The Unseen God
I as glad that I went to my Tuesday morning prayer connect after missing several weeks. Most of our group was missing but, it gave me some one on one time with County Commissioner Lew Gaiter.
I then had the opportunity to work on some tasks related to my new position and to get caught up on some work on past devotional blogs. I am working on the urging of many people in the past who told me that I should write a book. So, I am giving that some thought and trying to put some content together.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “It does not belong to us, Lord. The glory belongs to you because of your love and loyalty. Why do the nations ask, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven. He does what he pleases. Their idols are made of silver and gold, the work of human hands.” Psalm 115:1-4
If you lived in Israel when the Judges and the Kings ruled, you could find gods of stone, wood and precious metals under every tree and in a multitude of shrines. It was difficult for the pagans of the day to understand these people who worshiped and served an “unseen God.”
That is why the psalmist records their taunting question, “where is their God?” The response is, “our God is the God of heaven and earth and He does what He pleases. Your gods are made by your hands and may have heads, hands, ears and feet, but they are lifeless and useless.” We then see the psalmist declares that…
This unseen God deserves all the glory because of His love and faithfulness. That is certainly what the Children of Israel experienced. They forsook the Lord, some worshiped idols along side of the Lord God, they disobeyed and lived life on their own terms. But the Lord in His mercy, responded to their cry and delivered them from enemies and sent His prophets to speak His message to them.
The unseen God is our helper and protection. “You who respect the Lord should trust him; he is your helper and your protection.” (Psalm 115:11 NCV) The temptation was to look for help and protection from all kinds of sources. Whether it was the strength of an army, the leadership of a King or the idols on every corner. Real help and protection comes only from one source, the Lord God, so place your trust in Him, and don’t doubt.
The unseen God blesses those who honor Him. “The Lord will bless those who respect him, from the smallest to the greatest. May the Lord give you success, and may he give you and your children success. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 115:13-15) God’s promise of blessing and success is not dependent on position, status or wealth. The only criteria is for people to respect and honor Him. Once again we see the contrast with the “specialized gods” of the day. Those who were worshiped as having power over the rain, or sun or some specific arena of life or nature. There was a need for many gods so the many needs of people could be met. But those who are blessed by the Lord, “who made heaven and earth” find that He is all they need.
The unseen God is to be praised. “But we will praise the Lord now and forever. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 115:18) Praise to the Lord is continual and persistent in the lives of those who place their trust in the “unseen God.” Jesus told Thomas, “…blessed are those who have not seen yet believe….” (John 20:29) Peter wrote to New Testament Christians and said, “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)
Yet we see and hold to the promise that one day our faith will become sight. Scripture declares, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” (1 John 3:2)