Monthly Archives: November 2018

our Portion and Exceeding Joy, The Lord is all we need

The Lord is Our Portion, Our Exceeding Joy, Even When Life Crumbles.

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“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore, I have hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:24 (New American Standard Bible NASB)

Lamentations is not typically a section of scripture you might think of turning to for encouragement. Jeremiah, who wrote it, was known as the ‘weeping prophet’. However, I found myself in chapter 3 on a night I needed encouragement to find my spiritual footing.

In a whirlwind of holiday activities, I’d lost the sense of God’s nearness. My heart had latched on to the temporal again and I needed to be reminded the Lord Himself is my Exceeding Joy (Psalm 43:4.)

The chapter starts off gloomy; with descriptions of affliction, darkness, broken bones, bitterness, hardship, forgotten happiness, and rejected peace.

But in verses 22-24, hope is reignited:

  • The Lord’s lovingkindness never ends
  •  His compassions never fail, they’re new every morning
  • His faithfulness is great

Then I read, “The Lord is my portion”, says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:24 (NASB)

In spite of how he was feeling, Jeremiah found an anchor for his soul. In being reminded God is His portion, Jeremiah found hope in Him?

But what does this really mean?

The Lord is Our Portion

Is the Lord as our portion like a piece of Thanksgiving pie?

Not at all.

God is never just a part. When we have Him, we have Him all. And in Him, we are complete, filled to the brim, fully satisfied.

In spite of what goes on around us and in us, The Lord Himself is our full part, our share, our award.

God said to Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1 (NIV)

God, Our Very Great Reward. What else do we need? Even if we lose something very dear to us, we can be okay. We don’t lose hope. His nearness is our Good. (Psalm 73:28)

We always have our Pearl of Great Value, worthy of our all. (Matthew 13:45-46)

Challenge: What temporal trial has stolen your joy? What worldly condition must be good for you to be okay? Is there an area of your life which has crumpled? Like Jeremiah, do you feel darkness, affliction and desolation?

Through it all, the Lord is our Portion, our Possession, our Part. No matter what happens here, He remains. He is our All, whether we know it or not.  He wants our whole, surrendered hearts and He won’t relent until He has it. He doesn’t want us settling for happiness when we can have Him.

 Prayer: “God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart.
    Examine me through and through;
    find out everything that may be hidden within me.
    Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares.
 See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on,
    and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways—
    the path that brings me back to you.” Psalm 139:23-24 (TPT – The Passion Translation)

 

Loved by God, Loved in spite of how we feel

When I Don’t Feel God’s Lovingkindness

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O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;  My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.  Psalm 63:1-3

As the sun warms my face, on a brisk, fall morning in the mountains of North Carolina, I read about God’s lovingkindness toward us.

David was in the wilderness when he penned the Psalm 63 and he compared his longing soul to dry, cracked soil. He was in desperate need of God’s presence, His Rivers of Living Water. (John 7:37-38)

I can relate to David’s desperate longings for God, but what catches my attention is the phrase “lovingkindness.”  David says it’s better than life itself.

Lovingkindness. What does it really mean? I’ve heard it said that if love is compared to a piece of freshly baked bread, slathered with butter. Lovingkindness is like adding strawberry preserves to what’s already succulently delicious.

The Hebrew word used here means goodness, faithfulness and kindness.

Jesus tells us God’s love for us is as great as the Father’s love for Him. (John 15:9) Paul uses words about God’s love for us which conger images of an ocean of love, beyond our understanding. (Ephesians 3:16-21)

When life is good, I can recognize God’s lovingkindness. However, in hard times, I don’t always feel loved, mostly because I don’t feel lovable.

Two situations come to mind.

  • when I fail
  • when I’m hurt.
When I Fail

I hate failing. I’ve had failures as a husband, as a father, as a son, as a brother, as an employee and an employer, as a friend, etc. Failure can cause me to feel unlovable. How can I be loved when I’ve performed so poorly?

As I write, the Holy Spirit reminds me:

I’ve been united with Christ in his death and resurrection. (Romans 6) I’ve been raised with Christ and seated with him in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6) In spite of my failures, I’m perfectly loved because my life is hidden with Christ (Colossians 3:3-4) Even though, in this temporal realm, I’m far from perfect, God loves me as much as He loves Jesus (John 15:9).

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Colossians 1:21-22

In Christ, I’m holy, blameless and beyond reproach. When I see this, and believe it by faith, I begin to feel God’s lovingkindness, even in my failures. There are truths about me in Christ which can’t change because they are eternal.

When I’m Hurt

Another time I have a hard time embracing God’s lovingkindness for me is when I’ve been hurt. Being hurt can cause deep emotional pain, making me feel rejected and unlovable, even by God.

When I invite God into my pain, I do sense His presence and comfort.  I’m learning not to rely on the love of others for my value.

What helps is to realize the surpassing greatness of God’s love compared to even our dearest earthly relationships.  All human relationships must be secondary to our relationship with God. In fact, in Luke 14:26 Jesus says, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Compared to God’s great love, human love is like hate. God’s lovingkindness far exceeds all human affection. When I get a grasp of the expanse of His surpassing love for me, I’m filled with Joy, even in the most difficult human hurts.

More and more I seek love only from Him. This frees me up to love others for their sake, not for what I can get out of the relationship.

Better Than Life

God’s love overshadows everything about us. And when life is hardest, His lovingkindness shines even brighter. As a diamond sparkles against a dark background, God’s love is more brilliant in our darkest days.

Prayer: Lord, I rest in your love right now. I desire to walk in your love throughout the day. Even when I go through hard times, your love shines brighter and brighter. You are faithful. You are good. You are kind.

You love me.

Your lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalm 136)

Your lovingkindness is better than life.

Please keep me aware of you and your love moment by moment.

Amen