“He is the image of the invisible God…”

Colossians 1:15

“Oh, how I wish I could see God!” Have you ever said those words or perhaps wished you could ask God for His opinion on a particular subject? If so, look to Jesus. Study His walk on earth. Pay attention to His teachings. Why? Because Jesus is more than “like” His Father. The Greek word for “image” in Colossians 1:15 means “an exact replica, representation, or ‘picture’ of an original; it assumes a prototype, that which it not merely resembles, but from which it is drawn.”* In other words, when we look at Jesus, we’re looking at God. When we listen to Jesus, we’re listening to God. Jesus – the IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. Jesus – God with skin on.   

LORD Jesus Christ, I praise you, the IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD!

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*Gary Hill, H.E.L.P.S., The Discovery Bible, Moody Press, page 531.

“You are my lamp, O Lord; And the Lord illumines my darkness.”

2 Samuel 22:29

Are you in a dark spot? Maybe not literally, but it feels like it. You’re down. You don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps it’s the sin that surrounds you that oppresses your spirit. Maybe you’ve lost your vision for future projects or the vision for the family that you always wanted. Perhaps the thought of growing older and entering the sunset years doesn’t ring your bell like the golden days of youth. Whatever the case, there is good news. God is an eternal lamp that illumines darkness. Wherever you go, whatever your future, He will be there. Day by day, moment by moment, you can turn from the darkness and look to the Light of His presence. You can say with the psalmist, “You illumine my darkness.”  

Lord, I praise you, for you ILLUMINE MY DARKNESS!

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“Then Moses said to God, ‘Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM;’ and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ …This is My name forever, and this is MY memorial-name to all generations.'”

Exodus 3:13-14,15b

A person’s name represents the person. If you say “Billy Graham” not only is a visual of the man formed in one’s mind, so is what he represents. If you say the name, “Hitler,” another visual pops into your mind, along his character.  When asked about His name, God communicates that in the midst of all the ways He may be known, at the core is His name, “I AM;” meaning “I am the One who is” – emphasizing “God’s dynamic and active self-existence.”*  He is not only the God who was. He is not only the God who will be in our future. He is the God who IS now, presently active, dynamic, self-existent. Are you aware of His active, dynamic presence in your life?  

Lord, I praise you, the great I AM!

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*Charles Ryrie, Expanded Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, New American Standard Bible, pg 94.

“We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 14:15-16

Can you imagine what it would be like to be accountable to a high priest who could NOT sympathize with our weaknesses?  How haughty would that high priest be? How unrelenting might he be? Yet, that is not our Lord. Yes, He is a high priest. The highest of highs. Yet, He is lowly in His mercy. We can approach Him in our sorrow and repentance. We can say, “I messed up! I sinned! I failed…again.” And, the remarkable thing is, He doesn’t zap us. He doesn’t throw us out of His holy presence with a chain around our necks. He offers mercy. He shows grace. He says, “Go and sin no more.” He says it because He loves us and doesn’t want us bound in our sin. If you’ve been avoiding God because you feel bad about your sin, then today is your day to get it right. Go to Him! 

I praise You, Lord, that though You are high and lifted up, you are still able to sympathize with my weaknesses. Thank You, Lord God, my HIGH PRIEST!

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“Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.”

Isaiah 52:13

Things aren’t always what they seem.  And, simply because things appear one way in a moment of time, it doesn’t mean they’ll always remain that way.  Case in point: Jesus. If we had been in Jerusalem when Jesus was hanging on the cross, we might have labeled the moment, “Jesus failed – at His lowest point and down and out.”  However, a moment in time does not define the time nor does it define a person. Case in point: Jesus. He prospered. Three days after His death, God raised Him. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God – high and lifted up and greatly exalted. The next time you feel down and out, remember, the moment is not defining you. Rather, your relationship with Jesus is the deciding factor and the one that tells the story of your life. 

I praise You, Lord Jesus, HIGH and LIFTED UP! 

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“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.‘” 

Isaiah 38:5 

“I have heard your prayer.” Was this a statement that God made only to one person in all of time of civilization? Hardly. God hears. May I repeat that? God HEARS your prayers. Perhaps you and I need to HEAR God say He HEARS us. Because KNOWING He HEARS us changes everything. It means we’re not doing life alone. It means we’re not doing illness alone. It means we’re not doing family alone. It means we’re not stranded in our circumstance with no one to hear our plea for help, guidance, and deliverance. “God, do you hear me?” we may cry. “Thus says the LORD, ‘I have heard your prayer.'” God told Hezekiah that He would add 15 years to his life, but Hezekiah had to walk each day of those 15 years in faith. So, we too, in faith, take one day at a time – believing – God hears my prayers. 

Lord God, You HEAR MY PRAYERS! I praise and trust You!

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“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Psalm 32:7

David had been confused. He had thought he could hide his sin from God. But the guilt ate him up. Listen to his words: “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; …You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.” We might on occasion be like David. We might think we need to hide our sin from God when, in fact, we need to get it out and in the open with God. If we’re in a spot of hiding from God today, He invites us to a place of forgiveness – Himself. Then we can say with David, “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble.”

Lord God, You are my HIDING PLACE. I praise You!

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“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.”

Psalm 33:20

“Help is on the way.” It’s all I could think to say as I grabbed my purse and headed to the car. She needed to hear those words. She needed to know that help was on the way. The kind of tangible help we need when we’re at our wits end, when we don’t know how much more we can take. And so, God wants us to know, “Help is on the way.” We may not see it. We may not know the exact moment, but we have the full assurance that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” Psalm 46:1. Are you in trouble and need HELP? Are you in despair and need HELP? Are you disturbed about something and need HELP? HELP is on the way. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God,” Psalm 43:5.  

Lord God, You are my HELP. I praise You!

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“Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:48

Perfect? As our heavenly Father is perfect? Gulp. Does Jesus’ statement cause you to take a step back, as it does me? What does He mean? It helps, as always, to take His statement in context. Jesus has been teaching the ways of God’s Kingdom; that they are different from our natural inclinations. For instance, in the verses prior to Him saying we are to be perfect, Jesus has said we’re to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?” Mt 5:47. So when Jesus says we’re to be perfect, He is not implying that we’ll attain sinlessness this side of heaven. Rather, He is saying that we’re to be “mature and complete in the likeness of God.”* The point? We have a heavenly Father and He calls us to mature and be like Him, not the fallen world in which we live. 

HEAVENLY FATHER, I praise You and Your high, kingdom, holy ways!

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*Charles Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, New American Standard Bible 1995 Update, pg 1521

“…is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not the God of the Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.”

Romans 3:29

Whew! And I don’t say that lightly. A thunderous applause should erupt upon hearing that God is not just the God of the Jews; but also of those who are not Jewish. Have you given a hearty praise to God for being your God?

GOD of the GENTILES, I praise You for including me in the blessings and inheritance given to the Jews. 

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