Humans can be so very conceited and presumptuous…thinking that we know more than the Lord. We walk around so self-important, acting like we have more authority than God in matters that are so far out of our realm of reasoning. Job 9:12 said it well, “Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?” We don’t have the right to question God, nor should we be arrogant enough to dispute His wisdom. As it says in Romans 9:20, ” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?”
Tag: nothing is impossible with god
Amos 4:1 ” Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, ‘ Bring us some drinks!’ “
The prophet Amos was using a metaphor in comparing the upper class Samaritan women to the sleek, fat cattle found in Bashan. These women had no problem in oppressing the poor to get what they wanted…and nagging their husbands into submission to get it. Amos warned them that in the end, they would be treated like cattle…herded by their captors to places they didn’t want to go.
Ecclesiastes 9:17 ” The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.”
Loud clamoring does not necessarily make for prudent prose…especially if the noise is coming from a person lacking good judgment and common sense. In contrast, a wise person need not yell if his information is sensible, rational, and intelligent…people will listen.
Isaiah 40:26 ” Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?…”
Today, take a moment and go outside and look around you. All you see was created just for your viewing pleasure. That flower will probably be wilted tomorrow…the clouds will never appear the very same as they do today. God’s creative exuberance is on display for you…go out and take a look at what He’s made just for you.
II Peter 3:10 ” But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”
No one knows the time or date…it will happen instantly…no one can predict with certainty the ominous day of the Lord. It will come as a complete surprise and with shock as the world as we know it will melt and dissolve – burned up completely by Holy fire. No one knows when it will take place…the fateful day of the Lord.
Psalm 119:95 “… I will ponder Your statutes.”
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I enjoy mindless tasks…a simple job that can be done almost automatically without little attention. It’s those quiet times that the Lord can speak very clearly to my soul and allow me to reflect on Him. In the middle of a mindless task – today it’s shelling peas – He reminded me of my childhood days and the family garden. Shelling a mountain of peas, or at least I thought it was a mountain of them, was a family affair. My Grandmother and Great Aunt would come out to the farm to help. Mom and Dad would get up early and pick, we would all congregate under the large shade trees and the shelling would commence. Conversation would start out lively, but soon talk slowed as we worked in companionable silence. After what I thought was an eternity, the peas were shelled and taken into the kitchen, while the kids gathered up all the pea shells and gave them to the pigs. Ah, those lovely mindless tasks … a time to ponder God and wonderful memories.
Job 12:10 ” In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
God is the Lord of life. Everything in this vast universe is under His watchful eye…not the tiniest detail escapes Him. Our very life breath is orchestrated under His guidance…so the next time you’re wondering if God even notices you and what you may be going through…take a deep breath…feel your heart beating, and thank Him for being in the palm of His mighty hand.
Romans 8:31 ” If God is for us, who can be against us? “
Allow this verse to sink into your soul…pondering the words and meaning. If the Almighty God is defending, protecting, and caring for you…what do you have to fear? If the Maker of the Universe is ever watching over you…what could possibly make you afraid? The enemy may want you to think that you’re alone and defenseless…but you have an all powerful Heavenly Father whispering, ” Fear not! “
Matthew 21:21 ” I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt…”
Doubt divides our mind into what we believe, and what suddenly we’re uncertain about. It causes us to question, which leads to wavering, which leads to apprehension, which leads to anxiety, which leads to fear. Doubt is like a cold, hard hailstone that the devil lobs our way, hoping it will freeze us up with fear. That hailstone of doubt will turn our belief into disbelief, and our trust into mistrust. Doubt comes first, and if allowed, fear will follow.
Psalm 53:5 ” There they were in great fear, where there was nothing to fear.”
Fear will wrap up our minds, making it play tricks on us. Our mind will immediately race to worst case scenario anytime the phone rings in the middle of the night. A fearful mind won’t allow us to sleep at night as the “what ifs” swirl around in our brain like bats. Fear wraps up our mind, causing us to behave irrationally and paranoiac.