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 a person receives God’s revealed Truth as God chooses to impart it is determined by their position.
It’s natural to receive information and interpret it from 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 meets their desires and misses what God has intended.
Scripture is very clear that God will supply His people as they follow after Him, but there are times when it feels like He hasn’t, at least from what they expected. If it feels like God blesses one moment and doesn’t another, people will speculate why and yet many have missed His blessings because they couldn’t understand the manner in which God chose to do so.
Hosea 14:9 “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.”
When people hear the revelation of God’s Truth, they can either receive it in discernment or interpret it by their own understanding. The ability to receive wisdom and knowledge is revealed by God to those who have been called, for all others it will fall on deaf ears. Once the Word of God is received, understanding is necessary 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 wise will interpret God’s revealed Word correctly because they have been given the Spirit of God. Correct interpretation is to hear God’s Word and interpret it according to God’s Word, and God’s Word is given understanding by His Spirit.
The Proclamation
As the Lord intervenes within people’s lives, He does so with a purpose. For the ungodly, the call is toward repentance. The moral law reduces mankind’s attempts to justify himself to the position of a criminal. The Lord proclaims salvation to the lost, it is up to the lost to respond in repentance.
For God’s people, the Lord leads and they follow. The promise is to never leave them or forsake them and as they go, the Lord promises to meet their needs.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
If God gives a blessing, it is a revelation of His goodness, but if people limit Him to a singular purpose, they 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 leading their children to safety, 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 every facet of the knowledge of God uncovers a process of seeing Him more clearly and shows forth the magnitude of a purpose that is found only in Christ.
If God’s people walk in these moments of wisdom and revelation, what should be their 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, were 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 comes with understanding. The measure of God’s strength and protection causes His people to rejoice. The reminders in scripture concerning fear and trust are representative of His love and protection for His people. The gifts God gives are manifold. and 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, it was a 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 God should be reflective of our 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 reflects our hearts. A heart of thanksgiving is a heart that recognizes where the blessing comes from.
Our Father loves to give good gifts. The focus of mature believers in Christ should be on the giver not on the gift. There is a reason for everything God 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 will only add value to what we have already received.
What we have received is the Knowledge of His Love.
U.T. 