“You have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.” (Nehemiah 9:8b)
There is so much beauty and power in that small verse and yet how much of its weight is missed – overlooked – because we don’t know the promises of God? When we are not familiar with the word, so much of God’s very character is not known. It is then that we fill in the gaps with whatever characteristics we have heard, or even created in our own minds. The truth of God then becomes skewed. Distorted. Lost.
In the same chapter of Nehemiah, God is revealed as a generous God. Full of provision. A holy and just God. He is the creator of the skies, the heavens and all the stars, the earth, the seas, and everything in them. God is a God of forgiveness. He is gracious and merciful. He is slow to become angry and rich in unfailing love. He hears the cries of his people and when they turn to him for help, he rescues them.
Do you know God in this way? Is this how you see him?
Sometimes I forget the power of the One I serve. Sometimes I attempt to fix the situations and struggles that lie before me without asking God to help me. Sometimes my mind is slow to recall the amazing faithfulness and merciful grace God has demonstrated throughout history – and more specifically – in my own life.
How do you see Him? Is your understanding of God accurate? What are you using as your source? Are your thoughts of God aligned to who He really is?
LORD, help us to know you as you truly are. Guide us as we seek to learn the truth of your nature, your heart, your mind, your power. Father, give us the ability to discern what we hear and discover. You say, when we seek, we will find – LORD, we desire to seek you and find you. We desire to know you more, and in the process of knowing you more – become the men and women you would have us to be. We are your children. Help us to remember that you desire a relationship with us, and grow our desire for a deeper and more intimate relationship with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Blessings!