5.h. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!

Job 11:7   “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.

Psalms 77:19     Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.

Psalms 145:3    Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

Ecclesiastes 3:11    He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Isaiah 40:28   Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

Romans 11:33   Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Ephesians 3:8   To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

1 Corinthians 2:16   “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”

We catch glimpses of the mysteries of God.  We see men of God who searched deep, hard and long for this glimpse of God.  In the end, they come to the conclusion that His greatness is unsearchable for when we capture the briefest of a glimpse we are no closer to understanding how awesome He is.  We just see more and understand that He is greater than are the furthest imagination.  When we examine and search for His love we find it greater and more encompassing.  When we search out His might and power it is greater than all men who have been born before and now and in the future combined.  When we search out His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding we are no closer to finding it than when we began, even if we were to search it out for millions of years.  When we search out His grace and mercy we come to Jesus Christ and have an example but it still leaves us with unsearchable Holy qualities that are too high, too deep, and too wide to comprehend even the surface of it.

Certainly, we can meditate on God and His Word and grow more mature in our understanding and grow in our want to know Him more and more, and serve Him more, and honor Him more, and follow Him more, and obey Him more and this is our goal and purpose this side of eternity.  In the scope of eternity we are here but a blink of an eye.  Think about what it will be like to be in His presence forever and ever.  Let not another day go by with neglect of honoring Him.  He alone is worthy.

1.c. Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!

1 Chronicles 16:8  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

Isaiah 12:4    And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

1 Corinthians 1:2   To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Psalms 145:5-6    On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.  They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.

Psalms 78:3-6    things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

1 Kings 8:43   hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you,

Give thanks, call upon His name, and make known his deeds – these are actions a person who has given their whole heart, mind, and soul to God will do.  When we call upon His name we are honoring and recognizing God as the all powerful, all loving, one and only God who can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.   We demonstrate that deep within our heart and soul and mind we trust in, cling to, and rely on God in all things.  When we call on Him we are surrendering our trust in self  to trust in God.  When we call on Him we acknowledge that He is able to protect us. strengthen us, guide us, and give us peace in the midst of the storms of life.  We give thanks to Him for what He has done, what He is doing, and for what He has promised to do.  He alone is our heart and mind meditating on.  Giving thanks to God keeps us humble because we see the hand of Him in our life and do not take credit for it ourselves.  We make known these acts of God because we love Him and cannot contain the awesome and majestic work He has done in our life.

If we are no calling on God, we will not have reason to give Him thanks, we will have no reason to make known His deeds.  In other  words we are being nothing more than those who spoke of God with their lips but their heart and minds were far from Him.

Doer of Good

“But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him”

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Psalms 106:1  Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!  Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise?  Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

 Romans 11:33    Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

 Job 26:14     Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

 Job 5:9     who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number:

 John 14:23     Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

 Romans 2:7    to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 

 Galatians 6:9    And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

 Revelation 22:14    Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

 James 1:25    But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

God is powerful and mighty.  His steadfast love endures forever. He does so much more than we can comprehend.  What we see of Him is but a vapor of His unsearchable wisdom, knowledge, and majesty.  His promises are to those who love and honor Him.  We are encouraged in scripture to have patience in doing good, not growing weary of doing good, and to not just be hears of His word but doers with action.  Give thought today on hearing the whispers of guidance from God and being a patient doer of good for His glory and honor.

Today at His feet I lay my burdens down

“For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.”

Psalms 98:1   Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Psalms 77:14     You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.

Exodus 15:6    Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.

Psalms 105:5    Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

Isaiah 43:18-20     “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people,

Psalms 139:14     I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Luke 1:49     for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Revelation 15:3-4     And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!  Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Revelation 19:11-21     Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

Sometime we lose sight of what God can do in the present.  We read what He has done in the past.  We also see what He has done in our own life in the past.  We read of what He will do in the future and we trust His promises proclaimed in His word.  Knowing and believing this, why is it so hard in the present to seek Him first, to tell Him how your heart aches, and trust in Him.  Issues come and it seems to erase what we know about God, at least our ability to lay it at His feet and walk in comfort of placing it there. He is our rock, hope, joy, and forever steadfast in His love for us.  He does not change and can do more than we ask and much more than we can think.

Most high over all the earth

Psalms 97:1  The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.  All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD.  For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.  O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.   Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

I am not sure of the author but I was intrigued (and convicted once again) by this short conversation and his comments on this Psalm. Why do I grumble at the circumstance I am in?  Why do I not trust God in all things? Why do I speak of His power, might, strength and control over all there is and then fall into the trap of not believing it?  Forgive me.

When Bulstrode Whitelock was embarked as Cromwell’s envoy to Sweden, in 1653, he was much disturbed in mind, as he rested at Harwich the preceding night, which was very stormy, as he thought upon the distracted state of the nation. It happened that a confidential servant slept in an adjacent bed, who, finding that his master could not sleep, at length said: —

“Pray, sir, will you give me leave to ask you a question?”

“Certainly.”

“Pray, sir, do you think God governed the world very well before you came into it?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“And pray, sir, do you think that He will govern it quite as well when you are gone out of it?”

“Certainly.”

“Then pray, sir, excuse me, but do not you think you may trust him to govern it quite as well as long as you live?”

To this question Whitelock had nothing to reply; but turning about, soon fell fast asleep, till he was summoned to embark. –G.S. Bowes, in “Illustrative Gatherings.” 1862. The reign of the Lord in the saints.

First, This kingdom that God is now setting up is his everlasting kingdom. It will not be administered by the weakness of man, but by the power of God; not by the folly of man, but by the judgment of God. God will, in this kingdom, nakedly manifest his own righteousness, his own compassion and pity; his own love, his own peace: he will do all things immediately by his own self. And therefore all the pride and ambition, all the oppression and tyranny, and miscarriages that have been in the government of men, shall be wholly taken away. Pure righteousness and judgment and equity shall be infallibly dispensed; and infinite power, strength, holiness, goodness, and authority shall shine forth nakedly in the face of God; and that shall be the judge of all men. We shall no longer be abused and oppressed by the will of men, by the lusts of men. The poor people shall no longer groan under the burden of men’s lusts, nor sweat for the pleasure and contents of men; nor their faces any longer be ground by the hardness of the spirit of men; but they shall be under the protection of God. The great cry now of the people is, “Let’s have a King!” Ye shall have one, one that will “reign in righteousness”, the LORD himself.

I will Praise You

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

“I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.”

Psalms 71:14  But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

Psalms 66:16    Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

2 Samuel 22:1 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.  He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.  “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;  the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.  “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.

1 Chronicles 16:4  Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!  Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!  Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!  Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered,

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Giving thanks to God and speaking about His righteousness, power, might, strength and salvation are indicators of the abundance of Him in our heart and mind.  Note how those in scripture speak of God.  This is for our edification and to encourage us to continually seek God in all we do.  A good place to start is in His word with a daily desire to know and honor Him.  This is a heart deep commitment and most certainly He is worthy of our all.