Lifted By Love

Lift your eyes to see that God is always loving and faithful. Consider His faithfulness, have the courage to call and cast your cares upon Him, and answer the call even if you find yourself in a cistern.

“the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone…I will raise up your offspring…I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him…King David…said: “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men…There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears…God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders…You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God…your servant has found courage to pray to you.” 1 Chronicles 17:7-25

Love lifts us higher. It raises our eyes and elevates our expectations. Love casts out fear and heals our brokenness. The love of God transforms the way we think and how we feel. Have you received the love God has for you today? Have you taken the time to experience the unfailing, never-ending, faithful love of Jesus today?

Look at what happens to David when he spends time with God. He experiences awe and wonder. He does not know what to say or what to do with perfect love. The love of God both humbles and uplifts him at the same time. What is the best response to the love of Jesus Christ? How do we respond to the faithfulness and favor of the King of Kings?

Perhaps today is a day to rethink how you view God. Maybe we need to get Him out of whatever box we have put Him in and stand in awe of the Almighty. What kind of God gives life, provides all that we need, then responds to our sin by sacrificing Himself that we might never be separated from Him? When we are unfaithful, He is faithful. When we fall short, He steps in.

What kind of God sees and promises to stay with us wherever we go? What kind of God uniquely makes each of us and calls us by name? In a world with billions of people, He never overlooks a single individual. How will you respond to the love of Jesus Christ and the faithfulness of God?

“Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked…My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away…As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He rescues me unharmed from the battle…God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change…Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken…as for me, I trust in you.” Psalms 55:1-24

Can you relate to David? Do you find yourself looking around at the actions of others or at difficult circumstances and wondering how to make sense of it all? David had no idea how things would work out. He wanted to run and hide. He wanted to flee. Fight or flight are our natural responses when we are afraid. But God calls us to a different default. God calls us to live by faith.

What you focus on matters. Your mind shapes your experiences. This is why Jesus so often said to change the way you are thinking. If you think about how others have mistreated you, then you will be offended. If you focus on things you cannot control, like natural disasters or the cares within you, then you will be afraid. Where is your focus today?

Do you want to find joy and peace? Focus on the faithfulness of God. Take time to recount how He has helped you every day of your life. The moment you start thinking life is all about you or that you are owed more than you have gotten is the moment your pride blocks the healing power of gratitude. Take control of your mind. Paul said to take every thought captive and learn to trust God more.

David had a simple process for dealing with his burdens. He played hot potato with God. When he got the hot potato of drama, he cast his cares upon the Lord. He made the decision not to hold on to his hurts or his worries and instead gave them to the God who is always faithful. As he did, he found that God sustained him through every season. What do you need to give to God? What are you holding on to that God never asked you to carry? How will you choose to deal with any drama or dread you face?

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…You are as beautiful as Tirzah…my perfect one, is unique…Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?” Song of Songs 6:3-10

Our world would change if each person could learn to listen to the voice of truth, the voice of the Holy One. As you listen to God, you will hear Him tell you that you are loved.

He declares you are unique. You are made by His hand. You are known. You are seen. You are beautiful. You are not lost in the crowd, but one in 8 billion. What would happen if you started each day by agreeing with God about how you should see yourself?

Are you willing to say out loud what He says about you? Will you say, I am loved. I am unique. I am gifted. I am beautiful. I am made by and held in Your hands. Ask Jesus how He sees you.

What keeps us from looking at ourselves like God does? What keeps us from looking at others as He does? What keeps us from seeing God with awe and wonder? Is it not what others say, fears we have learned, or false thinking? Cast your cares and your incorrect thinking on God, and receive what Christ has to say about you. As you look to Him, He will lift you up. Love always takes us to a higher place because God is love.

“Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death…So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern…it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern…My Lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.” Ebed-Melek…pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern…Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared…Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.” Jeremiah 38:4-20

Jeremiah’s life was quite the journey. His desire was to do God’s will, but many people were jealous of him. So they threw him in a cistern to die, but a foreigner, a Cushite, stood in the gap to save him. It only takes one person with a willing heart to make a drastic difference in the lives of others. God works His faithfulness through willing hearts, and in this case, it was the one you would least expect, the foreigner.

What would have motivated Ebed-Melek to take a stand for Jeremiah? Why risk upsetting others or backlash from the king who had just sanctioned Jeremiah’s death? Love. There is a love that looks beyond oneself and sees each person as important. Love makes room in the margins and does not leave people in muddy cisterns. Imagine how lonely Jeremiah would have felt and how amazed he would have been at the one act of Ebed-Melek.

David said the love of God gave him courage, and it was that same love that gave Ebed-Melek the courage to lower the rope that lifted up Jeremiah. Ask God to give you the courage to help someone else with their cares. Who could you lower a rope to today? Who needs a helping hand or an encouraging word? God is always looking to see who has open hands and a willing heart to be a vessel of love to lift others up.

“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham…Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you…Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac…Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs. “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him… Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child…Moses was forty years old…he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai…Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. “ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God…You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious…Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God…they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him…While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”  Acts 7:2-60

How would you respond in this situation? Would you fight back or stay faithful to what the Spirit tells you to do? God does not want you to be a doormat, but sometimes you need to surrender to His will. When Stephen had an opportunity to speak, he spoke of the faithfulness of God. What will come out of your mouth today? 

He reminded the people of how God had sustained them through all their cares and worked through people with willing hearts. Stephen highlighted the names of Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, and Solomon so that he could show that it is by faith in the faithful love of God that God’s love is brought to the world. 

Pay close attention to how Stephen never changes his focus. When other people are yelling and threatening him, he looks to God. Just like David, he cast his cares on God so he could stay faithful to his calling in Christ. Stephen did not fight back or get offended. He did not come up with a witty comeback. He did not respond to hate with hate. He kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, and his last words were words of forgiveness.

What could you learn from David, Solomon, Ebed-Melek, and Stephen today? Will you keep your eyes on God, focusing on how faithful He is so that you can walk with a free heart that faithfully lets the love of God flow through you? Lift your eyes to love. Let love lead you.

David could not help but stand in awe when he considered how loving God is. Should we be any different? Consider how good and faithful God is. Listen to the voice that calls you beloved and beautiful. Walk in the truth that you are loved.

Stay true to who He made you to be no matter the circumstances you face, and see who you can help out of a cistern. We all have a choice of what we will do with the love of Christ. Choose to let it be what you think about most, and you will see God is always faithful in all He does.