The Attributes of God – The End

Yesterday marked 31 days of finding one attribute of God each day in the Psalms.

How enlightening this project has been. The focus has been very good. Sometimes concentrating on something gives a better perspective than otherwise. I think I see God in a bigger way.

One of the attributes that stood out the most is God’s steadfast love. He never stops loving me.

So, it is the end of the project but also a beginning. I know I will continue to go over the things I have learned and hopefully they will become a part of my life and my understanding.

Philip

God is My Song

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 118:14 The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.

Psalm 146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Psalm 147:7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving.

Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

Psalm 98:1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things, His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.

Thank God that I have a new song. The blues are gone. He has done great things for me.

Philip

God is Near the Brokenhearted

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.

This is the place of deep sorrow for our sin. It is a place where the weight of our sin begins to crush us. It is a place where we may despair if God did not come to heal us.

What amazing grace and love!

Philip

God is Righteous

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 11:7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright will behold His face.

Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works.

Psalm 119:142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and Your law is true.

Righteousness = purity of heart and honesty; being and doing right.

It’s amazing but God makes us righteous through Christ. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

…and may be found in Him (Christ), not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. Philippians 3:9

Philip

God’s Word is a Lamp

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light; and the reproofs for discipline are the way of life.

2 Peter 1:19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.

The world is a dark place. We are guaranteed to stumble and fall without the light of God’s Word. The world is always trying to squeeze us into its mould. God’s Word can renew our mind (Romans 12:2).

Philip

God is On My Side

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 118:6-7 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

The condition: verses 8-9: It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes (government).

God is in my corner. He is cheering me on to victory. He helps me to trust Him and to do His will.

Philip

God’s Works are Great

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 111:2-7 Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wondrous work to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. He has shown His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are sure.

The key as shown in verse 2 is to study the works of the Lord. Then we will see what He has done for others and we will be reminded of all he has done for us.

Philip

God is Compassionate

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 103:13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Compassion is a deep awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering. It is understanding the suffering and wanting to do something about it.

God is fully aware of our suffering and even that our own doing causes a lot of it. In spite of this, He still feels for us and sent Jesus to die for our sins so that our lives could be changed.

Philip

God Reigns

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 97:1, 2 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

God is the king over all the earth.

Psalm 146:10 The Lord will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 93:5 Your decrees are very trustworthy. The rules God makes are good.

Psalm 99:1 The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
Psalm 98:9 He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity. God will judge those who refuse to bow before Him.

Psalm 97:7 Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, who boast themselves of idols; worship Him, all you gods. What a waste to make anything an idol. God alone should be worshipped.

Philip

God is My Insurance Policy

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 91

The cost of the policy:
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!"

3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.
We are delivered from traps and deadly disease.

4 He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
General protection.

5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day;
Restful sleep and cover by day.

6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
Day and night protection from disease and destruction.

7 A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
Enemies are destroyed before they reach us. We get to see the Lord take care of them by Himself.

9 For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place.
A reminder that the condition is complete trust in God as our protection.

10 No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.
Evil and disease kept away from our home.

11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
Angels watch over us. Hebrews 1:14 says: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
Protection from wild animals.

14 "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
The condition is to know God and to love Him.

15 "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.
The condition: we have to call on Him. He has to be the one we completely trust.

16 "With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation."
Long life and salvation.

I am completely satisfied with God’s care for me. There is nothing that can come into my life or home unless He allows it. I am well protected.

Philip

God is Faithful

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 89:1b, 2b …with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.

God is always reliable and fulfills His promises.

I can testify that God has never let me down even when I have let Him down. I have never been disappointed when I have taken Him at His Word. He has provided for me beyond what I could have ever expected. I am aware of his protection on my life. He is always faithful!

Philip

God is Slow to Anger

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love and faithfulness.

This doesn’t mean that God never gets angry. He does, but He doesn’t fly off the handle as we tend to do.

Proverbs 14:29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms a dispute.

Proverbs 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

Proverbs 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

Because God is slow to anger does not mean that He overlooks sin. There will be a time of furious judgment.

Something that can help keep anger in it’s proper place is James 1:19-20. It says: Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness that God requires. Listen well, ponder your words and take prudent action.

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger (wrath). The first anger is “righteous anger.” The second is when that anger gets out of balance and moves towards revenge. There is a right anger about sinful things. We must use that anger properly to motivate us beyond passivity and to proper rhetoric and action.

Philip

God is My Rock

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

Psalm 62:2 He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

God is my strength and a place of security. In Him I can stand strong.

2 Samuel 22:32-33 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strong refuge; and has made my way blameless.

Philip

God is My Teacher

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 71:17 O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim Your wondrous deeds.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Psalm 25: 4-5 Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.

Even before I became a Christian, I was aware of God revealing Himself to me and drawing me to Himself.

Psalm 119:11 Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. The Bible is the main way that God teaches us.

Philip

God is Our Salvation

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 68: 19b, 20 God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

God sets us free from the penalty of our sin and deliverers us from the attacks of the devil and the snares of the wicked.

We deserve the righteous judgment of God but receive forgiveness through Jesus.

Philip

God is Merciful

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

We do not deserve God’s love, yet He feels compassion toward us. We deserved death yet we received life through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with boldness draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Philip

God is My Upholder

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.

God sustains, refreshes, and revives me. I can lean on Him

Psalm 119:116 Uphold me according to your promise. That I may live and let me not be put to shame in my hope.

When I am weak, he is strong.

Philip

God is My Fortress

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 48:3 … God has made himself known as a fortress.

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliver, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

God protects those who trust in him. God is the place we can go for protection. Think of forts. They may be up in a tree or up on a hill behind some rocks. There are many advantages of them. You’re both protected and have a high place to hurt the enemy if they try to attack.

God’s fort will never fail.

Philip

God is My Joy

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy.

Key to joy: Ps 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is the fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Benefits of joy: Nehemiah 8:10 …the joy of the LORD is your strength. Ps 21:6 You make him glad with the joy of your presence.

Joy is not dependent on circumstances.

Joy is much better than happiness. The mantra of the world is. “Whatever makes you happy.” Many times that is an excuse for doing something wrong or unwise. In the end, happiness isn’t always achieved and many times the result is sorrow.

Hanging out with God and recognizing who and what He is brings joy. Along with it comes gladness, excitement, contentment, satisfaction, triumph and cheerfulness.

Another key to joy is right priorities. Here is a picture of that:

Jesus
Others
Yourself

Philip

God is Trustworthy

Meditations on the attributes of God.

Psalm 40:4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust.

We can do this because of what He has done in the past for others and for us. We can place our confidence in Him and rely on Him.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, But we will trust in the name of the LORD, our God. Psalm 20:7

We will never be disappointed when we place our trust in God. He will always do what is best for us.

Philip