Psalm 66: Come and See

This past weekend, our daughter volunteered at a fire station pancake breakfast.  She relayed the story of a little tyke whose daddy was busy flipping pancakes.  Kiddos, of course, couldn’t go back by the hot griddles, but this little one’s dad came up to the line to give him a hug and then returned to his flapjack flipping.  That did it.  This must have been one awesome dad  – at least in the eyes of his beaming son, who commenced proudly and enthusiastically pointing out to anyone who would listen, “That’s my daddy!”  This, in turn, inspired an even younger little bugger, who was being carried by his own daddy, to stick a finger point-blank in his papa’s face and identify this equally marvelous man as his father to everyone within earshot.

Isn’t that great?!  It makes me smile.  Big!  …but you know what?  Psalm 66 lights a fire in my soul to do the very same thing with my heavenly Abba.  That psalm lifts my spirits, turns my eyes upward, fills my heart with gratitude, and gives me fortitude, peace, and joy.  I mean, this God of heaven and earth – my glorious and awesome Father who fashioned me in the womb, knows me inside-out, and redeemed my life from the pit forever –  is the One who holds me close and considers me valuable (Psalm 139:1-16; Psalm 103:4; Luke 12:6-7).  My Daddy is so great, like a “consuming fire,”  that even His enemies “feign obedience” in His presence (Psalm 66:3; Hebrews 12:28-29; Hebrews 10:31).  I am awe-struck by Him!  …and so unworthy of His unfailing lovingkindness and compassion (Lamentations 3:22-23).  It brings me to tears when I consider what a profound privilege it is to be able to say, “That’s my Daddy!” (Romans 8:15-17; Ephesians 2:19; Psalm 8:3-8).

Our Father “rules by His might forever” over all creation (Psalm 66:7; Isaiah 43:13; Daniel 4:35; Psalm 103:19-22). Nothing can touch His children without His permission. How foolish of us to needlessly concede to apprehension, as though we somehow can’t trust Him with the nitty-gritty of our lives – as though He somehow doesn’t have the ability, the wisdom, the character, the strategy to accomplish all that He has ordained for each one of us, while simultaneously keeping us in the sweet spot of the shelter of His wing (Job 23:13-14; Philippians 1:6; Psalm 91:1-4).  Nothing is impossible for the One who “made the heavens and the earth by [His] great power and by [His] outstretched arm…The Lord of hosts is His name; great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men” (Jeremiah 32:17-20; Matthew 19:26). Why should He have to remind us so many times in Scripture not to fear, not to worry, not to despair during our sojourn here? He hasn’t left us here as orphans. He doesn’t send His children as ambassadors into this hostile land and say, “Good luck. See you when it’s over.”  No, He tends to each of us continually as our Good Shepherd, intimately understanding our hearts and minds and meeting our needs (Psalm 23; Hebrews 4:15). He summons His children to “draw near with confidence” to His throne, where His mercy and grace flow out to us in abundance (Hebrews 4:16). Although His throne room is a majestic, holy, fearsome place, it’s also warm and inviting to His children. It brings a picture to my mind of a child zeroing in only on his beloved daddy and confidently running to him to crawl onto his lap for a snuggle, a bit of time and attention, a story, a conversation, a safe place to cry, protection when afraid, forgiveness after messing up, help, and encouragement.  There is great security in our heavenly Father’s quiet reassurance of, “I am here. I’ve got you. Trust me.” He never leaves us. Never forsakes us. He is the best provider and counselor in the cosmos.  I love my Abba.

Come and see…!  Come and hear…!

For millennia, mankind has been extolling God’s unsearchable greatness, sharing stories of the things that God has done.  “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” The Bible is filled from tip to tail with personal testimonies of the splendor of His majesty, the power of His awesome acts, and the memory of His abundant goodness (Psalm 145:4-7).  God graciously arranged for all of this to be recorded “for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

“Come and see,” Philip responded when Nathanael asked him if anything good could come out of Nazareth (John 1:43-51). Because of what men like Philip have testified, we are able to have a sure hope through the most fabulous deed God has ever accomplished for humankind: the salvation of our souls.  And beyond that, all of us who have walked with God for any amount of time have a trove of personal stories we could tell about our Father’s providential workings in our everyday lives.  His fingerprints are all over the day-to-day details, if we’re willing to notice. We need to be intentional about sharing these stories to encourage one another – and all the more as these difficult “last days” escalate toward critical mass and the curtain rises for the final act of God’s drama for the ages (Hebrews 10:23-25; 2 Timothy 3).

How can we not get excited when the God who turned the sea into dry land for the Israelites also parts an impossible sea for us?  Tell about it! “Come and see the works of God, who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men…Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul!” (Psalm 66:5,16).  It’s not only when He pulls off something jaw-dropping, but it’s also when He takes us from brokenness to healing…from fear to quietude…from confusion to clarity…from lack to fullness…from weakness to endurance.  He “keeps us in life” (Psalm 66:9). He, the One who bled and died to purchase our souls back from the domain of darkness, never lets us go from His grip. Ever. Ever. Ever (Colossians 1:13-14; John 6:39-40; John 10:24-30).  In love, not wrath, for our vital benefit, He walks with us through the fires that are required to burn off the heavy, malignant dross that has been amalgamated to our being since the fall in Eden (Psalm 66:10-12; Hebrews 12:4-11; Romans 8:28-39) His lovingkindness never turns from us (Psalm 66:20). He leads us by His truth, teaches us, and shows us the path of abundant life here-and-now (Psalm 25:4-5; Proverbs 3:5-6; John 10:10). Oh, we have so much to share!  “May the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant [us] to be of the same mind…so that with one accord [we] may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6).

“Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him…in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them” (Psalm 145:3, 8-9, 14-19).

Hey, world, that’s my Daddy! Come and see!