The Personal God

Psalm 33:8 (NIV) Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.

The verse says "all". Let ALL the earth fear the Lord; let ALL the people revere Him. It does not say "some". It says "all". What does this mean? It means that God Himself does not allow for cultural differences. All cultures of men are the same to God. All men are to revere and fear Him.

The verse is embedded in a creation context. If God created the heavens, the starry host, the waters of the sea, and all they contain, which the Bible says He did, then there can only be one creator. As creator, He requires and demands that all men worship Him. Verse 18 says that God watches and blesses those who fear Him, whose hope is in His love.

This Psalm precludes many, if not most, of the world's religions right off the bat. God will not be pleased with any who practice a belief that does not honor Him as the sovereign creator.

But God is more than sovereign creator. He is a personal God, a God who relates to individuals on an individual basis. Psalm 63:1 -- O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. (italics added)

We find that God is revealed when we worship Him: Psalm 63:2 -- I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

He is also a God of love: verse 3 -- "your love is better than life".

The rest of Psalm 63 shows the black and white of yesterday's Quiet Time: Vs 11 -- But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced. A liar in the context of this psalm is anyone who does not praise the Lord.

A personal God reveals Himself in Psalm 123:2 -- As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.

The psalmist in that verse seeks specific answers to specific prayers, specific blessings to keep his soul alive, specific blessings to sustain for each day, each labor, each meal. The slave and the maid have nothing that the master and mistress do not provide. Without their provision, the slave and the maid would be dead. So with those who look to God -- He is their daily provider. What can be more personal than that?

Does the Lord see our need? Does He hear our prayer? Yes! Psalm 33:13-15 -- From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth -- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

Yes, God hears and answers the prayers of those who cry out to Him. Psalm 3:4-5 -- To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Dearest Father, May my heart cry out with the Psalmist this day:
Psalm 33:1-5 -- Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
Father, I thank You that You, the God of all creation, the Sovereign Majesty who created all that I see around me, that You are such a God, such a creator, as to be One who would reveal Yourself to the least of all Your creatures. I thank You that You are a God of love, a personal God who sees me, even me; who knows my name, my thoughts, my heart, my mind, my will, all that there is to know about me. You know it all. And I thank You that You are a God of love, not a mysterious, impenetrable, unknowable "force", Dios ex machina, but a God of love, who thought it good that You Yourself would become one of us, one of Your creation, to visit us in our own form, our own weaknesses, and live and die as one of us. You died as a man on a cross with our names on Your lips. How more personal can that be? Thank-You oh my Lord Jesus. I worship You. In Your loving name, Amen.