“You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?”
~ Psalm 76:7
Hi James and Ellen,
Do think that you deserve to live on planet Earth? Do you think that you deserve to live in a home where there is a dad and a ma who want you to know Who your Father God is? Do you think that you deserve to go to a school where you are taught about Who your Father God is? Do you think that you deserve having been specially elected by your Father God to be His adopted kids even before He created planet Earth? Do you think that you deserve to have more toys, to have a better computer and to have your dad and/or ma take you to more fun places? If you think that you deserve more things and opportunities than what you already have, why do you think that you deserve more things and opportunities than what you already have? Do you feel that life is treating you unfairly? Do you feel that life has been treating your dad and ma fairly? Do you know Who designed and now choreographs and orchestrates lives – like yours? Do you think that a guy, gal or kid has the right to think about whether or not he or she deserves a better life? It would be easy to wish for a different kind of life – a life that is not plagued with dangers or illnesses, that is not filled with self-doubts and inabilities and that is not limited because of a lack of money and stuff but . . .
Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that they do not deserve what they have. Your grandmaa and grandpaa have gotten sick, their gifts and abilities have been stretched and they do not have much stuff but your grandmaa and grandpaa are thankful that they can look into the eyes of God the Son knowing that God the Son’s Father – Who is God the Father, specially elected them to be deserving of His Son’s sacrificial death on a cross. There were times when God the Father demonstrated His unmerited saving grace in very literal ways to His specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids. An Asaph’s Psalm Song – Psalm 76, was scribed by Asaph to describe the feelings that the Israelite people group’s guys and gals had to have felt after God the Father had through His unfettered omnipotence saved them from Sennacherib’s army. Sennacherib – over 2700 years ago, was the king over the guys, gals and kids who lived in the land of Assyria. Sennacherib one day decided that he wanted to capture all the guys, gals and kids who were living in the city of Jerusalem. There was 2700 years ago absolutely no way at all that God the Father’s specially chosen guys who were living in the city of Jerusalem could win in a fight against Sennacherib’s army. The city of Jerusalem had become on planet Earth God the Father’s royal city. The Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids had become on planet Earth God the Father’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids. Sennacherib was pushing his luck when he decided that he wanted to capture the city that was God the Father’s royal city and when he decided to make captive slaves out of God the Father’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids who were living in God the Father’s royal city. God the Father would personally defend His royal city by using His unconstrained omnipotence to completely destroy Sennacherib’s army.
When Asaph scribed this Psalm Song, he scribed it thematically. Asaph in the first three verses and in the last two verses, scribed about the Mighty God – Who God the Father’s specially chosen guys and gals at this time knew in a personal, intimate way. Asaph in the middle seven verses scribed words of thanks to the Mighty God – words that reflected how God the Father’s specially chosen guys and gals felt after what He did for them when He used His unhindered omnipotence to save them from being captured by Sennacherib’s army. Verse 7 summarizes the feelings that God’s specially chosen guys and gals had towards Him, “You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?” Are you scared of your Father God? Are you scared that your Father God might get angry at you if . . . your Father God is the very same God about Whom Asaph wrote this Psalm Song about and to – and which stringed instruments were to be used when it was sang. If you were Israelite people group’s kids somewhere around 2700 years, how do you think that you would have reacted after your Father God – using His unhampered omnipotence, saved your dad and ma and every other one of His specially chosen guys, gals and kids from an enemy nation’s army who wanted to destroy your city and who wanted to take every guy, gal and kid away to their country as captive slaves? God the Father’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids had every reason in the world to praise and thank God for what He did for them when He used His out-and-out omnipotence to save them from Sennacherib and his Assyrian army. Do you have reasons to praise and thank God for what He is doing for you? Who is keeping you safe? Who is giving you hope? Who is directing you to do what is always right to do? Your grandmaa and grandpaa have every reason in the world to praise and thank their Father God. When your grandpaa hit black ice while going down a mountain near Fields, British Columbia, your grandpaa’s car could have slid into oncoming traffic instead of into a guardrail. When your grandpaa had a taxicab cut in front of him in Santa Cruz causing your grandpaa to tip his 125 Yamaha motorcycle over unto the street, your grandpaa could have been just as easily hit squarely by the taxicab and had a bunch of his bones broken or been killed instead of just ending up with muscles torn loose and a bone chip in his left elbow. When your grandmaa went into the hospital because your dad was finally ready to be born, your grandmaa could have had even more serious problems than what she did as your dad was born breech or backwards. How often are you remembering to praise and thank your Father God for all that He is doing for you? Your grandmaa and grandpaa hope that you are remembering to praise and thank your Father God for everything.
Psalm 76 (450)