Moved By The Character of God

I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us.  Isaiah 63:7

When was the last time you defended someone who was being maligned and misunderstood? Perhaps something that person said was taken out of context and you stepped in to clarify. You reframed what had been said and defended their character.

I am called, as God’s child, to preserve and defend His Words when they are misused and misunderstood. Let’s face it. God is seen as someone to distrust. Even in the church, people are often biblically illiterate. They know clichés and quote them out of context. God is vilified due to ignorance. When that happens, lovers of God are to rush in and say, “No, let me show you what that really means. God can be trusted and His Words are beautiful!”

Preserving God’s words is a privilege and a full time job. As one in a teaching and mercy ministry, I am called to restore the breach between people and God. Hurting people inevitably stumble over God’s goodness. They distrust His promises. They flounder when His deliverance takes too long. They fall into a pit of disappointment when life fails to turn out like they thought it would. Once hope dies, it is hard to restore it.

The breadth of my teaching, and my music, is to reassure them that God is worthy of our trust. He is driven by love – not malice. Compassion – not revenge. Acceptance – not prejudice. Kindness – not cruelty.

Accusations against God can be many and an old discrimination is deeply entrenched and ironclad. Only love can melt a heart of stone. Only grace can penetrate the crusty exterior of a suspicious heart to make it confident again. As God’s servant, I am an integral part of that process. As I hear other’s stories and come up against their disillusionment, I have the privilege of seeing God use my words to begin to erode their veneer of disbelief. His Word is preserved and His character is revealed. May I not be mute when an opportunity reveals itself.

Lord, I can see that my words will be hollow if I have areas of unbelief in my own heart. Heal me of all hopelessness. In Jesus’ name, Amen