Lily Of The Covenant Series

I don’t particularly wish to become overly political, but it is nevertheless true that we Canadians do face some great challenges as result of government policies in recent days. As part of the continuing drive to make our future green by assuming the place of God to take control of the climate, our politicians are compelling farmers to cease fertilizing crops. Do our politicians actually believe they can control weather and crops? I’m sure that this effort is going to work out as least as well as political manipulation of the cod stocks by past governments. When shoppers in Ottawa and Toronto can no longer find groceries on their store shelves, and especially staples such as bread and milk, the politicians will no doubt have an answer ready to comfort starving city dwellers.

As the stock market nosedives and inflation rises, retirement funds evaporate and people, especially those who are retired or on fixed incomes, feel a sense of rising panic. Increasingly, families are forced to decide between buying groceries or paying the hydro bill, or they must decide whether they should pay for medical care or pay for housing. Whenever these conditions are brought up for discussion, the response most frequently given by the experts seems to be, “Don’t worry; be happy!” It is as though the best advice these economic ninjas can give is, “I hope it all works out.”

Hope that has no foundation is at best a flimsy, diaphanous strand that threatens to break at any moment. However, the hope that David expresses in this Psalm is firmly fixed on God Who cannot fail. David knows God, and he knows what God can do; thus, he is confident of what the LORD can do. A god who doesn’t answer our cries for help will inevitably prove to be an illusion. A god who is distant and always unavailable is a god no one would ever dare trust. However, David’s confidence rests in the LORD; he knows that God does not boast without reason.

I wonder whether we preachers have done parishioners a disservice through our failure to declare more frequently from the pulpit the might and majesty of our God. Moreover, we need to declare His power and His glory with greater persuasiveness. We who follow the Risen Saviour will aver that we believe in God’s majesty, but when were you last driven to silence with a sense of awe such as possessed Jacob when he was in the presence of God? When did you last come into the assembly of the righteous and exclaim, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” [see GENESIS 28:14]? When did you last witness the Lord’s awesome holiness such as the early disciples witnessed when He judged Ananias and Saphira, striking them dead for their attempt to lie to His Holy Spirit [see ACTS 5:11]? Those who have witnessed God’s awesome judgement aere inevitably fearful. When was the last time you were afraid because you knew you were in the presence of God who is holy? When did you last confess, “Woe is me! For I am lost” [see ISAIAH 6:5]? When was the last time you worshipped, truly worshipped, compelled to confess before the Lord God, “You are awesome” [see PSALM 76:7 NET BIBLE]?