REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor David Kwon who heads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, was first posted on November 24, 2013. He is a graduate of Drexel University (BS) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“What is God Like?”
Psalm 113:1-9
Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! [2] Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! [3] From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised! [4] The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! [5] Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, [6] who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? [7] He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, [8] to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.[9] He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
What is God like? The psalmist raises the same question in verse 5: “Who is like the Lord our God?” The trouble with this question is that it is unanswerable since there is nothing God can be compared to. Commentator Derek Kidner writes of this Psalm, “Here this transcendence is memorably suggested by the perspective of verse 6, where the very heavens are almost out of sight below him. He is enthroned so high he needs to stoop to see the sky and earth.” Observe the following reasons the psalmist gives such honor and worship to God:
- High above the nations, his glory is above the heavens (v.4)
- Seated on high (v.5)
- Looks down on the heavens (v.6)
- Raises the poor (v.7)
- Gives the barren woman a home (v. 9)
The psalmist gives praise because this is who our God is: though He is infinitely exalted above everything, even the heavens, yet He stoops to raise the poor from the dust, the needy from the ash heap, and even the barren woman from the disgrace her barrenness. We see a God who has compassion on his people and cares for them.
Since our God, who is exalted in all of the earth, also cares for us, this should give us a spirit of praise and blessedness. As the psalmist did, take some time blessing and praising his holy name because He cares for you.
Prayer: Dear God, what words are adequate to express my gratitude towards You for loving and caring for me. Thank You. I will serve You with all of my heart and mind. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 20
Lunch Break Study
Read 1 Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Questions to Consider
- In what way does being humble benefit us?
- How can we humble ourselves?
- What can happen when we unload our anxieties?
Notes
- When we are humble, we can be assured that God will pour out more grace on us — grace that will enable us to persevere through all of our circumstances. In today’s passage, Peter strongly exhorts us that we must humble ourselves before God. When we do this, we are assured that He will exalt us at the proper time (v. 6).
- We can do this only because we know God cares for us (v. 7). We can cast our anxieties on Him because He loves us and will faithfully bring us through whatever trials we might experience, however difficult they may be.
- As we unload our anxieties, we become free to love and serve others with the humility God requires of us because we no longer have to worry excessively about ourselves. As John Calvin says, “For all those who rest not on God’s providence must necessarily be in constant turmoil and violently assail others. We ought the more dwell on this thought, that God cares for us, in order, first, that we may have peace within; and, secondly, that we may be humble and meek towards men.”
Evening Reflection
“If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who ever lived (think about that for a moment) — all the goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength and love — and united all those virtues in one person, that person would only be a faint shadow of the love and mercy in the heart of God for you and me.”- Brennan Manning
God loves you and cares for you deeply. Often that idea is difficult to grasp because we experience pain and hardship in our lives. Ask the Lord to remind you of his love and care for you. Lift up any concerns, worries or fears that you may have in your life.