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High and Mighty

God is Above the Storm

PREVIEW: What are you facing today? A demanding boss at work? An impenetrable clique at school? A depleting ailment in your body? An unsolvable problem in your finances? A looming disaster in your family? What is the gathering storm in your life right now? It is pretty intimidating, I would imagine. Storms are like that. But here’s the deal: God was there before your storm got started. He will be there long after your it blows itself back into oblivion. It follows, therefore, that he will be with you as you ride out the storm. So look for him through the winds and the waves. Listen for his voice above the chaos. He is “mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore—the Lord above is mightier than these!” (Psalm 93:4) Your storm, after all, compared to God, is nothing more than a tempest in a teapot.

High-and-Mighty - Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 93:1-2

The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past.

What are you facing today? A demanding boss at work? An impenetrable clique at school? A depleting ailment in your body? An unsolvable problem in your finances? A looming disaster in your family?

What is the gathering storm in your life right now? It is pretty intimidating, I would imagine. Storms are like that. They rise up as if to consume you: “The floods have risen up, O Lord.” They dominate your world and color your entire view of life: “The floods have roared like thunder.” They batter every fiber of your existence: “The floods have lifted up their pounding waves.” (Psalm 93:3)

But here’s the deal: God was there before your storm got started. He will be there long after that storm blows itself back into oblivion. It follows, therefore, that he will be with you as you ride out the storm. So look for him through the winds and the waves. Listen for his voice above the chaos. He is “mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore—the Lord above is mightier than these!” (Psalm 93:4)

No matter what the storm, small or big—and they are all big, from the perspective of them in the midst of them—you are not alone. There is One with you who is higher and mightier than your storm—so high and mighty that he makes your worst hurricane nothing more than a tempest in a teapot!

Got a storm? Make yourself a cup of tea just to remind the storm of Who’s in charge!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: If you are going through a storm, do what the disciples did when they were in a fierce storm and thought they would drown. They cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:25). Try it—Jesus has been known to calm the storms.

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They Just Don’t Get It!

Inconvenient Truths Must Be Spoken

PREVIEW: Though the number of those who flout God’s laws is growing in strength and numbers today, like flourishing grass, one day they will stand before a Righteous God who has established an unchangeable moral code for the universe. Here is how the psalmist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said it in Psalm 92:7,9: “Though the wicked sprout like weeds and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever… Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish; all evildoers will be scattered.” It is a harsh truth—but it is still the truth: Those who have flaunted their freedoms and lived in disregard to God’s law will be forever destroyed. And from that perspective, as the psalmist said, they are senseless fools. They just don’t get it. But you do! So, stick by what you get, and in the end, you will really get it—the eternal favor of the Lord.

They just don't get it - Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 92:6-8

Only a simpleton would not know, and only a fool would not understand this: Though the wicked sprout like weeds and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.

I usually don’t watch beauty pageants—I’m not a big fan and I have a philosophic aversion to them—so I pay them no mind. However, one from a few years back got a lot of press, which caught my attention. It wasn’t so much that I was intrigued, I was dismayed with the way the first runner up to the crown was viciously treated by so-called cultural elites. What was her crime? It was for what I thought was a sane and sensitive answer to the question she was asked on gay marriage.

This beautiful young woman, who many felt should have won the title if she had given the politically correct answer, was vilified and marginalized, and called everything from homophobic, ignorant, intolerant … and even worse.

She gave the same answer that a vast majority of Americans would have given, and that I hope all born-again Christians would have given: That while we live in a country where you have the freedom to do certain things, including being gay, her moral beliefs and value system led her to believe that marriage should be preserved for a man and a woman. She said it respectfully, she said it calmly, she said it gracefully. She shared her opinion, which, the last time I looked, was still an American value. And then, for her, all hell broke loose.

So, what’s the deal with an increasingly vocal, radical, and hateful bunch in our country who preach tolerance the loudest but themselves are the most intolerant, and viciously so, when anyone doesn’t kowtow to their elitist dogma? How about this:

They just don’t get it!

They don’t get the fact that though they are growing in strength and numbers today, like flourishing grass, one day they will stand before a Righteous God who has established an unchangeable moral code for the universe. Here is how the psalmist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said it in Psalm 92:7,9:

Though the wicked sprout like weeds and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever… Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish; all evildoers will be scattered.

It is a harsh truth—but it is still the truth: Those who have flaunted their freedoms and lived in disregard to God’s law will be forever destroyed. And from that perspective, as the psalmist said, they are senseless fools. They just don’t get it.

But you do! You get that God will be exalted and unrepentant sinners will be destroyed. You get that those who have put their trust in God, who have submitted to the rules he has established for his creation, who love, honor, and respect him, will, as Psalm 92:12-14 says,

Flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green.

Don’t be surprised that there will be people who don’t get that! But you do; you get it. So, stick by what you get, and in the end, you will really get it—the eternal favor of Lord.

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: It is important to remember that when we talk about the surety of God’s judgment against sin, that “there for the grace of God go I.”

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Shelter

Got a Storm? Start Running!

PREVIEW: Have you ever watched a hen in a downpour spread her wings and, in one fell swoop, gather all her chicks under those wings and hunker down in the storm? The babies literally disappear from sight until the storm passes while the mother absorbs the maelstrom. What a moving illustration of our Heavenly Father’s tender but protective love for us—his helpless kids. What an awesome thing that we belong to a God who longs for us to find shelter in our time of storm under the shadow of his wings! As the songwriter put it, “The raging storms may round us beat; A shelter in the time of storm.”

Shelter - Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 91:1-4

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

A few years ago, my wife and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai. It was in July, and we were on the rainier side of this lush island, and man, was it raining. Throughout the day, the clouds would burst, and the downpour would send both man and beast running for cover.

We had a ground-floor condo for the week that opened up into the grassy interior of the resort. Throughout the week, we noticed that a hen and her brood of about five or six baby chicks roamed the resort. Free-range chickens in Paradise—what a life!

On one occasion, when the downpour hit, we were in the room, and the hen was right outside our sliding glass doors. When the clouds burst, it looked as if a fire hose had been turned on; it was unbelievable. Then the most amazing thing happened: those baby chicks made a beeline for momma hen. I didn’t know chickens could run that fast. And momma hen spread her wings like she had done it a million times before and, in one fell swoop, gathered all the babies under her wings and hunkered down in the storm. The chicks literally disappeared from sight for about 10 minutes while the mother hen absorbed the maelstrom.

As we watched this tender scene in amazement, my wife and I simultaneously commented on this passage. As touched as we were by the mother hen’s love for her chicks, we were awestruck and undone by the Heavenly Father’s tender but protective love of his helpless kids—chicks like us.

What an awesome thing that we belong to a God who longs for us to find shelter in the time of storm under the shadow of his wings! And what love the Father has for us that he should send his only Son to absorb the storm of sin and protect us from the righteous wrath of the One who cannot tolerate that sin.

And the Son, Jesus Christ, still longs to gather us under his wings, as a hen gathers her brood. But here’s the deal: You’ve got to run to him!

Got a storm? Start running!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: If you are going through a personal storm, read this passage and claim God’s promises to protect you. No matter what your circumstances look like or how you feel, thank God that his vast love for you will see you through.

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Time Flies

You Can Never Kill Time Without Injuring Eternity

PREVIEW: Are you as amazed as I am with the speed of time? What once seemed interminable when I was a kid—school, chores, the preacher’s sermon, winter, life—now seems to rush by like a speeding locomotive. I blinked and suddenly this fifteen-year-old kid panting to get his driver’s permit is now in the fourth quarter of life and panting just walking up the stairs. Watching my wife-to-be walk down the aisle has turned into the new adventure of grandparenting—overnight! Staring in amazement at the mystery of life as our daughters were born seems like only yesterday. Now they are in their own careers, well into marriage, bringing up children of their own, and making a significant impact in this world. Yes, time flies! So use your allotment of it wisely!

Time Flies - Ray Noah

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 90:10,12

..Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away … Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

True story: Kermit the frog was once heard saying, “Time’s fun when your having flies.” Kermit got his idiom a bit garbled, but that is quite understandable when Miss Piggy is stalking you!

Kermit was on to something! The truth is, time does fly—whether you are having fun or not. Moses was reflecting on how relatively brief life was when he said in Psalm 90:10,

The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

How true that is! Are you as amazed as I am with the speed of time? What once seemed interminable when I was a kid—school, chores, the preacher’s sermon, winter, life—now seems to rush by like a speeding locomotive. I blinked, and suddenly, this fifteen-year-old kid panting to get his driver’s permit is now in the fourth quarter of life and panting just walking up the stairs. Watching my wife-to-be walk down the aisle has turned into the new adventure of grandparenting—overnight! Staring in amazement at the mystery of life as our daughters were born seems like only yesterday. Now they are in their own careers, well into marriage, bringing up children of their own, and making a significant impact in this world.

Time flies!

You could certainly add your own experience to the narrative. And those of you who are older can definitely add an urgent witness to the speed of life even more than I can at this stage of life: Suddenly, the grandkids are getting married; great-grandchildren are arriving; the body is not working quite like it used to even though the mind still thinks of yourself as a youngster, full vim and vigor; you are facing life without your soul-mate—and something you never dreamed possible is now a gritty reality.

Time flies!

Yes, time flies, and I need to add a sobering twist. As the poet said, “Tis one life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” That is the truth, my friend. Time flies, so use it wisely. Make the most of it. Time is a gift from God, that’s why it’s called the present.

So perhaps it would be a good idea to follow Moses’ lead and pray that prayer today—and every day: “Lord, teach me to number my days soberly, so that I might live each of them wisely.”

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: This might seem a bit morbid, but I think it would be a great exercise for you. Write out the epitaph you hope to have one day on your tombstone. Then, obviously, live the rest of your life so that it will be true of you.

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A Promise Made—A Promise Kept

God Makes Them but He Never Breaks Them

PREVIEW: The fact that God makes a promise guarantees he will keep that promise. Yet that has not been our earthly experience, has it? We have been made promises only to have them broken. Parents, friends, teachers, bosses, politicians, preachers, and even our spouses—all have made promises, and chances are, most, if not all, have failed to deliver on their guarantees. In the realm of human relationships, our experience has taught us that a promise made is not necessarily a promise kept. And we, ourselves, have made promises only to break them before the ink dried on our guarantee. Not so with God. He makes covenants, and because he is a covenantly faithful God, he will do everything he has promised to do—guaranteed!

A Promise Made—A Promise Kept Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 89:33-34

But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.

Did you catch that? “I will not break my covenant,” says the Lord. So here’s the good news: God makes promises—and he keeps them.

We ought to be grateful for that! You and I are alive today—saved, forgiven, adopted into God’s family, walking daily in an intimate relationship with Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit for good works, destined for an eternity full of unending purpose and indescribable fulfillment—only by virtue of God’s faithfulness to his promise.

The fact that God makes a promise guarantees he will keep that promise.

Yet that has not been our earthly experience, has it? We have been made promises only to have them broken. Parents, friends, teachers, bosses, politicians, preachers, and even our spouses—all have made promises, and chances are, most, if not all, have failed to deliver on their guarantees. In the realm of human relationships, our experience has taught us that a promise made is not necessarily a promise kept.

And we, ourselves, have made promises only to break them before the ink dried on our guarantee.

Not so with God. He makes covenants, and because he is a covenantly faithful God, he will do what he has promised to do. Even though we may fail him—and suffer the consequences of our failure, either through Divine punishment, natural outcomes, or both—God will stay true to his promise. (Psalm 89:30-37) God cannot help himself. Psalm 89:35 reminds us,

Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David-

No, God will not lie to David, nor will God lie to you. Of course, this psalm specifically refers to God’s covenantal promise to King David, but it should be generally applied to God’s covenantal promise to all who are his people by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That’s me, that’s you, and that’s a very good thing!

So here’s the deal: Even though the people around you may fail to keep their end of the bargain, and though you may not always follow through with what you have said you would do, you can relax with God—he will always come through for you.

Guaranteed!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: According to various Bible scholars, God has made between 5,000 and 7,000 promises in Scripture. As an exercise of faith, write down ten of those divine promises that are most important to you. Then, rehearse them back to God and offer gratitude to him for being faithful to his promises.

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The Irresistible Appeal of a Sad Song

Turn Your Sadness into a Psalm

PREVIEW: Why do we keep coming back to sad songs time after time, generation after generation, millennium after millennium—and will continue to do so until sadness is banned from the created realm at the end of time? Because they work! You see, as we listen to them, the musician skillfully pulls from us the very same raw-edged emotions of pain, loss, and disappointment contained in the song, and somehow magically, mysteriously, inextricably, we become a part of it. Strangely, a sad song done well makes us even sadder—and we love it. So, here’s the deal: You’ve got pain, too—more than your fair share of sorrow, and disappointment. If you don’t, just wait a day or two, and you will. So you turn your sorrow into a song. And, if nothing else, sing your own sad song to the Lord. You never know, someone may discover your lament someday, and your sad tune may become famous. It wouldn’t be the first time. By the way, that is to best way to turn your regret into something redemptive!

The Irresistible Appeal of a Sad Song - Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 88:1-3

A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near. I am as good as dead, like a strong man with no strength left.

What we used to call Country and Western music—now it’s just called “Country”—isn’t the only musical genre to suffer an overabundance of sad songs. The truth is, all types of music have their fair share of lament. It may not be obvious at first, but the inspiration for so many of the songs we love has its origin in a broken heart, a dashed hope, or a shattered dream.

The reason we keep coming back to sad songs time after time, generation after generation, millennium after millennium—and will continue to do so until sadness is banned from the created realm at the end of time—is because they work. As we listen to them, the musician skillfully pulls from us the very same raw-edged emotions of pain, loss, and disappointment contained in the song, and somehow magically, mysteriously, inextricably, we become a part of it. Strangely, a sad song done well makes us even sadder—and we love it.

That’s what the psalm is doing here. The composer is sad, and he has written a song about it that pulls us into the raw, jagged edge of his pain:

  • He despaired of death—perhaps from outside forces, or maybe from the inner pain of his heartbroken life. (“For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near,” Psalm 88:3)
  • He felt abandoned by his closest friends, and all alone in the world. (“You have driven my friends away by making me repulsive to them. I am in a trap with no way of escape. … You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend,” Psalm 88:8,18).
  • He was simply worn out with sorrow (“My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day I beg for your help, O Lord; I lift my hands to you for mercy.,” Psalm 88:9)
  • He was deeply disappointed with God for it. (“My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day I beg for your help, O Lord; I lift my hands to you for mercy,” Psalm 88:13-14)
  • He had suffered lifelong devastation—with no relief in sight, and he was at the point of surrendering to the likelihood that his would always be a hard and sad life. (“I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors,” Psalm 88:15) .

We know that this man, named Heman, by the way, was a very wise man (1 Chronicles 25:6)—among the wisest of the wise. Yet all of his wisdom, talent (he was also a singer-songwriter according to 1 Chronicles 15:19), and position in the king’s court didn’t prevent nor alleviate the pain that saturated his world. But Heman was wise enough not just to sit around and stew in his sad juices. Perhaps what made him so wise and talented was that he did something as therapeutic as anything else on earth to counteract his sadness: He wrote songs.

Heman put his experiences and emotions into words, and those words were set to music, memorialized in the psalter of the human race, the Book of Psalms. Maybe his pain never went away—we just don’t know—but I’m quite confident that he felt a whole lot better knowing that others would be inspired and find strength for their own painful journey through his music.

You’ve got pain, too—more than your fair share of sorrow, and disappointment. If you don’t, just wait a day or two, and you will. So why don’t you give it a shot? Turn your pain into a song. Sometimes you wrestle with the sobering sense that your sadness over a matter may just be your lot in life. Perhaps it never will go away—I hope not—but that may be your reality. Go ahead and put your experience into words. Then turn your words into a tune. And if nothing else, sing your own sad song to the Lord.

You never know, someone may discover your lament someday, and your sad tune may become famous. It wouldn’t be the first time.

By the way, that is to best way to turn your regret into something redemptive!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: Have you ever written a song? If you lack the motivation, think about the things that make you sad. Then write them down and re-imagine them as a song. Do it as an act of faith and trust in the God who captures your tears in his bottle. Perhaps he will use your pain as a healing balm for others who are hurting.

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Favorite Places

Oh, Jerusalem!

PREVIEW: Did you know that God has a favorite city? In a unique and special way, God loves Jerusalem. He has his reasons, and I am not entirely sure what they are, but I can’t disagree with him. Jerusalem is beyond amazing. It is absolutely breathtaking! But as spectacular as it is, one day soon, when Jesus reigns in his full glory, the entire world gaze longingly on the city, and the nations will come to worship there. Even Israel’s mortal enemies will bow the knee in wonder in the city of God. And you will worship there, too. As will I. So, until that day, pray for the city of the great King!

Favorite-Places Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 87:2

The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

There are certain cities that I just love. I’ll bet you have favorite places, too. For me, San Francisco, for all its weirdness, has to be one of the most spectacular cities of all. The Golden Gate Bridge to the north, the Bay Bridge to the East, Alcatraz in between, North Beach, Fisherman’s Warf, the amazing skyline, the outstanding restaurants—what a cool city!

Denver is also a great city in my book. The drama created by the Great Plains abruptly crashing into the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, the majestic front range all the way from Pike’s Peak in the south to Long’s Peak to the north, is nothing short of a never-ending Kodak moment. The spectacular panoramic view Denverites get every single day is second to none.

But Portland—my home city—is at the top of my list! There is nothing like the Great Northwest. The fall colors are every bit as wonderful as New England’s. The summers are indescribable. The fragrant blossoms on a spring day can almost make you forget the rainy winter you’ve just endured. The rivers, bridges, verdant hills, lush canopy, and view of Mt. Hood will take your breath away, guaranteed. I am so blessed to live here.

And then there are cities I don’t like. I won’t mention any names, but, for instance, the initials of one such disliked city is “L.A.” You figure it out. What were they thinking when they put that one together!

God has a favorite city, too. Did you know that? He has his reasons, and I am not entirely sure what they are, but I can’t disagree with him. Jerusalem is pretty amazing. I hope you will get a chance to go there if you haven’t already. One of my favorite views of any city in the world is the one you get coming up over the Mount of Olives, and looking westward over the Kidron Valley, getting a glimpse for the first time of the Temple Mount of the holy city, Jerusalem. Breathtaking! Absolutely breathtaking!

Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
Hark! how the angels sing,
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna to your King.
(“The Holy City,” by Frederick Edward Weatherly)

God loves Jerusalem, and one day, when Jesus reigns in his full glory, the entire world will come to worship there. Even Israel’s mortal enemies will bow the knee in wonder in the city of God. And you will worship there, too. As will I.

So here’s the deal: Until Jesus returns, pray for Jerusalem’s safety and prosperity: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.” (Psalm 122:6) Nurture a passion for the city of the great king since God is so passionate about it. Start reading up on it. Check out the brochures that describe the city. Plan a trip to Jerusalem before you leave Planet Earth.

Above all, however, remember this: As spectacular as the view of the holy city is from this side of eternity, it ain’t nothing compared to what Jerusalem will be like when King Jesus lives there!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: If you are not already doing this, incorporate prayer for Jerusalem’s peace into your regular intercession times.