The Greatness and Goodness of God

When it comes to relating to God in the Old Testament, a prevalent theme is that of awe, mixed with a bit of fear. In Genesis 28, Jacob has a vivid dream of God. When he wakes, he is strongly aware of God's presence, and his reaction is awe and fear. Why?

The wonders and signs of God are sort of unimaginable. Through our 21st century lens, we view stories in the Bible—of a flood that covered the earth, or an army bringing down the walls of Jericho with a loud shout, or a man healing the blind, or raising another man from the dead—with skepticism. If these stories are true, then it changes our reality: what we thought was impossible is possible by the greatness of God. For the people who witnessed these events first hand, the same shift must surely have occurred, and they must have felt a sense of fear. We hear them ask questions like, "Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Exodus 15:11)

The same God, called mighty and awesome over and over in the Bible, is not only a great God, but also a good God. We see God working good in the life of Joseph for Jacob's family in the midst of some pretty dire circumstances (Genesis 37-50). Over and over again, God blesses, leads, sustains his people. Again, some of the stories—of God leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, or providing miraculous food for a woman and her son, or rescuing the disciples from a storm at sea—we view with skepticism. If God is this good, then it may challenge our reality: it's easy to see the darkness and pain around us and wonder at this great God. It might bring comfort to know that the people of the Bible often wondered the same thing. We read questions like, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" (Psalm 22:1)

When we find ourselves asking these questions, we must always look at Jesus. He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). He encompasses the greatness of God, in the miracles he performed and his resurrection from the grave. He shows the goodness of God, in the compassion he shows the widow, the child in his presence, and the outcasts of society. In Jesus the Church—the people of the kingdom of God—grows and shares the good news with the nations. Followers of Jesus have throughout history shown God's greatness and goodness: through founding hospitals, establishing relief organizations, rescuing women from sex trade, serving soup to the homeless, crossing the street to a neighbor in need. These things, big and small, show forth God's goodness and greatness, and prove true the miracles we see in the Bible.

When we sing songs of God's goodness and greatness, as we have the past two weekends, may we remember. May we be in awe, may we let God shift our reality. And may we live through that lens, letting God guide us to a world that needs Jesus more than ever.

May My Tongue Sing of Your Word

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, at 176 verses. It's crazy. The Psalm is fascinating for many reasons. It was written as an acrostic on the Hebrew alphabet. The first 8 verses start with the Hebrew letter 'Aleph,' the next 8 verses start with the Hebrew letter 'Beth,' etc. It's also very focused on one topic: God's word. The Psalmist sings of God's commands, precepts, way, law, decrees, etc.

So it's word play in lyric form about God's word. It's like a BC crossword puzzle poem! I love it.

Verse 171-172 says,

"May my lips overflow with praise,

    for you teach me your decrees. 

May my tongue sing of your word,

    for all your commands are righteous."

I love this idea: that we would sing of God's word, or even sing God's word. Is there anything more helpful to our spiritual formation than to learn to sing God's word? You probably can sing from memory songs you learned in grade school: music and rhyme are powerful tools for memorization. Plato once wrote, "Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its law."* Music is a powerful teacher.

That's why, in case you've ever wondered, we try to put songs through a rubric of questions to make sure it's worth our time singing on a Sunday. The basic question: "Is this song among the best for New Cov to sing?"

We look at 3 areas:**

1.Theological Strength - Are the lyrics true? Do they represent the Bible? Do they tell the story of Scripture well?

2.Lyrical Strength - Is the text well constructed? Is it poetic? Does it connect with our imagination? Does it inspire?

3.Musical Strength - Is it singable? Is the melody memorable? Does the tune fit the text well?

Some songs will be stronger in some areas and weaker in others. But this gives us a method of evaluating any songs we include to sing on a Sunday morning. The closer we get to putting the words of scripture in our praise, I think, the better opportunity we give God to form us into Christlikeness through worship.

* I've also seen this quote attributed to a contemporary of Plato, Damon of Athens, and to Andrew Fletcher, a Scottish philosopher of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

** I learned this method from a book called The Worship Architect by Rev. Dr. Constance M. Cherry. The book has been invaluable for me as a Pastor of Worship.

Deus in adjutorium meum intende

I might not have pronounced it correctly Sunday, but hopefully I made some sense sharing this brief prayer with you. The Deus in adjutorium meum intende is a prayer based on the first line of Psalm 69, which translates to "O God, come to my assistance." The response, Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina, is a prayer based on the first line of Psalm 70, which translates to "O Lord, make haste to help me."

This early prayer was the introductory prayer for the Office of the Hours in a number of ancient prayer books. In a book called The Prymer: The Prayer Book of the Medieval Era Adapted for Contemporary Use, author Robert E. Webber simplifies the translated prayer to what we said Sunday morning:

God, be my help;

Hurry to help me!

It's remarkably simple, and when we focus on the words, and speak them with intention, we rightly orient ourselves in a place of humility. We express our need of God, and cry out to our best and truest Source of help.

It's also a reminder that the words of Scripture lead us in the most powerful prayers. Lately I've been reading Scripture (nearly) daily through the ReadScripture app. After reading through 3-5 chapters, the app directs me to "Move into a time of prayer and meditate on the following Psalm." I'm amazed how well the Psalms frequently fall into a fitting prayer for my day. Not every verse is perfect, of course; I don't typically pray for my enemies to be destroyed (Psalm 143:12). But consider how praying—or being led in prayer by—the following would help you know God's presence and worship him:

"It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night..." (Psalm 92:1-2)

"Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy." (Psalm 86:1)

"Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry." (Psalm 88:1)

"I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the 'gods' I will sing your praise." (Psalm 138:1)

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the  mountains quake with their surging." (Psalm 46:1-3)

Consider making the Psalms part of your prayer life. There's something beautiful about receiving God's word, and reflecting it back to Him in prayer.

For the Sake of the World: Yesterday and Today

As we were putting together the photo mosaic last week, I came across a lot of great pictures from New Cov's history. It's encouraging to look through images showcasing where our church has been. It reminded me that He has done great things in us and through us. We have served and shared Jesus with people in Lincoln, many states, and in several countries (Ireland, India, China, and the UAE come to mind). And knowing that He has still calls us "for such a time as this," I look forward with faith to where God will lead us next.

One picture I came across showed me with more hair than I now have, strumming my old black Takamine G Series, and looking east into the morning sunlight. Longtime New Covies will remember our involvement at downtown Lincoln's Ribfest. I remember this particular moment well (though I'm not positive the year... 2002?). We were given the opportunity to hold a church service at Ribfest on the Sunday morning of the event. We pulled out all the stops: dance, drama, music. Worship Pastor Bill Sloan had asked me to sing a song called "I Am A Christian," a proclamation of faith. The lyrics were nice, but I remember thinking the tune was a bit melancholy. I offered to write a new melody to some alternate chords. I chose the key of E (which is significant as you'll see in a minute) because I like the open chords and droning strings the key allows. I can still hear much of the melody in my head, but I'm not sure I have it printed anywhere any more.

Yesterday morning we sang together a prayer for God to do a work in us. For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me / Light a flame in my soul for every eye to see / For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me. We must share Jesus with those around us. It is urgent, important work: our world is wrecked every day by the consequences of our sin. But in Jesus we find hope—eternal unchanging hope—for forgiveness of our sins and for the redemption of the world. All of creation groans in expectancy of Jesus' return. In Christ, we have the opportunity to join in the work of redemption. We have chances—every week, every day, even every hour—to share this hope we have with others! We just need to embrace our place and look for the opportunities around us. Someone you know might be desperately searching for hope, or meaning, or truth, or freedom from the bondage of sin, or peace. You and I can bring that to them by the Spirit at work within us.

As I sang "For the Sake of the World," it occurred to me that I was playing many of the same chords, in the key of E, that I had played for "I Am A Christian" some 15 years ago. 

I was struck by two things as we worshiped and sang that prayer to God yesterday.

First, I play a different guitar these days. I have less hair on top and more on my face. My priorities have changed to include kids, new friends, new seasons. Such is the difference between being 24 and being almost 40. But God's call on my life remains the same: to share Jesus, for the sake of the world.

Second, our church might not be part of Ribfest anymore. Where we once sent mission teams to China we now look to Ireland and India. We serve in new and different ways. Our vision changes, and we follow where God points us. But God's call on our church also remains the same: to share Jesus, for the sake of the world.

How will we respond to God's call? Let's spend our time in prayer and thought this week on that question...

For the sake of the world.

How Great You Are

In 1885, coming home from a church service in Kronobäck, Sweden, Carl Boberg observed a quickly growing and advancing thunderstorm. The lightning, the thunder, the winds and rain that came, were awesome to see and experience. After arriving home, Boberg opened his window to the clear sky that followed the storm to hear a thrush, as well as funeral bells tolling in the distance. The stillness of the nearby water, and the warm air following the rain, were powerfully beautiful. That evening, inspired by all he experienced, he wrote the song "O Store Gud" (O Great God).

In the 1930s, British missionary Stuart Hine first heard a Russian translation of the German version of "O Store Gud" in the Carpathian Mountains (Ukraine). Inspired by the song, he paraphrased it into English under the title "How Great Thou Art." He added his own verses to Boberg's. The third verse ("And when I think...") was written after Hine and his wife entered a Ukrainian village just in time to witness the repentance of several villagers, the result of Hine giving a woman in the village a Bible several years prior. The fourth verse ("When Christ shall come...") was written following World War II, when Hine met an exiled Polish man separated from his wife, who knew he would probably never see her again on earth, but joyfully looked forward to their reunion with Christ in Heaven.

And centuries before Jesus was born to Mary, the psalmist praised God as Creator of the many wonders around him in Psalm 104. On Sunday we read just the opening and closing of Psalm 104, but if you delve into the interior verses, you'll discover the psalmist gushing over it all, from mundane and practical vegetation (v. 14) to the vast and terrifying sea (v. 25-26). He marvels at darkness and the creatures hidden within (v. 20-21). He beholds the powerful cedars of Lebanon, home to the birds and storks (v. 16-17). He takes joy in wine, and oil, and bread (v. 15).

The message of Psalm 104, and of "How Great Thou Art," is to recognize God's greatness displayed all around us in his creation. Have you done that today? It may be hot out... isn't the life-giving sun amazing? As you prepare dinner tonight... thank God for the goodness of food and drink! When you are talking with your friend... isn't it incredible how God intertwines our souls with others?

Take a moment as often as God prompts you to look, taste, touch, listen, or smell the world around you, and praise God for it. See his creativity in everything from the scent of the morning dew to the beauty and diversity of music.

Worship is found in these moments.

When we allow God to speak into them, we see his glory, and we can respond with praise.

"May my meditation be pleasing to [God], as I rejoice in the LORD." (v. 34)

All Must Be Well

How do we sing songs proclaiming a confident faith when we feel uncertain of God's presence in difficult circumstances? Surprisingly, the author of the hymn we sang Sunday might have had the same struggle.

The hymn "All Must Be Well" was written in the mid-nineteenth century by Mary Bowley, also known as Mary Peters. Bowley published the hymn first in 1847, in a volume called Hymns intended to help the Communion of Saints. I'm a big fan of this hymn for a few reasons. First, I like the musical arrangement by Matthew Smith. It is simple to learn, it is a very comfortable range to sing, and it's in a guitar friendly key (woohoo!). More than that, though, it proclaims truth that brings me comfort when I sing it. It reminds me that:
 

... God's grace/favor is free and unchanging. (Eph 1:3-14)
... That we have a hope that does not fail. (Heb 10:23)
... God gives us what we need. (Phil 4:19)
... As we lean in to Christ, he helps us grow and "produce fruit." (John 15:5)
... God sustains us through hard times. (Ps 23:4)
 

A third reason I love this hymn is because, though it might sound like pie in the sky, the assurance and comfort of faith expressed in the song comes from a life familiar with pain and loss. Mary was born in 1813 in Gloucestershire, England. The rector there was John McWilliam Peters. He left in 1825 to become vicar of other Anglican churches. But he returned and at some point—I couldn't find the year—married Mary Bowley. Sadly, John Peters died in 1834, when Mary was only 21. She lived a widow until she died in 1856 (at just 43). She wrote 58 hymns, including "All Must Be Well" and other titles proclaiming hope and joy: "Lord, We See the Day Approaching" and "With Thankful Hearts We Meet, O Lord," for examples.

Mary was deeply familiar with grief and loss. It is a surprise to me that she wrote such songs that so confidently sings of the promises of God for those who believe. And it reminds me that often we need to speak or sing truth even when we can't perceive that truth in the moment. Even if I don't feel that "all will be well" in a particular moment, it's true: through the saving work of Christ, all of creation is being redeemed, including our lives, our struggles, our hard times. Singing a song of God's promises is like praying for God to continue to move. Your will be done, God! Redeem! Come quickly, Lord! In doing so, we remind those around us and ourselves that God is faithful.

What songs do you sing to remind yourself that God is faithful and true?