Psalm 40:3 “He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”
The Lord has always been in the business of revelation.
From Adam until today, God has been revealing His plans, His purposes, and His person to mankind. How do God’s people receive God’s revealed Truth as God so chooses to impart it? It’s easy to get in the habit of receiving truth based off preconceived notions. If someone hopes to be healed, desires more provision, or simply wants more of God’s blessings, it’s often the flesh that yearns to interpret the Word of God based off what brings pleasure and not necessarily what God intends for His people.
God does bless His people with natural comforts but there are times when He doesn’t. The reasons for God’s blessings have been speculated about for years but the manner in which God blesses can be understood only through spiritual insight.
When people receive the revealed Word in Truth, they receive it according to God’s purposes, not their own. The ability to receive wisdom and knowledge is revealed by God to those who choose to hear. Once the Word of God is received, understanding is used to apply it.
Matthew 13:22 “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
The way the wise choose to interpret His revealed Word will dictate the direction they take in receiving it. Correct interpretation is to hear what God is saying by His intent, not just how someone wants to apply it.
A Proclamation
When the Lord acts within our circumstances, do you think that it was something we did that invoked such blessing? Did we act better today than we did yesterday? Did we show a consistent pattern of godliness and finally reached a level where God decided to intervene?
If God gives a blessing for good behavior, by His perspective it’s revealed in righteousness, but if we limit Him to a singular purpose, we diminish the value of His work. The Lord does bless the righteous but if you look closer, the reward is actually found in the path of righteousness. Stay on God’s path and you will find that He has blessed it with all kinds of blessings. Like parents laying out a scavenger hunt for their children, the Lord actively partakes in rewarding faithfulness.
Proverbs 4:18 “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.”
Every element of God’s revealed Truth is a revelation of His glory. Each word that is presented and each facet of knowledge uncovered is a process of seeing more clearly the magnitude of depth and purpose in Christ.
If we walk in these moments of revelation, what is the expectation? When children discover a hidden gem they quickly run to their parents and show off their incredible find. If they only knew how often the ones to whom they were expressing their joy are the ones who hid the gem in the first place. Would the increased knowledge diminish their excitement or enhance it? As we grow older we recognize the energy our parents placed into our lives and personally, it makes me grow more appreciative. The attempt to enhance a child’s experience is a reflection of love for that child. It takes energy and effort to make a situation more eventful, planning and preparation are all expressions of love even though the child only sees the reward.
God’s Expression of Love
Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.”
On the journey that God has prepared for His people, there is a confidence that is gained by understanding. The measure of God’s strength and protection causes His people to rejoice. All of these reminders in scripture concerning fear and trust are representative of His love and protection for His people. The gifts God gives are manifold. Galatians 5:22-23 presents a list of the gifts of the Spirit of God imparts to those who walk in Him. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control— These treasures are found in abundance because the Lord is in the journey.
Our Expression to Him
When we receive a word or a gift, what is the appropriate response? Some responses are a product of the gift. 1 Samuel 2:1 “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.”
As Hannah recognized God’s faithfulness in providing a son through her prayer, she exalted the Lord and rejoiced in His deliverance, deliverance from the mockery of her enemies, from the despair that she endured, and the shame that was upon her head.
Sometimes the Word of God is given with an expectation.
Psalm 68:11 “The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:”
This ‘company’ is actually referring to women. What word did the Lord give the women to whom this is speaking?
Mark 16:9-11 “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.”
The revelation of Christ to the world has been prophetically revealed from the first word in Genesis to the last word in Revelation. Just like Mary who discovered that Jesus had risen from the grave and proclaimed it to the disciples, we have an equal responsibility to proclaim the news to the world today.
Our response to everything God bestows upon us should be reflective of our hearts love back to him. Whether it is echoing His word, uplifting His name in praise, giving Him thanks for His love and faithfulness, or simply trusting in Him for our future, our response is reflective of our thanksgiving.
Our Father loves to give good gifts. Our focus as mature believers in Christ should be on the giver not on the gift. There is a reason for everything He does, if we allow ourselves to grow in the wisdom of His ways, we might understand the greater depth of His purposes and the growth would simply add value to what we already have.
Knowledge of His Love.
U.T. 