Abraham, like so many of us, is a study in contrasts. One minute he’s trusting God; the next he’s devising his own plan. His beginning was remarkable. Though not a worshiper of God, when God appeared to him and told him to leave his familiar and fertile homeland, he did. He traveled to a place he had never visited, through lands he had never navigated, to a future he did not know. God promised to make him a great nation though he was childless.

His trust in God was unbelievable.

When his herdsmen couldn’t get along with those of his nephew Lot, Abram literally took the high road and let Lot choose the more fertile Jordan valley. God responded again with a promise. “I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.”

His trust in God was unbelievable.

When Lot got in trouble, and armies came against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abram rallied 318 of his finest men and rescued his nephew. God was pleased. “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

His trust in God faltered.

But Abram said. This is the first time in any interaction with God that the dreaded conjunction but shows up. But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” God sent Abram into a deep sleep, told him once again that he would have offspring who would inherit everything from Egypt to the Euphrates. God sealed it with covenantal language.

Abram woke up and went about his business. For ten years he remained faithful. Finally Sarai, his wife had enough. She gave Abram her servant Hagar. Abram had sex with her and Ishmael was born. Sarai became jealous, mistreated Hagar, and Hagar fled with her newborn into the desert.

His trust in God faltered.

Abram turned 99, Sarai 90. God showed up again. “I am God Almighty (El Shaddai), walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly. Then Abram fell on his face. and God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.”

God called Abram Abraham before Abraham was even close to being Abraham. Sarai got a new name too: Sarah–mother of nations. Their bodies were dead (when it came to childbirth), but God’s promise was very much alive.

God Almighty remained faithful.

This is one of God’s most mysterious names. God (El) alone implies might and power. Shaddai seems to double down on that–but what kind of power? El (think Elohim) is the powerful creator God. El Shaddai is the God who can take bodies unable to give birth and  undo the natural course of creation. God created, God Almighty re-created.

Sin has wrecked the planet. The coronavirus is proof that sin unravels God’s original design.

But when God Almighty speaks, he makes better what was made worse.

Abram, exalted father, becomes Abraham, father of a multitude. Sarai, my princess, becomes Sarah, mother of nations.

If you are not who you once were, it is because God Almighty stepped into the existence of your life and changed your name. Oh, you may still be Margaret, or Ray, or Mark, but you are a different Margaret, Ray and Mark. You’re hardly recognizable as the person you once were. Why? Because God Almighty changed your name, and you too.

We don’t define God, He defines us.

The coronavirus doesn’t define God, He defines it. He is God Almighty, creator and life-changer. Pray this prayer to Him today:

Father, I thank you that you created the world and everything in it. But I thank you even more that you are involved in the details, big and small, and that nothing escapes you. I thank you that you make Abram Abraham and Sarai Sarah and that you’re making me who you’ve called me to be. God Almighty, determine my direction, my destiny, my purpose. Name me…and by your grace help me to walk in that name. I thank you that you gave your son Jesus the “name that is above every name, and that at his name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord.” God Almighty, today I bow and confess…and one day, when this life has ended, I will bow and confess with Abraham and Sarah. Amen and amen.

He named you. This powerful song (with 60 million views!) reminds us that he will never forget your name.

You’ve done it a thousand times. You meet someone for the first time and introduce yourself by telling them what you do. “I’m Julie, a stay-at-home mom.” “I’m George, I do mechanic work.” Who we are and what we do are inextricably linked.

Remember God’s promise to Moses? When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain. Moses arrived at the mountain and God announced himself by sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning. A trumpet announced his arrival; smoke billowed from the mountain. God made good on his promise to Moses.

But the people blew it. While Moses was on the mountain, they returned to their Egyptian ways, threw their gold into a fire, melted it down and made a golden calf. Music blaring, they worshiped the calf and forgot the God who brought them out of Egypt, who parted the Red Sea, who drowned Pharaoh’s army in that same sea.

They forgot God.

Moses came down the mountain to discover the debacle of idolatry, the devastation of spiritual amnesia.

They forgot God.

God reintroduced himself.

The Jehovah who met with Moses at Mt. Horeb (another name for Mt. Sinai) described himself this way.

The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7, ESV)

God did what you and I have done a thousand times. He introduced himself by telling what he does. His name is…

• merciful
• gracious
• slow to anger
• abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness
• keeping steadfast love for thousands
• forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin
• just: but who will by no means clear the guilty

That is Jehovah.

At the Red Sea, they needed to get out of Egypt; at Mt. Sinai, they needed to get Egypt out of them.

Their greatest problem was not being in Egypt. Their greatest problem was Egypt in them. And it’s our greatest problem too.

Romans 8 provides a remarkable parallel to Exodus 34.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Romans 8:32-36, ESV)

He gave up his Son for you.

If God has given us his greatest treasure, and thereby has met our greatest need, then He will meet all our lesser needs.

It had to be the most unexpected encounter ever.

Moses, engaged in the family business, led his father-in-law’s flock to pasture.  The destination:  Horeb—the mountain of God.  The very name means “to destroy, to kill.”  Little did Moses know that his own dreams would be brought to an end that day.  Perhaps he dreamed of inheriting the family business.  He would be the most successful herdsman in Midian.  God had different plans.  And he went to great lengths to get Moses’ attention.

God Himself showed up!  In the most extraordinary way, God turned Moses’ head.  A bush, ever burning, never consumed.  Moses looked again.  As if that weren’t enough, the inextinguishable bush spoke!  And it (He) called Moses name.

“Moses, Moses!”

“Here I am,” Moses replied.  He was off to a good start.  God wants that kind of response.  Availability.

“Don’t come near.  Take off your sandals.  The ground on which you are standing is holy!”

Moses must have passed that same spot several times.  Had he even sat under that bush to get a little relief from the punishing Mediterranean sun?  Holy?

God needs no special place to reveal himself.  As a matter of fact, he often reveals himself in the most ordinary circumstances.  He shows up when life is ebbing along as usual.  His timing is perfect—though often unexpected.

And wherever he shows up—it becomes a holy place.  He needs no entourage, no fanfare.  A bush.  A desert.  A fugitive prince turned shepherd—about to become leader of a nation.

God identified himself.  Moses hid himself.  Perhaps he thought of the murder.  Was God ready to settle with him?  Or maybe God’s radiance blinded him.  He couldn’t bear to look into the bush.  Whatever the reason, Moses was afraid to look at God.  God continued speaking.

“I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt.  I have given heed to their cry.  I am aware of their suffering.  I am ready to deliver them, to bring them to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”

So far so good.  Moses must have wondered why God was telling him.  God continues.

“Again, the cry of the Israelites has come up to me.  I have seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them.  Therefore, I am sending you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring my people out of Egypt.”

Not good.  Moses liked the story until he heard his role.  He could go along with everything God was saying.  After all, he lost his position as prince because he couldn’t stand to see his brothers treated so harshly.  God was on target until he got personal.  No, he couldn’t do it.

“Who am I?” Moses asked, “that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

Moses saw himself as a murderer.  God saw a messenger.  Moses remembered his failures.  God revealed his future.

Moses, a displaced prince was destined to become an undaunted leader.  Jochebed’s fateful trip to the Nile now held meaning.  Miriam’s chance rescue of her baby brother was no accident.  God makes no mistakes.  Moses, a former “insider” would return to Egypt.  He still hesitated.

God answered.  “I will be with you.  This will be your sign.  When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship at this mountain.”

A sign?  Moses could hardly consider that to be a sign.  The sign would come after the fact.  Once Moses completed God’s request, God would affirm that he had indeed done the right thing.  In other words, “Moses, I’m expecting you to step out on faith.”

Moses carried the conversation one step further.  “Suppose I go.  Who will I tell them sent me?  If they ask me your name, what will I say?”

Moses waited.  God answered.

“I Am Who I Am.  Tell them I Am has sent me to you.  The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.  This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”

Jehovah.

I am who I am.  God, through a bush, looked at Moses and said, “I am the self-existing God.  I simply am.  Before time began, I was.  In the here and now, I am.  In the future, I will be.  Nothing will ever alter me, change me, shape me.  I am who I have always been.  Remember Abraham?  I was Jehovah to him.  Isaac?  I was still Jehovah.  Jacob?  Though he constantly dealt in lies, I remained true.  I’m Jehovah.”

Jehovah, God’s name.  Consider with me a newborn child.  To the hospital, he is just another child, one of many born on that particular day.  To you, the parents, he is your son, your child.  You choose a name.  From that moment on he is not “a baby” but “Justin.”  When you talk of him, you talk of Justin.  His characteristics, the way he does what he does, how he eats, talks, and sleeps are all bound up in his name.  The mention of his name elicits certain emotions.  He is Justin.  He will always be Justin.  He’s never been anything else but Justin.

God looked at Moses and said, “I Am Who I Am.”  Everything in my character is bound up in the name, “Jehovah.”  I am not just another god, I am God.  I am Jehovah.

Looking past Moses, God saw Pharaoh’s hardened heart.  I Am Who I Am.  He heard the complaints of Moses’ people as Pharaoh increased their workload.  I Am Who I Am.  He witnessed the magicians performing the same miracles Moses performed.  I Am Who I Am.  He heard the cries of Egyptian mothers who lost their firstborn children.  I Am Who I Am.  He saw the Red Sea become walls of water enveloping an expanse of dry land large enough for an entire nation to cross.  I Am Who I Am.  He pictured hundreds of thousands of people worshipping Him at the very place where Moses now stood.  I Am Who I Am.  He looked at Moses, the family businessman, and saw Moses, the deliverer of his people.  I Am Who I Am.

How about you?  You stand on the backside of the desert of your own life.  Looking back you see a track record that leaves you finishing last.  Past failures cast a shadow over any hope of a bright future.  Like Moses, you feel the past is best forgotten.  Yet your past haunts every step you take.  And now the future is riddled with its own questions. As a doctor or nurse, you wonder what you will encounter today. As a teacher, you’re learning to teach in a way that you never studied in school.

Where you see failure, He sees future.  When you cry “I can’t!”  He responds, “I will.”  For your excuses, he gives reasons.  You can’t possibly see how he could use you.  And He insists that you are the one he has especially called for the task.

He is Jehovah—the I Am.

And He Is.

When you fail, He Is faithful.  When you are broken, He Is the balm for the wounded soul.  When you are alone, He Is always present.  For your hurt, He Is the healer.  He Is hope for the hopeless, unlimited opportunity for the useless, and boldness for the backward.  He Is.

You will never cross a river He has not already forded, never go through a valley where He is not the lily. He Is.  Fill in the blank.  He is Jehovah, the self-sufficient One.  Whatever your need, He is able to meet it.  He simply Is.

God has brought us to this place.  Our comfort, security, status quo are gone.  The future is more uncertain than it has ever been.

In all of this, He Is.

And God said.

God’s voice broke the silence.  His words pierced the darkness.  The time had come for the interruption of emptiness, the declaration of creativity.   “Let there be light.”  And there was light.  God’s first creative activity—light.  Oceans would have to wait.  Mountain peaks be patient.  Galaxies on hold.  Light came first.  Darkness dissipated.  Nothingness evaporated.  Emptiness filled.

And God said.

Darkness fled like a hunted prisoner.  Never again would light and darkness mix.  Never again would darkness overpower light.  From this creative moment, light would always dominate darkness.  Darkness settled for second place—forever.  Day and night became reality.  No longer would life be lived in continuous blackness.  Night would always be sandwiched between two days.

And God said.

Nothing became something.  Darkness surrendered to light.  The abyss became the Grand Canyon.  Chaos succumbed to organization.  All because God spoke.

And God said.

Three words that have done more to change the course of history than any words ever spoken.  Who is this God?

Who is this God who dared interfere with the status quo?  Who is this God who spoke and worlds came into existence?  Who is this God who displaced darkness with the announcement of light?  Who is this God whose word is so trustworthy that the mere mention of his plans brings them into existence?

He is Elohim.  Creator God.  Designer of the universe.  He is the One who broke into nothingness and left orbiting planets and pulsating stars in its place.  Elohim—the One who stirred up dust and breathed into it the breath of life.  Elohim.

The very name means mighty, strong, powerful.  When God chose to reveal Himself, he displayed His power.  When God decided to invent humanity, He did so through the demonstration of unequivocal power.  When God initiated human life, He did so as the Sovereign ruler of the universe.

From Genesis 1:1 to 2:4, Elohim is used 35 times to describe God–and another 2,295 times in the rest of Scripture.  Though other names come later, Elohim stands alone in these verses as the descriptive name of God.  He is omnipotent.

Not only is He Elohim the creator God, and Elohim the covenant God; He is Elohim, the God who is three in One.  His voice resonates through the shining new creation, “Let us make man in our image.”  In that instant, He confers with the Son and the Spirit.  Their decision is unanimous.  As a matter of fact, their decision is always unanimous.  This is the Dream Team.  They never disagree—never.  Elohim is plural, yet consistently One.

In those early days, when the earth didn’t know the footprints of a man, where three-day old tigers explored newly created jungles, Elohim made a decision.  Looking at His Son He said, “Let us make man.”

Jesus, knowing that Eve would choose a bite of fruit over the sweetness of eternal bliss, said yes.  Jesus, knowing that man’s failure would require His faithfulness, said yes. Jesus, understanding man’s proclivity toward sin and his eventual need for a personal Savior, said yes.

No other team has ever worked like Elohim.  Though He is three in One, He is One in three.  There is no dissension, no difficulty.  He is Elohim—creator, covenant-maker, and Christ.

In that moment of decision, Jesus looked across the years and saw you.  He saw you cry in your mother’s arms.  He watched you take your first steps.  He witnessed your first spanking.  He saw the tears of your mother when she left you at school for the very first time.  He enjoyed your first basketball game, and the trophy, too!  He cringed when you looked at your friend’s Algebra paper, hurt when you laughed at your poorly dressed neighbor.  He wept when you went too far with your girlfriend.  His heart broke when you said His name—and you weren’t talking to Him.

At that moment, He knew that creation would cause his crucifixion.

He looked across the years and saw the cross.  He felt the tearing of the flesh as the whip tore into his back.  He heard his own groans as he lifted the cross to his shoulders.  He jerked when the nail ripped apart his wrist.  He looked into the eyes of the one holding the hammer—and saw you!

“Let us make __________________________.”  You fill in the blank.  Write your name there.  He knew what you would do to him, that one day you would hold the hammer; one day you would drive the nail.  In total submission to the Father, He said, “Yes.”

Elohim.  Amazingly consistent.  Faithful One.  He is the Creator God, the Coming Christ, and the Comforting Spirit.  Jesus now sits at the right hand of God.  He proclaimed with his death, “It is finished!”  Never again will he face the cry of the crowd.  Never again will he flinch as the hair is pulled from his face. Never again will he cry from a cross in desperate loneliness.  The work has been done—the awesome task completed.

He didn’t leave you comfortless, though.  You don’t fight this battle alone.  No!  The Holy Spirit, that third person of the Trinity, leads the way.  He goes before you, is behind you, and lives within you.  Jesus Himself said, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.”  (John 14:16-17, NAS)

When you struggle with the meaning of your life, he is Elohim, the God who created you. And if he can create, he can also re-create. He can make you, and creation, all over again. This version of this song is brand new…released yesterday. God made the first garden and the people in it. And He can turn today’s grave into a garden.

Psalm 20 doesn’t avoid reality. David opens the Psalm with these words: “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble.” He doesn’t say if the day of trouble comes–it is sure to come. The day of trouble is an untimely death, an unexpected job loss, the disappointment of a wayward child, the devastating news that your husband or wife is cheating, a bill you never saw coming, a diagnosis that stopped you in your tracks, the unwelcome depression that crept into your life, or your unrelenting boss. For all of us, the coronavirus and its aftermath is a most unexpected and unwelcome day of trouble.

Whatever your day of trouble, Psalm 20 is for you. Pray it for yourself. Pray it for someone you know.

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call. (Psalm 20:1-9, ESV)

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.–King David

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

If you’re going to live out Psalm 120, you will have to take what you normally trust in and trade it for trust in God. A way to immediately apply this Psalm is to pray, “Lord, I usually trust in (my health, my investments, my abilities, my knowledge, my perusal strength) , but today I will trust in you, Elohim, the God who created me. Or Lord I’m sorry that I’ve trusted in (my ability to protect my family) but today I trust in (El Shaddai, God Almighty).

Over the next few days (and maybe weeks) we will explore these names. And I am convinced you will discover a God you never knew.

Every day I talk with someone who deals with fear or anxiety. If your personal life isn’t falling apart, 5 minutes of the news reveals a world seemingly spinning out of control. A couple of years ago I discovered a resource from Biblestudytools.com.  Use this as a prayer guide when you’re afraid.

1. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) God, I acknowledge my need for you today. I pray that you would breathe peace onto me through your Holy Spirit. Guard my heart. Show me how to protect my mind. I am weak on my own and so I fall back on your strength today.
2. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (Psalm 56:3) Jesus, I put my trust in you today. Anxious thoughts are taking over my mind, and it’s easy to take my eyes off of you when I feel afraid. Remind me of who you are. Pour out your love on me, that I might remember you are always good and always faithful, especially when I am afraid.
3. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)  Lord Jesus, thank you for always being with me. Your name, Immanuel, means God with us. I’m so grateful today that you are near me no matter what anxious thoughts try to creep into my mind. Thank you for being my strength when I am weak. You are faithful always. I love you, Lord, and I rely on you today and every day. Amen.
4. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) God, thank you for this truth. Thank you for the gifts you bestow on us–gifts that help ease our anxious spirits and remind us of who we are in Christ. Thank you for giving us power to fight the lies. Thank you for loving us even in our brokenness.
5. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)  Lord Jesus, we know in you we are conquerors. Sometimes, it can feel so hard to believe that. We don’t feel strong or courageous, and we worry relentlessly about our lives and circumstances. Remind us today that we are strong in you.
6. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) Lord, my heart is broken. My mind is restless and my spirit is uneasy. When I feel broken down or defeated, I want to run to you, knowing you are always present and always near. Comfort me, Jesus.
7. An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. (Proverbs 12:25) Jesus, my anxious heart is weighing me down today. I confess that I have become consumed by my own thoughts and I have lost sight of who you are. Speak kindly to my heart, Lord, and remind me of what is true. Thank you for your forgiveness and your endless grace for me.
8. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. (Colossians 3:15) Dear Lord, it is my deep desire that your peace would rule in my heart. When I feel uneasy or unsettled, I want to know you are near me. Calm my fears, settle my spirit, and bring rest to my heart as I surrender myself to you today.
9. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11) Lord, thank you for giving me strength. On the hard days, help me to remember you are never far away. Your strength is always fighting for me–I need only to be still in your presence. Thank you for bringing peace to me. Thank you for every blessing. I want to name and remember them today, for you are always good. Amen.

I love songs. This one will serve as a good backdrop to this prayer.

Play the video and read (or sing if you wish) the words. You may have forgotten this since Sunday. We will be reminded of this again Sunday at 9:15 when we’re all “together” around God’s word, “with” his people, singing his songs.  I can’t wait to worship with you.

When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast.
When the tempter would prevail, he will hold me fast.
I could never keep my hold, through life’s fearful path.
For my love is often cold, he must hold me fast.

He will hold me fast.
He will hold me fast.
For my Savior loves me so.
He will hold me fast.

Those he saves are his delight, Christ will hold me fast.
Precious in his holy sight, he will hold me fast.
He’ll not let my soul be lost, His promises shall last.
Bought by Him at such a cost, he will hold me fast.

He will hold me fast.
He will hold me fast.
For my Savior loves me so.
He will hold me fast.

For my life he bled and died, Christ will hold me fast.
Justice has been satisfied, he will hold me fast.
Raised with him to endless life, he will hold me fast.
Til our faith is turned to sight, when He comes at last.

He will hold me fast.
He will hold me fast.
For my Savior loves me so.
He will hold me fast.

He will hold me fast.
He will hold me fast.
For my Savior loves me so.
He will hold me fast.

Singing comes natural when life is good, the bills are paid, the family is well and the future looks bright. However, when the news isn’t good, singing often escapes us. David taught us in Psalm 57 to sing in the cave. Running for his life, with his enemies camped all around him, he wrote:

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. (Psalm 57:1, ESV)

Before David sang, he cried out to God. His singing never glossed over his fear, never ignored his dilemma. When you’re in the cave, there’s no need to pretend life is good. Problems are problems. Hurts are hurts. Bad news is bad news. A troubling diagnosis is a troubling diagnosis. David calls his enemies lions, fiery beasts with spears for teeth and swords for a tongue!

But he doesn’t stay there.

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! (Psalm 57:7, ESV)

This is the same Psalm! David is still sitting in the same cave. Saul is still pursuing him. None of that has changed.

When you’re in the cave, you will have to will what you do not feel.

What is your song? When life unravels, what fills your mind? The content of David’s song emerges in verse 10: your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. When life is unsteady, God is. God’s faithfulness extends to the clouds. In other words, when David can only see the walls of the cave with his physical eyes, his eyes of faith see the faithfulness of God extending to the clouds.

David reflects on the character of God (he wills to see God in spite of his circumstances) and as a result reflects the character of God (he feels God’s presence).

I love the determination and faith of the phrase till the storms of destruction pass by. David knew he wouldn’t be in the cave forever. Neither will you. One day we will emerge from this unexpected trial. The sun will shine again.

“How can you be so sure?” you ask. Easter. Yes, Easter!

In between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday was Silent Saturday. Mary and her friends mourned. Peter wept. Judas lay dead. The world was silent. Hope seemed lost. But Silent Saturday gave way to Resurrection Sunday. Jesus rose! Everything I believe is staked on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I live my life by it, preach with its shadow long and constant over my sermons, lead with its hope waving like a victory flag over a conquered land.

Silent Saturdays give way to Resurrection Sundays.

You see, David wasn’t the only one who went down into a cave. Jesus did too! But while in his cave, Jesus marched down into hell, took the keys to death, hell and the grave from Satan, and rose victoriously on the third day. It’s a silent Saturday right now…but resurrection Sunday is coming.

This old song is built on Psalm 57:1. Take time to take it in. This storm will pass by.

The last two days I have spent with our Emergency Management department in McDowell County. Monday afternoon I sat in a room with leaders of every county agency in our first (of many) coordination meetings. One phrase came to mind as I listened to leaders share ideas, resources and solutions: competent compassion. We are blessed in McDowell County with competent, compassionate leaders.

I am convinced that in any crisis we have a choice: underprepare and be overwhelmed, overprepare and perhaps (hopefully) be underwhelmed. I always prefer the latter.

So what does competent compassion look like?

Competent compassion faces facts honestly

The threat is real. To ignore it is to ignore what’s happened around the world. This differs from the flu in two primary ways: it is highly contagious and has a higher morbidity rate among those who are at risk. We have an invisible enemy that is no respecter of persons. Someone can be contagious without being symptomatic. The coronavirus is a formidable enemy. Competent compassion faces that reality.

Competent compassion collaborates

At Monday’s meeting, our leaders brought their ideas, resources and personnel to bear on this problem. One thing no one brought: their egos. Everyone checked their egos at the door. Competent compassion focuses on others, not ourselves. Competent compassion has a singular focus: eradicating the problem that is threatening those under our care. As government, law enforcement, school, emergency and church leaders of McDowell County, we are committed to doing our best to protect and provide. I know we are committed to that.

Competent compassion cares

If competent compassion had a single-worded definition it is sacrifice. Competent compassion puts others before ourselves. The reality is that this virus is most deadly to older people. Just because you are young doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible. What makes you feel bad can cause someone else to die. If you’re young, serve in two ways: by helping others who need your help (go to mcdowellcares.com and sign up on “I Can Help”), and by staying away from large gatherings (where you can contract the virus and unknowingly pass it to someone at risk).

One final word: God is for us.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32, ESV)

We cannot forget this. God has met our greatest need. And if he will meet our greatest need, he will not neglect our lesser needs.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

I’ve sung this song for years…and for all those years I wondered what an ebenezer was. A couple of years ago, while reading 1 Samuel 7 I came across the word:

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12 ESV)

The ebenezer stone had one purpose–to remind the Israelites of how God had helped them. What you don’t see in the summary of verse 12 is the near defeat the Israelites avoided. The Philistines came storming in “But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.” (1 Samuel 7:10 ESV) To remember that victory they chose a stone and called it their “ebenezer”–their stone of help. Ebenezer simply means “stone of help.”

Till now the Lord has helped us.

How has God helped you? Here I raise mine Ebenezer. What does your ebenezer represent? What has God done for you lately?

Today, pause to raise a “stone of help.” Mark today by remembering the gracious work of God in your life. Thank him specifically for what he has done.

Don’t allow the trials of today to cloud the victories of yesterday. Don’t let the worries about tomorrow erase God’s faithfulness today.

Raise an ebenezer. Write it down. Remember the time when God worked. And thank him.