It's Perception, Not Proximity

“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.” (Ge 28:16 AV)

 The presence of God is not a matter of proximity, but of perception.  Let me explain.  God is omnipresent.  He is at all places and at all times.  Even in hell, the presence of God is in the form of His wrath.  There is no place in creation where God is not.  He is everywhere, all the time.  Therefore, Jacob is doctrinally correct here.  God was there.  He simply didn’t perceive Him to be there.  Where we are confused is that God does not interact in the same way and in all the same places.  He may show His wrath in hell, but He exercises His mercy on heaven.  He is in both places.  He is simply manifested differently based on context and purpose.  When God visited Jacob with a ladder up to heaven with angels ascending and descending, this was not an everyday occurrence no matter where Jacob was.  It was at Bethel that Jacob perceived the presence of God differently than he did with Abimelech.   Whether in Bethel or with Laban in Mesopotamia, God was still with him and in very real and discernable ways.

God was very good to us as we raised our children.  He allowed me to be a large part of their lives.  Often, people ask us what we did as parents that resulted in three godly men and the number one thing was the time I was allowed to spend with them.  As young men, I homeschooled them and worked the second and third shifts.  When they went to a Christian school, mom taught there.  We moved to Chicago and again, began homeschooling them then they went to a Christian school where I taught them Bible as my wife taught third grade.  When they were old enough, they got summer jobs as golf caddies.  I was there, too, caddying with them.  For each loop, I had the privilege to pair up with one of them.  During our downtime, I sat and read books while they played cards or basketball.  While they grew up, one or both of their parents was always present.  This did not mean we had non-stop interaction with them.  I respected their space and individuality.  They had friends.  They had co-workers.  They never felt like I was non-stop babysitting them.  Which I was not.  I was always there whether they needed me or not.  I was their teacher, co-worker, mentor, and friend.  There was never a point in their lives where Dad was not present.  If not physically, then I was only a phone call away.

This idea that God’s presence comes and goes makes man the determining factor in God’s involvement.  This is simply not true.  Thinking that God is in one place but not another opens the door to guiltless temptations.  If we can go to a place where we should not be because God is not there, sin becomes much easier.  Mostly, if God is in one place and not another, where then is our security?  Do we have to be anxious because, in the time of our need, God may or may not be there?  NO!  God is always there.  Our problem is a perception problem.  We do not perceive Him because we are not looking for Him.  We are not looking for the manifestation of God which He has chosen.  We cannot see Him because we do not recognize the still small voice.  We are looking for the wind, the fire, or the earthquake.  God is always there and nothing can change that.  We simply have to look for Him.

Better Than An Angel

“And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:” (Ge 24:40 AV)

 

What a thing to have an angel of the LORD lead this servant every step of the way.  We know God blessed this servant and the quest of which he vowed turned out exactly how Abraham wished and how God planned.  Even though this quest involved the free will choices of Nabal and Rebekkah, the LORD worked a miracle, and Isaac was blessed with a bride.  When we look at the details of what transpired, we cannot help but see the overwhelming sovereign hand of God in every event.  We often assume the old testament saint had an advantage concerning the obvious presence of God and His work among them.  We see the burning bush, the pillar of fire by night, the ladder ascending to heaven, or the angel who visited a barren wife and wonder what it might have been like to have that obvious appearance of God to help along life’s journey.  We see the angel above, sent to guide the servant, and wonder how easier it might be for us.  The thing is, we have the angel of God with us every moment of every day.  He is called the indwelling Holy Spirit.  We have more than what they had.  We simply are unaware.

I marvel at the LORD’s creation all the time.  Whether it is out in the woods, or watching a nature program.  The things animals do by intuition are the handiwork of God.  No amount of secular science can explain how creatures do by nature what they do.  How did they evolve a complex set of skills to survive?  Only someone obstinate enough to deny the internal knowledge of God in their soul could accept what evolution peddles.  I was watching a production on the oceans and the wonder of how balanced nature is astounded me.  God designed each creature to be a part of the balance of life.  Each performs the necessary function to sustain its own species as well as provide itself as a service or food source for another.  There are so many examples of God’s handiwork that an individual case, for the moment, escapes the mind.  But I can say, throughout this program, there were several examples of complex design that gave purpose and function to a particular species.  They behaved instinctively.  They lived as God programmed them to.  They have, within themselves, something the Creator bestowed that leads them along the path of life He has determined to be.

When we read of Gabriel coming to Mary and wish we could have the same experience, remember, God dwells inside and His visitation is permanent.  When we read of the angel of the LORD coming to Hagar or visiting Gideon, remember the Holy Spirit never comes and goes.  He is always there.  When we read of John’s revelation on the Isle of Patmos, we have those written words and the Spirit to guide us.  We need no unique or special encounter.  When we read of the three children in the furnace of fire and one like unto the Son of God amid them, we have a God that is as central to our being as our very soul.  He is with us no matter the furnace or absence thereof.  The Old Testament is filled with examples of saints who had momentary and temporary encounters with the presence of God.  We have something far better.  And He is just as capable of leading us today as He was in leading Abraham’s servant.

Face Plants Are Necessary

“And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,” (Ge 17:3 AV)

 

Abraham is an impressive person.  Perhaps the most impressive of all Old Testament patriarchs.  Abraham had a relationship with God that few have ever matched.  Abraham completely trusted the LORD and walked with Him in complete fear.  He reverenced the LORD like no other.  When it came to choosing the LORD over everyone else, including his wife, Abraham chose the LORD every time.  What we notice above is the result of the horror of darkness he experienced in chapter fifteen.  He learned through that experience that God is in complete control.  At that moment, he was completely and wholly focused on God with no other person or input present.   It was he and God alone.  The evidence of Abraham’s stricken heart of worship is his position while approaching God.  He fell on his face.  And because he did, the LORD talked with him.

There is something about a face plant that brings laughter to others.  Not that we necessarily laugh at the misfortune of others, but a face plant is something that brings a giggle.  My dog does these face-plants all the time.  He loves to run, jump on a couch against the back of it, and get thrown off that couch by kinetic energy into another couch.  Back and forth he goes, bouncing off one couch and jumping onto another.  Toby needs to get a running start.  However, he doesn’t always judge the jump just right.  Sometimes, the hair on his paws is a bit long and he cannot get the right traction.  So, from time to time, he plants his neck or face into the side of the couch.  We laugh because he has no pride to hurt.  No ego in a dog.  A person is different.  If a person face plants, it is always embarrassing.  There is something about one’s face on the ground that is humiliating.  It is embarrassing and often the greatest hurt is not the nose or chin, but one’s pride.

When Abraham does a face plant on purpose, he is showing the greatest humility one could show.  He has prostrated himself before almighty God in the most humbling manner which comes to mind.  And I like what follows.  “And God talked with him…”   How many of us could say the same thing?  How many could claim that God talked with them?  We should all be able to.  But let’s face it.  More times than we care to admit, we go to God in a less than humble way.  Our independent spirit and pride will forget the part humility plays in talking with God.  We will not, or forget to do, a face plant.  Not literally, but in our hearts.  We go to God without first taking a few minutes to get into the right frame of mind and heart.  Our discussions with God are cordial and friendly.  But how often do we go to God in the same way which Abraham did above?  We need an old-fashioned face plant every time we go to God no matter how humiliating it might be.

Send the Sleep

“And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.” (Ge 15:12 AV)

 

There is much speculation as to the necessity and meaning of the great darkness which fell upon Abram.  Of particular note is the nature of this darkness being a horror.  The question arises why the LORD, who does nothing but extol the faith of Abram, would cause such a thing to befall this great saint.  There certainly was little need for Abram to correct some callousness toward the LORD.  As far as we can tell, Abram feared and followed the LORD wholly and completely.  Most writers make the connection between the nature of the darkness with the nature of the vision which follows.  That being, the captivity of Israel while in Egypt.  Another writer cross-referenced the deep sleep to Genesis chapter two and the deep sleep which befell Adam.  In other passages, we see reproduction as the by-product.  Through Adam’s deep sleep, he gained Eve.  Through Abram’s deep sleep, he sees the numerical increase of Israel.  What I am more interested in this morning is the personal effect this horribly deep sleep had on Abram and less with the connection, or lack thereof, to the vision which followed.

It is hard to imagine a great darkness that becomes a horror.  I have taken several guided cave excursions.  They are pretty much all the same.  There are a few that I distinctly remember because there was something unique about them.  The first was a tour of Luray Caverns in Virginia.  The reason I remember it so vividly is the organ that was hooked up to the geological formations.  The organ would play music by vibrating the formations.  It was cool.  I also remember Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  The cave from which it gets its name is so large, it is impossible to describe.  I distinctly remember one of the caves which had a unique formation.  Rounded white formations looked like giant snowballs sticking on the ceiling.  This particular cave they transformed into a sit-down restaurant that hosted up-scale events like wedding receptions or company outings.  I also remember the cave which at one time, was a hospital for those suffering from tuberculosis.  It didn’t matter which cave I visited, the guides all do the same thing.  To illustrate just how dark it can be, they advise all artificial light be extinguished and they turn out the lights.  It is horribly black inside.  No light.  No point of reference.  The cave could feel just a few feet wide or as vast as the ocean.  The tourist has lost all control.  Even the minutest of all choices becomes impossible because there is no reference to which one might align their choice.  You are at the total mercy of the guide.

I imagine the main lesson Abram learned that day was the reality of the sovereignty of God.  When that horribly dark sleep came upon him, he had no other reference point but God.  All else was blacked out.  He lay there under the complete control of a God who controls all things and learned the future of Israel would be difficult, but through adversity, it would blossom.  He learned the God whom he came to trust was a God who was subject to nothing or no one.  He learned to surrender to a God who was the only focal point of life at that very moment.  Such is needed from us.  Total and complete surrender which no reference point other than God.

What Everyone Owes

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” (Pr 3:27 AV)

The verse following, verse twenty-eight, specifically applies to fiscal assistance.  Solomon is encouraging his children to be generous with what they have towards those with genuine needs.  But the application, in principle, is not limited to material wealth.  That which catches my eye every time I read this is the phrase, “to whom it is due”.   Isn’t that interesting?  Why would we owe someone with a need some of our surplus?  Or, why would someone be entitled to anything which we possess?  Again, this is not strictly a material wealth thing.  Perhaps what Solomon was trying to teach his children is the basic human responsibility of mutual care and respect.  We owe it to everyone else to do what we can to ease their life’s burden.  Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Philippians.   “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Php 2:4 AV)  His instruction to this church was to care about one another and to share what they have or what they were with those who could be blessed by it.

As the generations pass, I am astounded at the lack of respect and concern people have for one another.  It is unfortunate we have not diligently passed on to our children or grandchildren the basic principles of courtesy.  Yielding to others is seldom the case.  Respecting the space or even the safety of others is not something that immediately comes to mind.  Time and again, we read of someone losing their temper over an extremely minor inconvenience and acting out, many times, in a criminal way.  It often takes a tragedy to bring out the best in us.  But what of the day-to-day interactions?  What about a simple smile or cordial greeting to a complete stranger who appears to need a smile sent his or her way?  What about a simple thank you for the effort someone else took on our behalf? When I read the verse above, this is what comes to mind.  Kindness.  Concern.  Empathy.  Love.

I wonder how different our world would be if everyone thought about the situation of others before they thought of their own.  This does not come naturally.  In our natural state, we are selfish and narcissistic.  Our situation is the most important.  This is what we are.  If we are to follow the advice of Solomon, there has to be a change of heart.  This change must be a supernatural one.  Our heart is black with sin and until something, or someone, comes into our heart and changes it to be more benevolent, the above command would be difficult, if not impossible. When Jesus comes into our hearts and His love is what comes out, then we can truly care for others as we should.  This attitude of the heart should be second nature to the saint.  As he or she has allowed the love of Christ to shine forth, then naturally they will look onto the things of others.  They will pay that which is due to a fellow human being.  The saint should live this, and if we are not, then the old man is dominant rather than the Holy Spirit of God.

Safe And Secure

“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” (Ge 7:16 AV)

 What a picture of the secure sovereignty of God.  Noah and his family built a ship.  They placed upon the ark two of each unclean animal and seven pairs of clean animals.  They were told to build the ark and assemble the floating zoo because there would come such a great rain upon the Earth the waters would reach the top of the highest mountains.  They would face forty days of non-stop storms with the rising deluge throwing this ship about in the waves.  There is no record of a leak or mishap.  There is no mention of mechanical failures mentioned in the biblical account.  There is no distress ever mentioned, either.  Why?  Because God shut them in.  God was the one who secured Noah and his family.  It wasn’t the men who pulled the door shut and sealed it.  It was God who closed and sealed that door.  There was no anxiety over their safety because when troublesome times came, they remembered who shut them in.

I wonder if David references the same idea when he speaks of the shadow of the wings of God.  There is a security with God that we seldom remember.  We are taken with the external situation and forget that God has our back.  He always does.  He has shut us in.  I like blankets.  The heavier the better.  It doesn’t matter if it's in the middle of a hot summer, I still like the weight of the blanket.  My wife’s uncle brought us a blanket from South Vietnam.  It is extremely thick and heavy.  It is a full-size blanket and we sleep in a California King.  So, this blanket is not large enough for two people.  Needless to say, it stays on my side of the bed.  Then, I was shopping a Khols to see if we could find another blanket like it and the only thing I saw was rather new.  It was a concept that came about within the past few years.  They are called weighted blankets.  These blankets are filled with some kind of material that makes them abnormally heavy.  I haven’t gotten one yet, but one of these days, I just might pick one up.  Why?  It makes me feel secure.  There is something about being surrounded by something greater than oneself that gives a sense of safety.

When Noah and his family entered the ark, there was much which be concerned about.  Never before had they experienced a flood.  Some even teach there was no rain upon the earth until the flood came.  There was no oceanic travel.  There was no lightning or thunder.  Everything was serene and calm.  Then God’s wrath came upon mankind and all that changed.  In a matter of a few days, mankind would be diminished to eight people.  From hundreds of millions of people to one family.  There was much that any normal person may be anxious about.  The one thing that made the greatest difference is the fact that God shut them in.  God secured them.  It wasn’t something they did for themselves.  God shut them in and secured the hatch.  No threats from without could molest.  They were safe in the palm of God’s hand and they were shut in.

Benevolent Boundaries

“And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Ge 3:11 AV)

 

God knows what is best for us even when we do not.  What struck me this morning is that even in man’s perfect state, he still needs boundaries.  Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They were given this boundary so that they might learn to trust the LORD and love Him by choosing obedience over disobedience.  They were given boundaries according to their limitations and expectations.  God was not cruel or unreasonable as the Devil would suggest.  He gave them boundaries for their own good.  He gave them boundaries, that if followed, would have made them even more perfect.  When the LORD asks the question, it was more of a reminder of those boundaries.  It was an affirmation the law had a purpose and by violating that purpose, Adam and Even set in motion circumstances that would necessitate redemption and reconciliation.  Not to make God out to be petty, which He is not, but this question was an “I told you so” moment.  It was a reminder that God always knows what is in our best interests and boundaries is a good thing.

Every New Year’s eve, our church has a fellowship to ring in the new year.  This year we fellowshipped on Friday rather than staying up all night into Sunday.  There is finger food in abundance.  We also bring our favorite games.  Uno is a faithful standby.  There are other games like codename or their favorite, Mafia.  One of the games was called reaction.  It was a four-player game.  It was very simple.  The only rule was to press the button on time to avoid a shock.  You read that right.  There are four controllers.  One for each play.  It was shaped like a handle you would find on a pitcher.  At the top was a button.  A button was pressed in the center of the base and did a random countdown.  While it was counting down, the button flashed red.  When the button turned green, the last one to press their button got a shock.  It was hilarious to watch.  However, then tried to entice the preacher into playing it.  Tried as they might, but they were not successful.  Why?  I have a heart valve that does not always close all the way.  It is not life-threatening.  But it is very uncomfortable.  I can control it by limiting my caffeine intake.  If I got that shock, I knew my valve would start acting up.  I know my boundaries.

God is not mean.  He is not tyrannical.  He made us.  He knows what we can and cannot do.  He knows how things affect us.  He knows what is best for us.  He knows what fences belong.  He knows what we can take and how to give us the most blessed life possible.  If Adam and Eve would have refused the fruit when tempted, this would have been an entirely different world.  Mankind would have learned faith by obedience rather than disobedience.  There would be no sickness, suffering, or death.  No sin.  God knows what He is doing and all He asks is we trust Him to be God.  It is that simple.