Has Satan effectively tempted you to oppose your own best interests? “yes” If so, did you did you get fed up with being your own worst earthly enemy and decide to let God bring you some healing? “yes and no – lots of times – never permanently”
In our introductory session, we talked about three historical associations with the Psalms of Ascent. Check the three from the choices below. Try to complete the exercise from memory, but check your notes from the introductory session if the answers don’t come easily. The Psalms of Ascent were…
“associated with the 15 steps of the temple
“songs sung on the pilgrimage to the Three Great Feasts
“songs sung by exiles returning to Jerusalem from captivity
Complete the following sentences drawn from verse 2.
HCSB: ‘if the Lord had not been “on our side”…’
The Message: ‘if God hadn’t been “for us” when everyone went against us.’
What does Joshua 23:10 say? “One person can rout a thousand because God fights for him or her, as He promised.”
On the scale below, estimate the position you tend to picture God taking with you. “God is for me.”
Meditate over your history with God for a moment. Regardless of where you marked the continuum, name a couple of things that helped shape that conclusion:
“I know God treasures me, and lavishes blessings on me. When troubles come, I know they are either part of His will, or the result of my deviating from His will.”
Give another similar assumption [about whether God is with or against us in our circumstances]: “If my car won’t start, God is refusing to help me, even when I asked Him nicely and begged and pleaded with Him.”
Please write John 13:7 in the space below:
“Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’”
My child, “Rachel”,
I will make sure all things work together for your good.
I will “conform you to the likeness of My Son.”
I will “glorify you, (having already predestined, called, and justified you.)”
I will “graciously give you all things.”
I will “make you more than a conqueror.”
I will “not let anything separate you from My love.”
Love, God
Dearest Rachel –
I suppose that, if you were still around, you might grow weary of the fact that I appear to wonder myself as to whether God is in my corner anymore, based on some of your answers in this particular section of this study. Then again, if you were still around, I wouldn’t be making these complaints in the first place. On the other hand, you offered at least one example that would seem relatively small in terms of inconveniences that could provoke such a reaction, so maybe you would be perfectly understanding about it.
It’s true that the small stuff gets under our skin more often, since it happens more often than the great calamities. I think I’ve told you about Daniel’s most recent scrape; I’m not looking forward to the court date or having to get a new car for him (more due to the hassle of shopping for it than the actual purchase – he really needs something that’s more him, and I’d just as soon preserve your custom-painted car, like Tiny Tim’s crutch, than have it driven to the point where it might meet an ignominious end), but at the same time, we’re no longer in a position where that’s quite the stressor that such a situation used to be. There’s a moment of panic, sure, but not a frustration bordering on “God, why have you forsaken us?” about it like some people would have. But I think we’re in the minority; small things mount up, like straws on the proverbial camel. My moment to break may have been catastrophic, but that’s not how it happens for most people. There are plenty of little things in life that accrete on our surface, until they build a wall between us and Him.
And the worst thing about those small things is that we tend to think they are beneath His notice, and coming to Him about them would be petty of us. We ourselves used to have this discussion about parking spaces, but it could be any number of little things. But I’m come to the conclusion that if God is holding every atom, every quark together, why should we think a parking space – or any other such thing – is “too small” for Him? And likewise, if He attends to such small things, how could anything be outside of His overall plan?
What gets under my skin is that I don’t understand His plan, and in particular, my part in it (or perhaps I should say, His plan for me) – which is apparently by design.
·God is honored for what he keeps secret [L It is the glory of God to hide a matter/things; Deut. 29:29].
Proverbs 25:2, Expanded Bible
·Kings are honored for what they can discover [L It is the glory of kings to examine them].
I get withholding the secrets of the universe from us until we, as a species, are ready to grasp it. I’ve played enough Civilization to know the purpose of the tech tree, and that some knowledge requires knowing other things beforehand. But what General conceals His battle plans from the soldiers enlisted to carry out the mission He’s designed for them? True, no plan survives contact with the enemy (unless You know everything the enemy is thinking, which He does), so His troops might have to “wing it,” particularly when under heavy fire and cut off from direct communication with headquarters (which, in this analogy, supposedly can’t happen). But I don’t know if a little more direct guidance wouldn’t hurt, especially since He knows just how stupid we are and can be.
Then again, He’s promised that we will understand some day; perhaps from your vantage point, you already do. Still, I wish we would have a little bit more of that down here. For now, all I can do is to ask for you to keep an eye on us, honey, and wish us luck, as we’re definitely going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 