What Is God Like?

This seems to be a simple question. Until you are asked to write a one page answer to the question. Here is the assignment I have been working on this week:

Write a one page summary of your thoughts concerning God. What do you understand an attribute of God to be? Develop a list of God's attributes as you see them. What are your "gut feelings" about God? Is He for you? Against you? Be totally honest about your feelings. Can you trust God or are you afraid to trust Him? If you are afraid to trust Him, why? If you can't trust Him, why?

The first time I sat down to do this assignment, the page stayed blank and the cursor just blinked. One page shouldn't take to0 long, right? As I have thought about what God is like this week and (finally) been able to write my one page, my understanding of God and how I view Him has grown.

So before I post my honest response next week, I wanted to give you time to find a quiet spot, reflect on these questions, and write them down if you are interested. I hope it will impact you as it has impacted me.

The Light on a Dark Path

Last week, we had a tough day as we continued the job search and experienced quite a setback. The day ended with discouragement at a high level. Neither of us could sleep very well. So in the middle of the night I got up and went to the Bible and I was quickly reminded that "the word of God is living and active" (Hebrews 4:12).

I turned to the Psalms because David often experienced deep frustration and anxiety as he fled from King Saul. I knew I would find comfort and solace in his words, especially because so many Psalms start with exasperation (where I was) and end with praise (where I needed to be).

So I opened up Psalms and was quickly led to Psalm 37. I read the first verses:

"Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of evildoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and
enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you desires of your heart.

Commit your ways to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act . . .

Be still before the Lord, and wait
patiently for him;
do not fret . . .

Do not fret - it leads only to evil . . .
but those who wait for the Lord
shall inherit the land."

There before me was a light path in the dark night, a way to deal with the anxiety and confusion of the day:

• Do not fret - this is a hard one for most of us, especially when things are uncertain
  
  
• Have the right perspective - this is what David reminds us when he discusses the fate of evildoers. Last time I checked, we all have the same fate. Just like us, our problems are really temporary.
  
  
• Trust in the Lord - again not easy, but very necessary
  
  
• Take delight in the Lord - in one of our classes, we discussed his verse as taking delight not just in the Lord's crown but also in His cross
  
  
• Commit your way to the Lord
  
  
• Trust in him - this is the second time this one has come around. Must be important.
  
  
• Be still before the Lord - in 2007? Its hard to be still while you're microwaving popcorn. But the only way to send the anchor deep enough is to stop the boat for a while.
  
  
• Do not fret - Second time
  
  
• Do not fret - Three's a charm. This time we are told that fretting leads only to evil. So the person at the beginning of the psalm fretting about evildoers will eventually become an evildoer if he continues fretting. Why? Because it is impossible to fret with faith.
  
  
• Wait for the Lord - A second reminder that God will act, but only in His time. Therefore we must wait.

Later in the Psalm are two of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture:

"The steps of a good man
are ordered by the Lord;
and he delights in his way."

"I have been young, and now
am old,
YET I have not seen the righteous
forsaken
or their children begging bread."

In the darkness of the night, I found such a clear word of encouragement from the Living Word. Next time, maybe I won't let so much time pass before I let God's living word provide the light onto a dark path.

Passionately Pursuing the Glory of God

Well, I've been quiet for a while because I've been quite busy. Two weeks ago, the routine of classes halted for a week-long World Evangelization Conference (WEC) at DTS followed by a welcome spring break (my first in three years!).

The missions conference continued to profoundly impact my view of missions in the Christian life. I attended a couple of workshops designed for pastors who want to serve in missional churches. We also heard from Claude Hickman, a DTS alum in his thirties that speaks to college students around the world about serving in missions. He really opened my eyes to the incredible commitment of young people in fulfilling the Great Commission and the impact they have had around the globe. Here are some of the most powerful quotes from the conference:

"The Bible says that He is not willing that any should perish - are you?"

"If your church closed its doors today, who would be most impacted? Would any non-believer within the community weep because the doors of your church closed?"

"Expect great things from God, Attempt great things for God." William Carey, father of modern missions

"Lord I am willing to go anywhere at anytime to do anything for you." Luther Wishard

"Most people plan on staying but are willing to go. Instead plan on going and be willing to stay."

It was quite a week and I find myself thinking more about the world, about how God feels about the people around the world, and wondering and praying about what my place in that great pursuit is.

We will see. The primacy of missions has been the biggest surprise of seminary thus far. Let each of us be found ready to pursue all that God is calling us to wherever that may be!