The suburbs of heaven ∙

The suburbs of heaven ∙

You will show me the path of life, grant me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. – Psalms 16:11

Ephesians 3:19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

The Scottish Puritan Samuel Rutherford once declared, “Live in Christ, and you are in the suburbs of heaven.” This profound statement addresses one of the greatest struggles for every child of the King: experiencing joy amid life’s circumstances.

In Rutherford’s seventeenth-century context, the “suburbs of heaven” referred to a “land of praises” and “the fairest of created paradises.” It is the place where there is “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Rutherford speaks of proximity. Those who dwell in the suburbs live as close to the city as possible without actually being in it. This is Rutherford’s point. When you and I “live in Christ,” there is but a thin wall between us and the land of praises.

When children of the King “live in Christ,” they position themselves just outside heaven’s gates. They are as near to heaven as they can be without actually entering. In this spiritual suburbia, they catch glimpses of the “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” that Psalm 16:11 describes. Often, these are fleeting flashes or tiny glimpses, for the complete experience is reserved exclusively for when they actually arrive at heaven itself. Nevertheless, we can come close and know genuine joy and lasting pleasure in this life. When we do, we find ourselves in the “suburbs of heaven” (Guy M. Richard).

The splendor, grandeur, pulchritude, magnificence, and sheer delightfulness of heaven are beyond anything we can imagine or predict. Many children of the King once lived in utter darkness, far from the light. They existed in squalor and ugliness, within a world lying in the arms of the evil one, under his dominion (1 John 5:19). They were doomed, far off, strangers, and aliens (Ephesians 2:17,19). Far worse, they were dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1).

But then, at the moment each of us accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, everything changed. Those who were far off were brought near.

Ephesians 2:13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once, you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

REFLECT & PRAY

“Many of us are missing something in life because we are after the second best” (Eric Liddell).

Father, I thank You that I am in Christ forever and will dwell in Your presence forevermore. I pray that with each passing day, I may draw nearer to You for the rest of my life on earth.

INSIGHT

Geographically speaking, imagine we once lived in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Juneau, Alaska, or the Florida Keys. When we became children of the King, we moved to the state of Iowa. Previously, we resided in the Kingdom of darkness; now, we are in the Kingdom of light.

We are currently within the state, but the King Himself resides in the capital, Des Moines. How can we approach our King and get closer? How do we reach the suburbs of Des Moines?

To live in the suburbs of heaven, Samuel Rutherford encouraged us to “Live in Christ.”

What does it mean to live in Christ?

Living in Christ encompasses three key elements: knowing, recalling, and living.

To begin with, it is essential to fully grasp that every child of the King is in Christ. This understanding forms the foundation of our faith and shapes our perspective on life. It is crucial to constantly remind ourselves of this truth and to believe in it firmly. Finally, we are called to actively live out this reality each day, allowing it to guide and shape our thoughts, actions, and interactions with others.

When we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, we had an encounter with Him. Some of us had dramatic experiences, while others had more subtle ones. Regardless of our individual experiences, each of us has been inwardly transformed. We were placed into Christ when this encounter happened (1 Corinthians 12:13), and Christ came to live within each of us (1 John 3:24).

1 John 4:13 God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.

We must continually bring this truth to mind. Our fallen nature often causes us, even though we are the children of the King, to momentarily forget that we are in Christ and that Christ is in us. We must regularly look back and remember our first encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.

“The Christian life continues as it commenced: just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him” (BKC).  God saved you by His grace when you believed, and you cannot take credit for this; it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).

Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

The apostle Paul had insights that few other children of the King ever considered. He fully understood what it means to be in Christ and to live in Christ. Consequently, Paul completely redefined life as we know it. It is a profound paradigm shift. For Paul, to live is Christ! He regarded his life as inseparable from Christ.

Galatians 2:19 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

There is a significant difference between merely knowing the truth and experiencing the power of the truth (John Owen). When we focus on applying the realities of our new position in Christ and His presence within us, we move closer to genuinely experiencing this truth. This is what Owen, along with many other Puritans, emphasized. We need to diligently meditate on these truths and contemplate how they apply to our lives (Guy M. Richard).

To live in Christ is to strive to keep our hearts and affections focused on Him and allow His life force to flow through us. As we do, we begin to experience what Paul experienced.

Galatians 2:19 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

Psalms 16:11 You will show me the path of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm 16:11 is unsurpassed for the beauty of the prospect it opens up, in words of the utmost simplicity. The path of life is so-called, not only because of its goal but because walking that way means living, in the true sense of the word, already (Kidner). The path of life leads into the Father’s eternal presence.

The joys and pleasures are totally and eternally satisfying and endlessly varied, for they are found in both what He is and what He gives (Kidner).

“The pleasures of heaven will be far beyond any pleasures we have known here on earth, and as we enjoy the Lord and serve Him, we will not be restricted or encumbered by time, physical weakness, or the consequences of sin. So magnificent are the glories of heaven that the apostle John had to ransack human language to find words to describe it (Revelation 21-22)” (Wiersbe).

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© Dr. H 2024

A thief in the night ∙

A thief in the night ∙∙

But be sure of this: that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. – Matthew 24:43

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

In a shocking turn of events in the spring of 2017, administrators at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh initiated an audit and were left stunned. They discovered that a significant portion of the Oliver Room’s holdings was missing. Nearly every valuable item in this rare books collection had been pilfered, with the estimated value of the stolen objects amounting to a staggering $8 million. This marked the most extensive theft from an American library in at least a century.

Similar to the stringent security measures employed at nuclear power plants and sensitive computer networks, the Oliver Room was safeguarded through a strategy known as “defense in depth.” This comprehensive technique involves a series of layered, overlapping measures designed to deter any thief capable of overcoming a single deterrent. Greg Priore, the room’s manager since 1992, was responsible for implementing this robust security system.

The Oliver Room was under constant camera surveillance, with a single entry point accessible only to a select few who possessed keys. The room operated limited daytime hours, and all visitors were required to sign in and leave personal belongings, such as jackets and bags, in an outside locker. Priore’s desk was strategically positioned to oversee the room and the table where patrons worked. Whenever a book was returned, he meticulously checked its condition. Priore was always aware of whether an employee or a guest entered the collection.

Given such stringent security protocols, how could such an extensive theft occur? Almost every conceivable threat to the rare books collection had been considered, leaving just one weak point: an inside job. Shockingly, Greg Priore himself was the thief. For nearly 25 years, he systematically stole almost everything he could get his hands on without arousing suspicion. As noted by Smithsonian Magazine in September 2020, the only thing that can prevent an insider from stealing is their conscience.

Satan was the archetypal insider. As the most excellent of all the Father’s created beings, he had complete access to the holiest realms of heaven and the very presence of the Father. No one would think he could be corrupted when he had such vast privileges and access. Yet, he fell from perfection to imperfection, from righteousness to evil, becoming thoroughly heinous and reprobate.

Lucifer, once the bearer of light, transformed into the prince of darkness, the slanderer, and the accuser.

Why, oh why?

REFLECT & PRAY

Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor. – Proverbs 18:12

Father, I am reminded of the night of the Last Supper when the Lord Jesus Christ declared, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Deeply troubled, each disciple asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” (Matthew 26:21-22).

Dear Father, I pray that I will not be the one.

INSIGHT

The Scriptures lay bare the events and motivations with striking clarity. There came a pivotal moment in the life of the devil when being who and what he was ceased to satisfy him. It just wasn’t enough. His ambitions swelled uncontrollably – he wanted it all! He snapped under the weight of his own desires, yearning to usurp the very throne of the Father Himself. His pride grew immense, fueled by his extraordinary beauty, magnificence, power, and esteemed position. This insatiable arrogance led to his ultimate downfall.

Ezekiel 28:12-17

 12 You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.

 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone – red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald – all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created.

 14 I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.

 15 You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.

 17 Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor.

Isaiah 14:12-14

 12 How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.

 13 For you said to yourself, “I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.”

 14 “I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.”

The enemy of our souls does not deserve our pity but only our disdain.

The proverbial saying, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is attributed to the 19th-century British politician Lord Acton. The idea was nothing new and had been expressed previously by others in different words.

What exactly does this mean? As a person’s power increases, their moral sense diminishes. The more power a person has, the more corrupted they will become. “It morally destroys their nature and fills them with destructive pride. However, if the person saves himself from this abuse of power, he or she is a humble person” (https://literarydevices.net).

Satan’s temptations and fall are similar to the temptations we face. The world is in conflict with the Father; the flesh fights against the Holy Spirit, and the devil opposes the Son of God. Pride is Satan’s great sin, and it is one of his chief weapons in his warfare against the saint and the Saviour.

God wants us to be humble; Satan wants us to be proud. God wants us to depend on His grace, while the devil wants us to rely on ourselves. Satan is the author of all “do-it-yourself” spiritual enterprises. He enjoys inflating the ego and encouraging the believer to do it his own way (Wiersbe).

Three enemies want to turn us away from God: the world, the flesh, and the devil. These enemies are left over from our old life of sin (Ephesians 2:1-3). Christ has delivered us from them, but they still attack us.

1 John 2:15-17

 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.

 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

What is the Father’s answer?

James 4:6-8

 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”

 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you.

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© Dr. H 2024

7‑Eleven servants ∙∙

7‑Eleven servants ∙∙

Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. – John 12:26

Matthew 20:25-28

 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.

 26 But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven! The 7‑Eleven brand is recognized and cherished worldwide. Many of their iconic products have become ingrained in American culture. At 7‑Eleven, they are deeply committed to their customers, embodying a success story built on understanding and addressing customer needs. Their unwavering focus is on making life easier for their patrons.

Their principle is simple: “Give the customers what they want, when, and where they want it.” This straightforward idea propelled them to be a marketplace leader. 7‑Eleven has a storied legacy of innovation, having virtually created the convenience store industry. They were among the pioneers who offered 24-hour service, understanding that true service means being available and willing to help, even when it’s not convenient. Their readiness to serve transforms what seems inconvenient into convenience.

The Father seeks 7‑Eleven-like servants. He would likely appreciate a new motto: Thank Heaven for 7‑Eleven servants of the King.

John 12:26 Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

Jesus called His followers servants. Following the Lord Jesus Christ means becoming a servant of the King. But what does it mean to be a successful servant?

Our eternal destiny is secure when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. At that moment, the Father could take us home, allowing us to enjoy His presence forever. So why does He leave us to live out our appointed days on earth?

There are many valid answers to this question. One significant reason is that the Father wants us to be His servants on earth. To fulfill this role, we must develop a servant mentality. Ultimately, the Father is in charge. His servants are no longer self-centered but become “Father-centric.” We are here to serve the Father, not the other way around. A servant mentality recognizes that our purpose on earth is not to serve ourselves but to be the Father’s servants.

This is a big hurdle, indeed! But once we are on the other side, we have the opportunity to be genuinely successful servants. A 7‑Eleven servant dedicates their time, resources, energy, money, loyalty, and expertise. Similarly, as children of the King, we should surrender and offer everything we have to the Father. The Father does not need our possessions and does not intend to keep them. Instead, He returns everything to us, asking that we use it wisely in His service.

Our purpose in life is to please Him, and in turn, He places people in our lives for us to serve and care for.

Matthew 10:24 Disciples are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master.

The Message Bible paraphrases it as “A student doesn’t get a better desk than their teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than their boss.”

In the TV show, NCIS, Special Agent in Charge Leroy Jethro Gibbs is referred to as “The Boss.” All the special agents reporting to him call him “Boss.”

When we choose to become servants of the Father, we relinquish being the boss of our own little worlds, let alone the universe. Our mindset shifts to, “I serve the Boss. I am a servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords.” The struggle ends, and we find contentment in joining Him in His kingdom’s purposes.

REFLECT & PRAY

Be mindful of where you position yourself; embracing humility is far better than facing humiliation before your peers and superiors.

Father, I desire to be Your servant. Instill within me a servant’s mindset and motivate me to live it out.

INSIGHT

Once we become children of the King, a fitting attitude naturally follows. Servants understand that, regardless of their social standing or status, they are always ready to take the lowest place.

Instead of seeking a position among the great, they humbly place themselves below their rank. It’s far better to embrace humility than to face humiliation. It’s much wiser to start at a lower level and be invited to rise than to be demoted. It’s better to adopt a humble position and be promoted than to be presumptuous and corrected.

Proverbs 25:6-7

 6 Do not honor yourself before the king or push for a place among the great.

 7 It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace.

The Hebrew term translated as “honor yourself” or “put yourself forward” is “hadar.” Within its semantic range, hadar also means to claim honor, seek favoritism or respect, thrust yourself forward, exalt yourself, or be puffed up.

Luke 14:8-11

 8 When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?

 9 The host will come and say, “Give this person your seat.” Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

 10 Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then, when your host sees you, he will come and say, “Friend, we have a better place for you!” Then, you will be honored in front of all the other guests.

 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Humility is considered a fundamental grace of the Christian faith, but it can be challenging to attain. There’s a saying that if you realize you possess humility, you have actually lost it. Humility is not about having a low opinion of ourselves but rather about not focusing on ourselves at all.

The Lord Jesus Christ is frequently hailed as the ultimate embodiment of humility. His life and actions serve as an unparalleled example, urging us to strive for a similar mindset. In Philippians 2:1-16, we are encouraged to seek the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit to emulate His humility.

The selfless love and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ set the gold standard for how we should live our lives – putting others before ourselves and embodying true servant leadership. By inviting the Holy Spirit to work within us, we can follow in His footsteps and reflect His grace and humility in our daily lives. (Wiersbe)

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© Dr. H 2024

Who created God? ∙∙

Who created God? ∙∙

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. – Hebrews 11:6

Mark 10:13-16

 13 One day, some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

 14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.

 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

 16 Then he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on their heads, and blessed them.

Who created God? This is a question that many of us remember asking when we were small children. Do you? Perhaps it went something like this:

We were walking and talking with one of our parents. We asked something like, “Where did the sun, the moon, and all the animals come from?”

The answer was often, “A long time ago, God made the earth and all the stars, the sun, and the moon. He made all life on earth.” The answer was simple, understandable, and acceptable. Then you pondered for a moment and asked, “Who made God?”

Again, the answer was simple and straightforward, “Nobody made God; He always existed.” This answer was satisfactory for a time. But as you grew older, this question kept coming back again and again, and more questions were added: Is there really a God? How can I get to know about God? What is God really like? How can I know for sure?

Why is that so? These questions are natural and come from observing all that is. The Father designed and made us so that we would hunger for Him. We have a natural curiosity and a desire to understand life and all that exists. Yet, we have severe limitations regarding our ability to do so.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

Solomon recognizes that each individual has an inner emptiness, a sense of longing in their innermost being. It is an innate desire for something greater or transcendent. Philosophers have likened it to a void, hole, or vacuum. Only the uncreated Creator can fill it.

Isaiah 40:28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

Psalms 90:1-2

 1 Lord, through all the generations, you have been our home!

 2 Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.

The Scriptures never attempt to prove God’s existence. They assume that God does exist and take it as a given. The Bible is not a book of proofs but a book of faith. God is portrayed as the uncreated Creator of all things.

Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Was there ever a time when nothing existed? We can assume that nothing produces nothing. Therefore, which scenario makes more sense?

Nothing + No one = Everything

Nothing + God = Everything

God is fundamentally different from all that He created. Everything He brought into existence had a beginning, but He has always existed. God is independent of His creation, self-sufficient, and self-existent.

Philosophers like Aristotle spoke of the first cause, the prime mover, or the unmoved move – something that initiates movement without being moved by anything else. This concept aligns with how the Scriptures describe God. Consider Genesis 1:1.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

REFLECT & PRAY

God is the uncreated Creator of all things. He existed before all things, even time itself.

Father, thank you for being indeed God, self-sufficient and self-existent.

INSIGHT

But there is more.

John 1:1-3

 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 2 He was in the beginning with God.

 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.

The Greek word translated as “in the beginning” in John 1:1 is “arche.” Arche conveys the idea of the very beginning of all things or even before time began, reminiscent of Genesis 1:1. Imagine projecting your mind back as far as possible, before the world was created (John 17:5). Focus and lock your mind on that point. That is the moment the Apostle John is referring to. At that precise moment, the Greek literally states, “was the Word.”

The Greek verb translated as “was” is “en,” which is in the imperfect tense. In Greek grammar, the imperfect tense is a past tense that denotes continuous, ongoing action in the past. It is similar to the Greek present tense, which signifies continuous action in the present.

Thus, it indicates that as far back as you can possibly imagine in the distant past, the Logos (the Word), the Lord Jesus Christ, continually existed even before that. As William Barclay puts it, “The Word was already there at the very beginning of things.”

Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ was responsible for the creation of all things.

John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.

Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Who created God?

No one!

He has always existed, is self-sufficient, and is the Creator of all things.

He’s Everything to Me (Ralph Carmichael)

In the stars, His handiwork I see, on the wind, He speaks with majesty,

‘Though He ruleth over land and sea, what is that to me?

I will celebrate Nativity, for it has a place in history,

Sure, He came to set His people free, what is that to me?

Till by faith I met Him face to face, and I felt the wonder of His grace,

Then I knew that He was more than just a God who didn’t care,

That lived a way out there.

Now He walks beside me day by day, and watching o’er me lest I stray,

Helping me to find that narrow way, He’s Everything to me.

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© Dr. H 2024

Quenching a parched soul ∙

Quenching a parched soul ∙

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. – Psalms 63:1

Psalms 63:1-8

 1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.

 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life; My lips will praise You.

 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,

 7 For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings, I sing for joy.

 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

When you think of a desert or wilderness, you imagine a dry, hot, and arid landscape. Average temperatures range from 110°F to 120°F. Furnace Creek in Death Valley holds the record for the highest air temperature ever recorded on Earth: 134°F (56.7°C) on July 10, 1913. Mitribah in Kuwait recorded a temperature of 129.2°F (54°C) on July 21, 2016, and Ahvaz in Iran reached 129°F (53.7°C) on June 29, 2017. These extreme conditions serve as a vivid backdrop for the spiritual journey described in the Psalms.

Deserts are not defined by their temperatures but by their scarcity of water. Surprisingly, the Antarctic is classified as a cold desert, getting only 2 inches of rain a year, which is less than the Sahara. In some areas of the Atacama Desert in Chile, there has never been a recorded instance of rainfall.

The Judean Desert, a desolate wasteland, is not just a physical place but a profound metaphor for the barren spiritual wilderness. It is a place devoid of water and life, rugged and desolate, a hostile environment. The extreme thirst it induces is a powerful analogy for the profound yearning for the Father, a thirst that can only be quenched by His presence.

During this time of loss and separation, David did not dwell on his personal failures and regrets or complain about the discomforts and dangers of the wilderness. Instead, he steadfastly clung to his faith and love for the Father. Rather than feeling discouraged, he was filled with anticipation about his relationship with the Father, longing for close intimacy and having unwavering confidence that God would guide him through this difficult time.

REFLECT & PRAY

Without a doubt, we often reach our limits and come to the end of ourselves. We hit a wall and fall apart. We struggle with external challenges, internal frustrations, and anger.

Father, encourage us to be like David. He could recall Your delightful warmth and lovingkindness. His heart had been cultivated through a lifetime of devotion, and it showed in times of need. Simply put, David deeply loved You, his Father God.

INSIGHT

The Hebrew verb shachar is translated as “seek, earnestly seek,” conveying the idea of diligently looking or searching for something. This verb is derived from the Hebrew noun shachar, which interestingly means “dawn” in English.

When used in the context of seeking God, it implies an eagerness to seek time with Him early in the morning, as indicated in Psalms 130:6: “Early I will seek You” (NKJV). This suggests a deep longing and eagerness to prioritize seeking God’s presence and guidance at the beginning of each day.

Today, we might say, “It is at the top of my priority list,” or “I will do it first thing tomorrow,” or “I’ll get right on it.”

For David, seeking the Father and spending time in fellowship with Him was his top priority.

Spending time with the Father early in the day often sets the tone and prepares us for whatever He has in store for us. During our early morning time with the Father, He frequently prepares us for the divine appointments or challenges we may face that day. Only God knows everything that will happen before it occurs, and He has an itinerary for each child of the King every day of their lives.

Pause for a moment and visualize the Father as a spiritual concierge. Instead of asking Him how to achieve our plans for the day, we ask Him what He wants us to do.

Many individuals commonly label time spent with the Father as their “quiet time” or “personal worship time,” during which they seek solitude and engage in spiritual reflection, prayer, or meditation.

David’s attitude and spiritual appetite were extraordinary. How did this develop? It was nurtured during the formative years of his life through regular, repeated, frequent worship.

How did David worship the Father? If you outline many of his Psalms, a pattern emerges. David praises the Father for Who He is, for what He does, and most importantly, for what the Father has done and is doing in David’s life right now.

Examining his Psalms reveals a clear pattern. He praised the Father for Who He is in all His majesty and holiness.

Psalms 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.

Psalms 19:1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his handiwork.

Psalms 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

David extolled the Father for what He does.

Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

Psalms 138:2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.

Most importantly, David celebrated what He does for him in his daily experiences.

Psalms 32:5 I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Psalms 34:4 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.

David’s worship begins with gratitude, awe, respect, and admiration. It reflects an intimate and vibrant relationship with the Father, and David thanks the Father for His involvement in his life. Only then does he intercede with Him.

As Wiersbe notes, “It is regular worship and dependence that prepares us for the crisis experiences of life.”

“What life does to us depends on what life finds in us” (Wiersbe). David’s heart was filled with a deep love for the Father and a desire to please only Him. David had seen the Father’s power and glory previously. What He had done before, He would do again. David had great faith that he would be able to see the Father’s power and glory in the wilderness as well!

David had no religious artifacts with him in the wilderness. He looked beyond material objects and saw spiritual realities. With only his longing heart, uplifted hands, and worshipful spirit, David chose to sing praises to the Lord rather than succumb to sorrow, worry, or complaints.

“The longing of these verses is not the groping of a stranger, feeling his way towards God, but the eagerness of a friend, almost of a lover, to be in touch with the one he holds dear. The simplicity and boldness of Thou art my God is the secret of all that follows . . .” (Kidner).

David shows us the way. He thirsted and longed for the Father. The Father quenched his thirst.

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© Dr. H 2024