God, You Are …

God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.
I thirst for You; my body faints for You
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory.

My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life.
So I will praise You as long as I live;
at Your name, I will lift up my hands.
You satisfy me as with rich food;
my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

When I think of You as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on You during the night watches because You are my helper;
I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.
I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me.      Psalm 63:1-8 (HCSB)

Lectionary Texts: Isaiah 55:1-9, Psalm 63:1-8, I Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9

As I sit at my desk and write this, it is raining outside my window. To me, rain can produce more emotions than any other weather phenomena. It can be comforting and lull me to sleep under a warm quilt. With claps of thunder and pops of lightening, it can be at once terrifying and extraordinary. And it can express deep sadness.

At this moment it is a backdrop to deep contemplation as I consider the Scriptures in this week’s lectionary texts. “When I think of You God as I lie on my bed and meditate on You during the late night hours because You are …” What are You to me, God? You are so much. You are everything. But to really learn, I need to get more specific than that.

My Provider. Isaiah 55 has God giving an invitation to come and receive His water and food that He provides free and this food and water will satisfy. The food and water can certainly be literal as God does provide me with an income that defies our present economy. But it can also be the intangibles that I need every day to survive: wisdom, courage, faith, hope, compassion, forgiveness, and love. The prophet warns me to go after God while I see Him and not take Him for granted. Remember that God’s ways and understanding are not the same as mine but He will provide me with the faith to trust Him for whatever I need. He will provide.

My Redeemer. In Luke 13 I hear anger in Jesus’ words as He verbally slaps at some people who are pointing their fingers at the sins of others. Jesus warns them that there are no “worse” sinners and that all, ALL need to repent of their sins and accept the redemption that He offers. And He tells the story of the fig tree that produced leaves and looked good but had no fruit. It is not enough that I believe in Him. I must produce fruit. That is what a disciple does. A disciple shares the Good News and encourages others in their journey so that they too produce fruit.

My Savior. I Corinthians 10 is a testimony that I need to engrave on my heart. It’s about my Savior. He came and with His perfect Blood sacrifice, He saved me. But He didn’t stop there. He knew that temptation would be a part of my life and so He lived here for over 30 years and showed me what a holy life is like. He promised me and then showed me that when (not if) temptation comes that there will always be a path to escape. “Lead me not into temptation, LORD, but show me the way out.” Help me to avoid the enemy’s schemes, LORD. Give me sharp eyes and a spirit that senses the schemes of Satan. More than my Savior, You are!

As there are many drops of water in this storm, so my God has many facets that show what He is to me. Yes, I am not worthy of Him but that’s what love is about when it is unconditional.

God You Are My God written and sung by Fernando Ortega