable state?  All I knew was that I didn't like it.  

Thankfully, God rescued me just in the nick of time from my pitiful bout of doubt through a wise word from my father, and an insightful book about Jesus (McDowell's More Than A Carpenter).  

    I knew I was missing something, and it bothered the heck out of me all morning until I was able to talk it out with my dad.  After talking with him, I realized that God's demand for praise from His people arose from a deep love and concern he harbored for the fate of all mankind.  He wanted His people to glorify Himself with their thankfulness so the surrounding nations would see God and commit their lives to Him.  God was trying to draw people to Himself, thus keeping as many people out of hell as He could.  When the Israelites became ungrateful and wicked, they were setting a bad example for the other nations!  That is why God was so adamant about their attitude towards Himself; it was not really for His own sake, but for His people's sake that He demanded His people's respect.  He was after all, their originator AND savior from the bondage of Egypt!  

    All in all, today proved to be a spiritually invigorating, long, good day.


    Oh, one more thing (that is a declaration, really):

    May we never shy away from verses that seem difficult or disturbing; instead, let us embrace them as spiritual exercises, strategically placed in His Word to not only cause us to grow in Biblical knowledge and wisdom, but to teach us to trust in God as well!