Psalm 113 and 114

Psalm 113
1 Praise the Lord!
Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord!
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever.
3 Everywhere—from east to west—praise the name of the Lord.
4 For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens.
5 Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?
6 He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
7 He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.
8 He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people!
9 He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 1141 When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—
2 the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom.
3 The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!
5 What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.
8 He turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.

I worked for a couple four star generals during my military career. Everybody knew...without being told...that these were seriously important men. They were constantly traveling throughout their commands ensuring their intents were followed. When they were "in the building" they were rarely seen. They were holed up in their offices conducting high level meetings. Yet, their presence within the command was profound. Rarely seen, but always regarded, they were bigger than life even though the average soldier or airman never saw them...and were reasonably certain the general knew nothing about them.

Not the kind of man you would invite over for a backyard barbecue or ask for a twenty dollar loan for gas money. These men have far more important concerns in their lives. Seriously. Few people have ever suggested it should be some other way. It's "just the way it is." In fact, many of us have seen the same dynamic played out with our parents, our teachers, or perhaps our coaches. The important people are inaccessible. they are, well, "too important" to get bogged down in the details of our lives.

The real problem here is many of us have the same view of God. He is far too important and busy to be involved in our insignificant little lives. Our Psalmist today reminds us this is not the case. After spending five verses portraying the majesty and might of God he concludes his psalm with a portrayal of divine intimacy that might surprise us: He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother.
Have you ever thought God could not possibly be interested in you miserable life with it's mundane problems? This kind of thinking leads to a sense of desperation that compounds the problems in life. This is not who God is. He has never been this way. Our God is fully aware of our needs and regularly reaches into our lives to make a difference. The ultimate example being the offering of His Son Jesus to deal with our sin.

The Marines have a slogan, "lead from the front." The idea being that the only way a commander can properly assess the needs of his troops is to be with them. A marine commander is always with his marines. I'd hesitate to suggest God is a "marine" but I will suggest this is His model. I encourage you to approach your life today with the same confidence we find in the Apostle Paul, who wrote, My God shall supply all my needs accouring to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4)

Live boldly out there today...