Dallas Willard's book... again

I'm posting again on Dallas Willard's book "Hearing God".  I'll probably end up posting on it again before I'm done, because I'm only partway through the book, and I'm finding it really interesting.  It speaks about how to talk and listen to God, but in ways that make sense.  Willard is basically putting into words a lot of the experiences I've either had or heard about, and he gives a bit more explanation about hearing God and provides scripture verses to back up his point of view.
The next idea of his that I'd like to mention is the fact that we can't just rely on blind faith (knowing that God is working in our lives but having no clue what exactly he's doing), miraculous acts of God, or just a 'sense' that he is guiding us.  We have to commune with him through reasonable, intelligent conversation.  Why?  Willard mentions Psalm 32:9 - "Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with a bit and bridle."  Willard goes on to say "We are to be led by - guided by - reasonable intelligible communication, not by blind impulse, force, or sensation alone."

Because it's tradition

Key verse
Psalm 147:1 - How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him.

2 Thessalonians
2 Thess. 2:15 says "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter."  This statement follows after Paul spoke about how God chose us to be saved through sanctification of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.  It's interesting.  The word 'teachings' here, according to my study bible, means 'traditions'.  Until the New Testament was written down, the spiritual teaching was really traditions that the rabbis passed down to their students.  We often think of traditions as being steeped in the past and without real substance or logic.  Why do we believe something?  Why, it's tradition!  But in fact, tradition can be powerful, if we pass down the meaning behind the tradition and not just the basic message or action.  So we should hold firm to traditions of our forefathers, if we know what they mean.  If you're involved in certain traditions and aren't sure why, look into that.  You may be surprised at what started it all.

God will fight the battle

Key verses
Psalm 145:1-9 - I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.  Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.   They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.  They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.  The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

2 Chronicles
Jehoshaphat trusted in God, and God came through for him.  I read the story about Jehoshaphat defeating Moab and Ammon, described in 2 Chronicles chapter 20.  The people of Judah were wondering if they should attack Moab and Ammon, because these enemies were coming to their territory.  The people of Judah inquired of God, and the Spirit of the Lord spoke through Jahaziel who told the people of Judah not to fear.  The Lord was with them.  They wouldn't even have to fight the battle, because the Lord would fight for them.  So they went out to the place where their enemies were, and there were all the dead bodies.  The Moabites and Ammonites had fought against the men from Mount Seir, and then they turned on themselves and everyone was slaughtered.  The people of Judah didn't have to do a thing!
When you go into a difficult situation, trust in God and rely on him to come through for you (if you are in the will of God), and you will meet with success!

As a side note - what a legacy!  Here is 2 Chronicles 2:20, commenting on Jehoram's reign as king of Judah.  "Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.  He passed away, to no one's regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings."

Great is the Lord's renown

Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generation (Ps 135:13).

As a side note totally unrelated to this amazing verse that speaks such truth, I just wanted to point out that the name Happizzez (mentioned in 1 Chronicles 24:15) is quite an interesting name.

A temple for God

1 Chronicles and Psalms
Psalm 132 relays how David had exclaimed that he would build God a house on earth.  Knowing what a psalm of ascent is, this psalm really makes sense because it is all about God’s temple in Jerusalem.  It’s
also interesting to see how in 1 Chronicles 17, also in today’s reading, we can read again of David’s desire to build God a temple.  He wanted to honour God by giving him a beautiful and wonderful place to reside.

I don’t always think of my body being a temple, but if we have received Jesus into our hearts and placed our trust in Him, we are all temples!  David never got the chance to build a temple, yet he continually strove to honour God with all his heart.  I have a temple of the Lord right here, and what am I doing with it?  Am I honouring God?

Psalms of Ascent

Psalm 121:1-2 - I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

This is part of a psalm of ascent. A wikipedia article on the psalms of ascent said that these psalms were likely sung as the people ascended to Jerusalem on the three pilgrim festivals (Deut 16:16) or by the priests as they ascended the steps into the Temple in Jerusalem. 

In both of these cases, these psalms would certainly help the speaker enter into closer relationship with God or reflection on His character.

A light for my path

Psalms
Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."  That is why reading the bible is so useful.  God speaks to us through the words he left for us, and guides us in the way we should go.

Be gracious to me

Psalm 119:58 - I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.

Is this verse true for you?  I read it and thought, yes Lord, be gracious to me.  But have I sought him with all my heart?  Just something for you to consider as we look toward this Easter weekend.

Turn us toward You

Psalms
"Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain" (Ps. 119:36).  This verse in Psalm 119 caught my eye.  As you read your bible, pay attention to what might stick out to you, and consider why God might be directing you to that particular passage.  It may be for a specific reason.

Shortest Psalm

Psalms
Since this is the shortest psalm in the bible, I figured it could have the honour of being posted for today's reading.
Psalm 117:

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.  For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.  Praise the Lord.

It certainly has an uplifting message, doesn't it?

In God is victory

Psalm 108
"With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies." (Psalm 108:13)
This verse reinforces a lot of what I've posted about the past few days.  If we rely on God, not ourselves, we will triumph.  And note the last part of the verse - he will be the one doing all the vengeance.  He's trampling down the enemies.  So even if we're in what we think is a despondent situation, God will still act.  Just wait!

Wrapped in light

Psalm 104:1-3

"O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.  He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.  He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind."

As I read these verses, the imagery and language really made God come alive.  Reading poetry like this helps put things in perspective.  I had a sense of the 'bigness' of God.  He is so far above us, and all around us!  It's great just to sit for a few minutes and think about his glory and power.  This can be a spiritual act of worship.

From everlasting to everlasting

Psalm 90:1-2 - "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.  Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

The Lord's favour

Psalm 85
This Psalm reminded me of the compassionate, forgiving, and loving nature of God.  I was still thinking about yesterday's post on trust, and so this psalm seemed to say to me that God does deserve our trust for all the great things he has done.  More than that, even when we don't rely fully on him, he will still forgive us for our folly and restore us to his fellowship.  Here are the verses that speak to this issue in particular.  Feel free to look up the rest of the psalm.

Psalm 85:1-3 - You showed favor to your land, O Lord; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.  You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.

God's compassion

Psalm 78:38-39

Yet he [God] was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.  Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

A psalm of David

Psalm 72:18-19

Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen and Amen.

Psalm 66

The beginning of Psalm 66 is filled with such joy and praise, I thought I would simply post verses 1-4.  Let these verses become a shout of praise from your own mouth to God.

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious!

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing praise to your name.”

Our salvation

Psalm 62:1-2
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Abba, Father

Key verse
Psalm 59:16 -  But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Romans
Romans 8:15 - For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
This verse brings me joy because it is liberating!  We don't have to be afraid of sin and death.  Granted, that doesn't mean that sometimes I won't be afraid, but the promise this verse brings is amazing - through the Spirit of God, living in me, I can call on God and not worry or fear. 

Signs of the end of the age... do they matter?

Key verses

Psalm 57:9-11 - I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.  For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

Matthew
Matthew 24:15-35 is one of those passages that gets people thinking about the end of the world and Jesus's return.  At one point, this type of prophetic message really interested me as well, and I was curious to know what would usher in the "end times".   I have since learned and come to understand that what is really important is my relationship with God.  It shouldn't matter when the world will end, because regardless of when that is, I'll be striving to get to know God better.  We won't ever get to the point where we'll know God completely, not in this world, but if we're wholeheartedly on the journey of getting to know him and apply his character to our lives, what else is there?