Quiet Time: Wonderful

Wonderful

Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. - Psalm 119:18

Wonderful is a weighty word.

It’s been used to title everything from an iconic Christmas classic  “It’s a Wonderful Life” to a little known song of the 1990s titled “Wonderful” by the band Everclear (actually, check the song out on YouTube, the music video is a bit puerile, but the lyrics are solid) Art Alexakis, the band’s song writer has a sad back story with a good ending, somewhat like the plot from “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

Wonderful: 1. exciting a feeling of wonder; marvelous or strange. 2. Extremely fine; excellent.

I don’t know about you, but if that’s the definition of “wonderful” I think it is a bit of a yawn.  So, I wanted to see what the bible calls “wonderful” and here’s my short list:

Wonderful:

GOD the Father:

Counsel is wonderful (Isaiah 28:29) to be surpassing or extraordinary

Statutes & Laws are wonderful (Psalm 119:129) a wonder

Deeds for mankind; the things He does are wonderful (1 Chronicles 16:12; Psalm 107:15 & 21 ;) a sign; extraordinary

Presence too wonderful to understand (Psalm 139:6) incomprehensible

JESUS:

Deeds for mankind are wonderful (Matthew 21:15; Luke 13:17) moving a person from within; glorious, splendid, distinguished

Is a Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6) Extraordinary, hard to be understood, marvelous

In short, God’s counsel through His word, ways, and presence surpass anything humanly reproducible  or explicit. Furthermore, Jesus humanly reproduces and exemplifies God’s word ,, ways, and presence for mankind to see.

Bottom Line: Knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord makes life wonderful regardless of the back story.

Wonderful is found in a person – Jesus.

Quiet Time: God Is Thinking Of You

God Is Thinking Of You…Right Now

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count. 
– Psalm 40:5

I have a friend who is struggling with a tough addiction. Sometimes he feels overwhelmed and defeated. I believe God’s not done with him yet and that His plans are beyond anything either one of us have considered.

Here are some encouraging scripture verses I shared with him.

(I get the impression that someone else out there needs to hear them too)

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11

Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. – Psalm 40:5

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them! – Psalm 139:17

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. – Isaiah 55:8

Press on in the power of the LORD.

Quiet Time: One Thing

One Thing

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple – Psalm 27:4

My grandmother lived in what the old timers of Ybor City call a “Cigar Row” or “Shotgun” house. It was over a century old, and I know now that, even by early 1900 standards, the house was considered small and unexceptional. But, that house was treasured by everyone in our family; not for the grand design but for the grandmother living inside. 

May-be that’s what the psalmist meant when he said that he wanted to stay in God’s house as long as he lived. I’m sure his desire wasn’t based on the architecture of the house, because as a pastor friend pointed out, the “house” that King David built for the Ark of the Covenant was actually a tent (1 Chronicles 16:1). So, it must have been the Designer, God, and not the design that caused him to treasure the place so much.

However, what I really like about this passage of scripture is how David boils everything down to “one thing”.  Even with all the trouble that surrounded him (Psalm 27:3) David had an undivided desire to seek God’s face through focused meditation on the character and person of God.

Perhaps that’s the trouble with many of us. We’re so distracted by everything around us that we come to a building on Sunday morning, instead of the Builder. We tragically focus on everything but the “one thing” and we miss the beauty of our God.

• Take a minute to read the story of Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-41).

• Circle the words “distracted, worried, bothered, things” and “one thing”.

• What got in the way of a word from Jesus?