from an article originally posted June 23, 2014...
“My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
In scripture, when you see the word lord written in all caps, it is referring to Yahweh (Exodus 3). It is the name that says God is unchangeable: I am a God that is with you, Sustainer; it is his covenant name that says he is a God who keeps his promises. And all of my life can depend on that goodness, even in the midst of my hard.
It means he is trustworthy and the humble can rejoice because he is who he says he is. It means when my story isn’t written by the script I had hoped for, I can still walk in faith knowing my life, my moments, even my pain are not a mistake. I can magnify that God that does not look upon my story with indifference. In my humbled state, I can simply boast—not in myself, but in the fact that I am kept. There is not a rogue molecule in my body that is beyond the knowing of God. Hard is not the absence of the goodness of God. But God loves me so well; he does not call me to be indifferent to my pain or sad about my story. No, that would be a faith without life.
Jesus cared about the deeply broken. He met them, loved them, healed them, and walked near to them. In that, He also walks near to me.
Are you running from the hard in your life? Are you afraid to face it, be honest about it? Are you afraid if you look upon your story honestly something would break and be forever unable to mend? I have moments where I struggle to believe that Jesus can meet me at the depths of my despair, but I have yet to meet his limits. And the longer I have been in this battle, I have learned to trust there is no despair His true peace can’t reach. Do you know that peace? Oh you humble friends, life hurts, won’t you join me in making our boast in the one that gives life—true abundant life. This world offers only temporary peace, false hope, moments of relief...
