The Earth Is the Lord's

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded upon the seas and established it upon the rivers" (Ps. 24:1-2, ESV).

It's important to remember that the earth belongs to the Lord.  He alone is the sovereign Creator.  We owe him our allegiance because he made us and the world we live in.  It is in him that we live, and move and have our being.  Are we giving him the proper worship? Do we acknowledge his sovereignty over us by faithful obedience? Or do we deny his ownership?

The Gospel According to Luke

I started reading through the Gospel of Luke today. I was struck by three themes God's sovereignty, his covenantal faithfulness, and his providential care for his people. There is no doubt that the Scriptures present God as Sovereign. Luke's Gospel is no different. God' s sovereignty is demonstrated in his pronouncements concerning John the Baptist and Jesus. It is further demonstrated by his opening of the barren womb and then the virgin womb.

Mary states, "He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever" (Luke 1:54-55). And Zechariah proclaims that Jesus' coming was "to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham" (Luke 1:72-73). We should not underestimate the importance of covenant faithfulness. The covenantal promises defined the people of God and their relationship to them. Just as Israel's identity was tied to the Old Covenant, so our identity as believers is tied to the New Covenant. But more important than the Covenant is the One on whom the Covenant rests. It was God who promised, and confirmed it with an oath, and God cannot lie. Jesus' coming is demonstrated to be the fulfillment of the promises and the completion of the covenant.

We also see God's providential care in Luke's Gospel. He demonstrates God's providential care through his references to the ordering of circumstances. Such facts as "in the days of Herod," "[Zechariah] was chosen by lot," and "the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David" (Luke 1:5, 9, 26-27) all demonstrate God's ordering and his care. These events are no mere coincidence, but a clear plan emerges as we are reminded that these events have been forth-told by the Lord through His prophets.

These concepts are the heart and soul of practical theology. God's sovereignty, His covenantal faithfulness, and His providential care are all practical matters. If we understand these realities correctly they will shape our lives and bring us great confidence in the Lord. They help us to move beyond our circumstances and feelings. They aid us in pressing forward in faith and obedience, confident in the knowledge that God is in control and he cares for us.

A Watched Pot

We all have heard the old expression, "A Watched Pot Never Boils." We Delia coined a new expression, closely related, "A Watched Email Never Arrives." We had hoped to here something Friday concerning Sophia's passport, but as of yet, we have not heard anything. Now I could complain (and want to), but as I was reminded by my lovely wife, complaining is really an expression of distrust toward God.

When I complain about a situation, at best I am saying that God is not fair. At worst, I am saying that God is not in control. If I believe that God is truly sovereign over all things and that he is always righteous in his judgments, then to question the validity of a circumstance is to question God's character.

When thinking through this truth an image popped into my mind. It was from the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. In one of the early scenes Frodo (one of the main characters) addresses a newly arrived Gandalf (an elderly wizard coming to visit Frodo's uncle Bilbo). Frodo tells Gandalf he is late. Gandalf says something like "a wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

I am not implying that God is a wizard, but the words reminded me of a truth. God does not operate on human time tables. He has a plan and a purpose and we must submit to him, not the other way around. As Peter reminds us, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day" (2 Pet. 3:8).

Please continue to pray for us and for the foster family, as well as the birth mother. Pray that we will trust the Lord's purposes for this time of waiting. Pray that we will uphold the glory of his name through humble submission to his will, and that we will not slander his name by complaining. He is faithful and true and in control. Also pray that I can learn how to humbly submit and rest in his sovereign hand. And, please pray, we get Sophia home soon. God Bless.