If We are Children of the King, Who is our King? (Part I)
If we are Children of the King, why do we so often live like paupers? Why do we look to the world for our satisfaction and comfort?
I am not talking about the house we live in or clothes we can afford to wear. I am talking about taking the leftovers this world has to offer and never having enough of it to satisfy our deepest longings and fulfill our greatest desires.
I think the answer is that we don’t know our king. We must know someone to trust them. Today, I want us to begin a dive into God’s Word to discover who He is and why we can trust him.
How many of you know the name Ronald Reagan? From what I know, I have a lot of respect for him and how he led our country. I have even driven past and seen the rolling hills of his Santa Barbara ranch, been to the Reagan Library and read his autobiography, and yes, I voted for him. But I don’t REALLY know him. I don’t have a heart and soul relationship with him.
We need to do more than know God in our minds, we need to know him and have a heart and soul relationship with him. Fortunately, He has offered us that invitation and there are no secret service or bodyguards between him and us.
Let’s read this together, slowly, considering each line:
Psalms 103 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Adoni, El Elyon, El Shaddai )
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases, (Jehovah Rapha)
4 Who redeems your life from destruction, (Haago ‘El)
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, (Jehovah Jireh)
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Our circumstances might tempt us to believe we have been abandoned, neglected, overlooked, or ignored. Our minds will tell us not to trust; our flesh is weak, but our spirit, our souls can be at rest with God when we stay fixed on His presence and who He is.
Psalm 9:10 says Those who know your name will put their trust in you. For you Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Knowing God by name will help us understand His character, knowing his character will help us trust Him more, and trust is at the center of any good relationship.
Think about your good human relationships. Trust is there. Think about the bad ones; trust is absent.
The Bible tells us in Numbers 23:19 (NLT) God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
Sometimes (good and bad times) we forget that God is not a person like us, muddling along; He is the Almighty, Elohim, El Shaddai. God is who he says he is “Yahweh, I am” and does what He says he will do. It is His character to fulfill His will.
If we know that He is absolutely trustworthy, then it is our responsibility to grow in our trust of Him. This takes time and investment and will lead to understanding of his nature and character which will allow us to more fully be dependent on him.
For the next several weeks, I will be sharing more about who God is and why we can trust Him. If you have not already, I invite you to click the “follow” button and enter your email so you can receive this encouragement directly in your email inbox.
Know that if you are reading this, you are in my prayers. Have a blessed week.
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My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas.
I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block.
While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot…/dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3…
The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP).
At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects!
Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God”
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