Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways." Therefore I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest." - Psalm 95:6-11 (ESV)
COVID has knocked me out of commission for a few weeks and the fact that it was right during the runup to the election is not lost on me. God always has a reason for everything and does not waste any situation. We spend so much time debunking the false theology of the NAR dominionist because it is the last idol of the church age and shipwrecks the faith of untold numbers of people. The danger in doing so is in committing the same sin the NAR commits daily regarding this idolatry. Yes, they put it before God, the very definition of idolatry but they infer far worse. They recreate God in their own image. A weak god who needs their help. A puny god cannot conquer imaginary cultural mountains without enlisting the aide of his very creation. A political god that lines up perfectly with one party while the other is consigned to hell. If this is the pathetic god you serve then I can understand why you believe this might be the most important election in our lifetime, well until 2024, right? If your buddy god is on the throne but he cannot make anything come to pass without your assistance that you can keep right on believing this election is for all the marbles. As for the rest of us, I am here to remind you who it is that we actually serve. Because you see, I have checked in with the Lord today and He assures me that He is still on the throne and will be throughout the night. He assures me that He already knows who will win and that none come to power except thorough His permissive will. Donald Trump did not surprise Him. Barack Obama did not surprise Him. Joe Biden most certainly did not surprise Him. Alexander the Great once allegedly wept because by a very young age there were no more earthly lands to conquer. Alexander would be dead by age 32. A mere footnote in history compared to Almighty God. So, indulge me a little if you will today and let us all remember who it is that we claim to serve. Then we can sleep easy tonight and wake up tomorrow unfazed by the mere political wrangling of men.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! - Psalm 95:8(ESV)
Without apologies let us all start by bowing down before the Creator of the entire universe! This opening reminds us of what our true position should be before our God. The NAR fancies itself on the same level of the god they serve. They are commissioned in their false beliefs to prepare the earth for His return and conquer the culture and make it obedient to Christ. What an insult! When pressed before His crucifixion Christ reminds us that He could summon an entire army of angels if He wished. Do you honestly think God needs Bill Johnson's help? That He needs Mario Murillo or Greg Locke for anything? I love the second point from this verse and that is the reminder that He is our Maker. He is the Creator, and we are the creation. How arrogant have we become! Someone once asked me if I am afraid that God will strike me dead with a lightning bolt and my answer was, I am afraid of forgetting He can if He wants. Lord let us never lose the perspective of who you are and who we are.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. - Psalm 95:7 (ESV)
Just in case the reference to Maker was lost on you, God gives specifics. He is God! I know that sounds almost trite but when you see what theologies have made it to popularity in modern Christendom it makes you wonder. Creflo Dollar and the late Myles Munroe taught that God needs our permission to do anything on this earth. Can you imagine? Bethel teaches that God has left us in charge of the earth. The aforementioned Locke and Murillo teach that if you do not vote as they do then you are beyond redemption and hell bound. There is no shortage of crazy in the church today and most of it stems from forgetting who we are and who He is. We are the people of His pasture. God loves shepherd/sheep analogies. The pasture is a place of rest, and comfort, and sustenance. It is a place where we are safe, secure and cared for. The sheep of His hand are in the hands of God! Lord let us stop wriggling to try and leave Your care, the very palms of Your Hands.
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. - Psalm 95:8-9 (ESV)
