Day 362
Zechariah 12:1-13:9; Revelation 19:1-21; Psalm 147:1-20; Proverbs 31:1-7
God Is Good – All the Time!
We are in the final few days of our year-long journey through the Holy Scriptures. So it seems fitting that our readings remind us of some of the ultimate truths of our faith.
Our God exercises His divine power in many ways, and always to demonstrate His infinite grace. He uses His power to provide for the needs of the whole creation. He uses it to gather the outcasts, bind up and heal the brokenhearted, and lift up the downtrodden – in other words, to provide the perfect justice which human institutions, however well-intentioned, will never be able fully to fulfill. And He uses it to shower compassion and mercy on those who acknowledge, praise, and love Him, which includes their protection by defeating those who would harm them.
Our God is worthy of all praise and honor. Like the book of Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Revelation to John ends with hymns and songs of praise for all of the wonderful and mighty acts of the Lord.
And finally, our God is just that: our God! In the midst of the struggles of our lives, including those involving the spiritual realm, we can “hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:11). God’s victory is assured, and we are included in the celebration – the marriage supper of the Lamb – because the words of the Lord through the prophet are true: “They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people;’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
As we prepare to cross the threshold of another year, let us remember to give thanks and praise to the God of all our years – the God who loves us and promises us an inheritance, a place at the table in his heavenly kingdom. Hallelujah!
The Rev. Dr. Steve Clifton
Christ the King
Orlando, FL