“Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.” (Ps 65:4 AV)
I can’t get over the words “whom thou choosest”! Now, I hate to disappoint you, but this is not an entry regarding Calvinism. Calvinism is heresy. There, I said it. It changes the very process of salvation and that, by definition, is a heresy. If it makes you feel better to call me a heretic if I reject your theology, I’m ok with that! Rather, I would focus on the fact that in spite of what God knows of me, He still chooses to fellowship with me. What love! Note that the satisfaction that follows is tied to the choosing that precedes it. Perhaps that is why so many believers are unhappy today. Maybe that is why so many who claim to be a child of God are dissatisfied with life. Maybe they have forgotten they were chosen with the full knowledge of an omniscient God who has every right to decline our presence. He would be fully within His holiness if He rejected us all! Yet He does not. Those who chose to trust Him, He chooses to grant them an audience. Why? It is a great mystery to me! Love explains it. But the depth of love is what I trip over. If I were God, I wouldn’t let me anywhere near me! Yet He chose me!
Every once in a while, I have the same thought regarding my wonderful wife. She could have done so much better. Don’t tell my father-in-law I said that. He would agree. LOL. She is smart beyond smart. She is funny. She is a master organizer. She is my spellchecker, my cheerleader, and my best friend. I wonder why she ever chose me. What prompts these thoughts? When I look at other men and notice what they have accomplished, why she ever chose me, I will never know. I see what others have done; I watch the strengths of others; I wonder why it is that I have never met my full potential. I compare all this against her faithfulness and admiration and have to ask that one-word question, ‘why’. Then I examine my personal failures. My foolish ways that often cause more harm than good. There are slip-ups with the tongue. There are times of laziness that creep in. There are misjudgments that occur. She deserves much better. So, why? Why did she choose me? I am still amazed almost forty years later that she chose me when there were far better options out there. She could have had a much better life. So, why? Why did she choose me?
Take that thought and multiply it by a factor of infinity! That is what God did for His children. He knows us better than any spouse could ever know us. Yet, He chose us. When we err against our spouse, sometimes it is deliberate. Sometimes it is simple human error. But when we sin, it is always against God. It is personal with Him. Yet, knowing what we would do before we do it, He still chose us. Now, we can choose to do one of two things. We can react in paralyzing self-pity. We can look with deep humility and react in a false humility that is actually pride. Or, we could appreciate the unspeakable gift of divine affirmation by reciprocating as best we can our devotion to Him! The first reaction is stated above. We can choose to be satisfied with the presence of God above all other things. This means contentment in the person of God rules the heart and mind. If we were to realize just how blessed it is to be chosen, then all other needs or anxieties would become a far-distant concern. The one who realized the blessedness of being chosen is the one who is satisfied no matter what follows or does not follow. Being chosen is the principal thing!
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