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Perspective Is Everything

What Gets to Me Has to Go Through God

SYNOPSIS: From this side of heaven, it seems as though the believer is either in the sweet spot of God’s grace or the hot seat of challenging circumstances. Life seems to bounce between the two. Figuratively speaking, you are either just a step ahead of the poor house or you have one foot in the Promised Land. But when you discipline yourself to view things from a heavenly perspective, you will understand that nothing you experience—for sure, the good, but yes, even the bad—that first hasn’t gone past God and through Christ before it gets to you. Yes, perspective is everything.

Perspective-Helps - Ray Noah Blog

Moments with God // Psalm 105:43-45

He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for— that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD.

From this side of heaven, it seems as though the believer is either in the sweet spot of God’s grace or the hot seat of challenging circumstances. Life seems to bounce between the two.

Has that been true for you—figuratively speaking, you are either just a step ahead of the poor house or you have one foot in the Promised Land? Throughout my life, I have drifted from one to the other, sometimes on a daily basis, but mostly it has been seasonal. Of course, I prefer the sweet spot to the poor house—who wouldn’t?

That’s the human perspective—we either get a burden to bear or a blessing to enjoy. This psalm speaks of both: Joseph under the oppressive yoke of the Egyptians (Psalm 105:17-18), or Joseph in the driver’s seat of Pharaoh’s court. (Psalm 105:20-21) The same was true for the nation of Israel: They suffered the indignity of slavery in Egypt for 400 years (Psalm 105:23) but later were delivered to the Promised Land, where they enjoyed the blessings for which others had labored. (Psalm 105:43-44)

But what we see as either burdens to bear or blessings to enjoy, God sees from the perspective of purpose. At times, God gives us a problem; at other times, God releases his provision—but at all times, God is fulfilling his purposes in us, for us, and through us. That is the better perspective—a heavenly perspective.

What a better way to go through life—whether we are enduring a season of burdens or enjoying a season of blessings! When God allows us to endure a problem, his purpose is that through it, we would live with an attitude of gratitude and call attention to his glorious deeds:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. (Psalm 105:1-2)

When he has brought us into the sweet spot of his favor, he does so that we might be energized and enabled to bring praise to his name through our obedience:

Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy; his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out! He made them a gift of the country they entered, helped them seize the wealth of the nations…So they could do everything he told them—could follow his instructions to the letter. Hallelujah! (Psalm 105:45, The Message)

Perspective is everything. From an earthly point of view, we bounce between problems and promises! But from heaven’s perspective, God is faithfully fulfilling his purposes.

Now let’s see—earth-bound view or heavenly perspective? I’m thinking heaven is the better way to go!

Take A Moment: If you can access it, listen to the old gospel song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. Give particular thought to the refrain, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

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Storms Happen

God Makes the Storm His Servant

SYNOPSIS: Most of the time, unlike a storm of nature, a personal storm has no end in sight. And when you are in one, you are constantly reminded of how small, insignificant, and truly powerless you are. But there is One who is bigger than the storm. And Psalm 104 reminds us that, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” So, if you are in a personal storm, just know that God will make your storm his servant—which means that since you belong to God, he will make your storm servant to you as well. God will work the storm for your good. That is his promise, not mine!

Storms Happen - Ray Noah Blog

Moments with God // Psalm 104:7-32

But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight…The Lord who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

There is nothing quite as unnerving as the fury of nature. I’ve never been in a massive earthquake, but minor ones are enough to make me shake in my boots. I’ve never been in a hurricane, but I’ve been on the outskirts of a tornado, and the aftermath of even such a localized storm blew me away. I’ve never seen hailstones the size of a softball, but I’ve gotten caught in a storm that pinged my car with golf ball-sized hail, and I’ll tell you, it was enough to send chills up and down my spine.

There is nothing quite like the unleashed power of nature to remind you of how small, insignificant, and truly powerless you are.

Then there are personal storms! You may be going through one right now. In many respects, the fury of nature is nothing compared to the devastating power of a personal storm. With frequent regularity, friends will describe to me their own personal storm—everything from an unbelievably huge financial crisis to an untreatable physical ailment to an unrelenting relational disaster to an unyielding emotional trauma—and they are truly big, hairy, audacious personal gale-force storms. And it is usually the case that their storm is not of their own doing.

You see, as you and I journey through life, storms happen!

I would rather face nature than go through what many of my friends have gone through. Not to downplay the trauma and the loss, at least a tornado, or an earthquake, or a hailstorm comes to an end—and then you can pick up the pieces and begin to rebuild. Most of the time, a personal storm has no end in sight. And when you are in one, you are constantly reminded of how small, insignificant, and truly powerless you are.

But there is One who is bigger than the storm. And the psalmist reminds us that, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” (Psalm 104:3-4) If you are in a personal storm, I don’t know how long or how devastating it will be, but I do know that God will make your storm his servant—which means that since you belong to God, he will make your storm servant to you as well. God will work the storm for your good—that is his promise, not mine!

I don’t mean to minimize the sense of desperation your storm has brought you—I think I understand a little of what you are going through. But as surely as the storm reminds you of how small, insignificant, and powerless you are, I would also remind you that your God is bigger than your storm, and he is going to see you through it.

Storms happen—but so does God!

Take A Moment: Re-read Matthew 8:23-27, and if you are in a storm, simply do what the disciples did: They cried out to Jesus, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!

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Soul Music

The Top Ten List of God’s Goodness

SYNOPSIS: God’s manifold and gracious benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18: To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant-keeping. God keeps his covenantal promises only with those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance, and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

Soul Music - Ray Noah

Moments with God // Psalm 103:1-5

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

I love this psalm—it’s one of my favorites. For most people, it is right up there with the Twenty-Third Psalm, and if you are a lover of the Psalms, I suspect it has at least made your Top Ten.

David is on his game in this psalm; he’s in the sweet spot of Divine favor, the blessing zone, if you will, as he calls up from his memory banks his Top Ten list of why it is so good to belong to God:

  1. Forgiveness—Psalm 103:3
  2. Healing—Psalm 103:3
  3. Redemption—Psalm 103:4
  4. Compassion—Psalm 103:4
  5. Satisfaction—Psalm 103:5
  6. Justice—Psalm 103:6
  7. Revelation—Psalm 103:7
  8. Patience—Psalm 103:8
  9. Mercy—Psalm 103:9-14
  10. Love—Psalm 103:17

No wonder David “bookends” this psalm with “praise the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103:1, 22). What soul wouldn’t pour forth unfettered praise at the realization of all the undeserved and life-sustaining blessings that God graciously gives!

Of course, these benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18:

From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant-keeping. God keeps his covenantal promises only with those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance, and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

All I can say to that is, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits! (Psalm 103:2)

So, take some time to remember the benefits of belonging to God. My guess is, like David, you, too, will be singing a little soul music!

Take A Moment: Take some time today to remember the benefits of belonging to God, perhaps even right down your own Top Ten list. My guess is, like David, you, too, will be singing a little soul music!

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Make An Example Out of Me

Use Your Difficulties as an Appeal for God’s Grace

SYNOPSIS: When you are in a bad way, instead of the reflexive complaint we often lift, “Why me?”, the better prayer is always to ask, “God, what next?” Of course, pouring out your lament before the Lord is appropriate. Repentance, or at least honest soul-searching, will certainly be called for. It is not even a bad idea to detail the cause and effect of your situation. But at the end of the day, look toward a better tomorrow. And simply, boldly, undeservedly appeal to God to use you as an example of his grace and mercy for future generations. That, my friend, is a great way to squeeze blessing out of what is otherwise difficult circumstances.

Make An Example Out of Me - Ray Noah

Moments with God // Psalm 102:18

Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.

The writer of this psalm is in a bad way—a very bad way. In fact, the title says the author was a man who had been severely “afflicted.” We don’t know the man’s name, nor do we know the specific nature of his affliction, but we do know the depth of his despair since, to a greater or lesser degree, we have all been there at some point in our lives.

Perhaps you haven’t experienced the severity of the psalmist’s affliction, but you can at least identify with portions of what he is feeling:

  • There have been times when something so hurtful has happened that you can’t even eat: “I forget to eat my food.” (Psalm 102:4)
  • It could be that you are so devastated that you have even experienced a notable weight loss: “I am reduced to skin and bones.” (Psalm 102:5)
  • Perhaps you have gone through something that has caused sleepless nights and has even isolated you from sustaining relationships: “I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.” (Psalm 102:7)
  • Maybe you have even had something happen that has made you the fodder of gossip and ridicule: “All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse.” (Psalm 102:8)
  • Chances are, you have gone through a dark period that has reduced you to nothing more than an emotional wreck: “For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears.” (Psalm 102:9).

And at the bottom of all this despair, like the psalmist, you have laid the blame at God’s feet: “Because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.” (Psalm 102:10)

Now we can debate whether God is the source of all that pain (although the ancients tended to look at both personal pain and national despair, first and foremost, as the result of God’s displeasure with their sin—no matter what form his wrath came in), but I think the more important point of discussion ought to be what we will do about it going forward. Instead of the reflexive complaint we often lift, why me?” I think the better prayer is always to ask, “God, what next?”

The psalmist decided to take his pain to God, “Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you.” (Psalm 102:1) Then he boldly made an appeal to the Lord’s greatness and compassion, “But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her.” (Psalm 102:12-13) And then he even had the holy chutzpah to ask the Almighty to make an example of grace and mercy out of him to future generations, “Let this be written for a future generation that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.” (Psalm 102:18) I love it!

I think that is a great way to pray when you find yourself in a really bad way! Of course, pouring out your lament before the Lord is appropriate. Repentance, or at least honest soul-searching, will certainly be called for. It is not even a bad idea to detail the cause and effect of your situation. But at the end of the day, simply appealing to God to use you as an example of grace and mercy for future generations is a great way to squeeze blessing out of what is otherwise a really bad way.

Making an example of grace and mercy out of you—it is certainly better than the alternative!

Take A Moment: Are you in a present difficulty. Instead of your prayers being dominated by “Why me?” try this: Honestly ask the Lord, “What next?”

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Aggressive Blamelessness

God Stands Ready to Empower Your Holiness

SYNOPSIS: Total purity—that is the subject of this psalm. Or we might call it, aggressive blamelessness. Whatever we call it, it is most likely a reality that we agree with intellectually but don’t actually live it out in reality. But to live as authentic God-followers, our reality desperately needs to change since only those with pure hearts, clean hands, honest tongues, and transformed minds will experience the fullness of God. Aggressive blamelessness is called for in our thought life, our relationships, our conversations, and our intolerance of arrogance, self-righteousness, and human pride. The psalmist was committed to that kind of aggressive blamelessness—not just in theory, like you and me—but in the reality of his everyday life.
It’s not an impossibility, you know … not when we ask for God’s help to live that way.

Aggressive-Blamelessness - Ray Noah Blog

Moments with God // Psalm 101:2

I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need your help, especially in my own home, where I long to act as I should.

I’m not sure you’re ready for this! I don’t think you can handle it! You’re not tough enough! Sorry, but I’m just being real! My guess is, you’re just not up to it!

I hate to admit it, but I don’t. I wish that weren’t the case—I pray, literally, that this sad admission will not be the case for long. I pray that God will transform my heart, and yours, too, so you and I can truly offer this kind of psalm to the Lord.

What I am talking about is total purity, of course. That is the subject of this psalm. And my opening admission is not making excuses for you and me, it is simply stating our current reality—a reality that desperately needs to change since only those with pure hearts, clean hands, honest tongues and transformed minds will experience the fullness of God. Aggressive blamelessness—that’s what this psalm is describing.

The psalmist was committed to that kind of aggressive blamelessness—not just in theory, like you and me—but in the reality of his everyday life. Perhaps you would disagree with my assessment of your weak commitment and failure to practice that kind of aggressive blamelessness. Okay, so how do you stack up against these different arenas where the palmist is calling for intense purity:

  • In your thought life (Psalm 101:3): Have you banned all wickedness from entering your mind through what you watch or think about?
  • In your relationships (Psalm 101:4): Have you deliberately distanced yourself from unabashedly sinful people?
  • In your conversations (Psalm 101:5): Do you cut off dialogue with those who fudge the truth and traffic in rumors, gossip, innuendo, and negativity?
  • In your tolerance levels (Psalm 101:5): Do you find unacceptable and intolerable those whose attitudes are uppity, arrogant, and prideful?

Yeah, me neither!

Here’s the deal: Let’s ask the Lord to help us become aggressively blameless. We can put feet to our prayers by joining the psalmist in surrounding ourselves with others of likeminded purity (Psalm 101:6), distancing ourselves from the dishonest (Psalm 101:7), and actively, aggressively, and vocally challenging those who live in opposition to the values of heaven (Psalm 101:8).

So let’s get ready to rumble!

Take A Moment: Ask the Lord to help you become aggressively blameless. You can put feet to your prayers by joining the psalmist in surrounding yourself with others of likeminded purity—not in a Pharisaical kind of way, but in humility and with a desire for the kind of holiness that God desires from you and is willing to help you attain.

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Pre-flight Checklist for Worship

Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving

SYNOPSIS: As you are on your way to join others in your church gathering of worship, in light of the One you are going to worship, it is wholly appropriate that you prepare. First, as you and your family are driving to church, go through a preflight checklist of things for which you are grateful. And just so it doesn’t become routine, add this rule: Your thankfulness has to be from the past seven days. Second, actually begin to sing a song of praise as you drive onto the church parking lot. As you walk up to the church, sing to the Lord. Yes, people will think you are weird—but who cares? They’re just thinking the obvious. The parking team may give you a quirky look, but what does that matter? You aren’t singing for their benefit; you’re singing for Jesus.

Pre-Flight-Checklist-for-Worship - Ray Noah

Moments With God // Psalm 100:1-5

Shout out praises to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with joy. Enter his presence with joyful singing. Acknowledge that the LORD is God. He made us and we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give him thanks. Praise his name. For the LORD is good. His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all generations.

The writer of this psalm exhorted those who came to worship God to enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; to give thanks to him and praise his name.

So, as a modern worshipper, how do you prepare to worship Almighty God?

Perhaps you have a set routine as you ready yourself for church services, or maybe you don’t. It could be you go through a checklist of pre-flight instructions—I doubt it. Quite likely, your preparations for church just simply happen—a random scramble followed by a mad dash to get you, the kids, and the dog out the door. Hopefully, the dog doesn’t go with you. I totally understand that scene.

I would like to suggest a couple of things, however, that will not only enhance and elevate your experience of worship but it is wholly appropriate in light of the One you are preparing to worship. First, as you and your family are driving to church, go through a preflight checklist of things for which you are grateful. And just so it doesn’t become routine, add this rule: Your thankfulness has to be from the past seven days.

Second, actually begin to sing a song of praise as you drive onto the church parking lot. As you walk up to the church, sing to the Lord. Yes, people will think you are weird—but who cares? They’re just thinking the obvious. The parking team may give you a quirky look, but what does that matter? You aren’t singing for their benefit; you are singing for Jesus. I know, I’ve lost you on this one, but I’m serious. Try it for a month, along with the gratitude exercise, and see if it doesn’t elevate your worship game.

By the way, I am not the first to suggest such a thing. Two hundred years ago, John Wesley included a pre-flight checklist in the front of the hymnbook he authored. Here are his “Directions For Singing”:

  1. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.
  2. Sing them exactly as they are printed here without altering or mending them at all.
  3. Sing all. See that you join with a congregation as frequently as you can, let not a slight degree or weariness hinder you.
  4. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.
  5. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation so that you may not destroy the harmony.
  6. Sing in tune. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it, do not run before or stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move there exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too slow.
  7. Above all, sing spiritually. Look to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself or any other creature. To do this, attend strictly to the sense of what you sing.

Great—you can sing lustily, but no bawling!

Take A Moment: Try the two steps for worship preparation for a few weeks and see if it doesn’t enhance your experience of worship. Step one: on the way to your worship service, call out the things from the past week for which you are grateful. Step two: begin to sing a song of gratitude as you pull into your church’s parking lot.

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Approaching The Unapproachable

God Still Invites Us to Walk with Him

SYNOPSIS: What a thought! You can walk and talk with God like Moses. You can minister to God and for God people like Aaron. You can hear God’s voice and know his will like Samuel. You can hear God’s voice, experience his power, receive his forgiveness (although keep in mind, he is never soft on sin), present your needs before his throne—and be heard! Now tell me this: What other god is there like our God?

Approaching-the-Unapproachable - Ray Noah Blog

Moments With God // Psalm 99:6

Praise the Lord our God. Worship before his footstool. He is holy! Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. They prayed to the Lord and he answered them. He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them. O Lord our God, you answered them. They found you to be a forgiving God, but also one who punished their sinful deeds.

Over the course of several palms, the writer has been extolling the majesty and holiness of God—which makes him separate, distinct, and altogether higher than any other being. He alone is God—high and exalted, pure in righteousness and justice, beautiful in his majesty, and unapproachable in his holiness. The only possible response anyone, either high or low, has in his presence is to tremble before his throne:

The Lord reigns! The nations tremble. He sits enthroned above the cherubim; the earth shakes. The Lord is elevated in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. (Psalm 99:1-2)

Yet he is a God who has made it possible to approach him; he is a God who listens to his people when they call upon him; he is a God who, although he punishes misdeeds, also forgives sin and restores the penitent heart:

O Lord our God! You answered them and forgave their sins, yet punished them when they went wrong.Psalm 99:8)

Of all the people on earth, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel were arguably the closest to God. They witnessed his awesome power, heard his voice, and represented his will to the people of Israel. Yet each was still a flawed, fallen human being—one a rehabilitated murderer, another the designer of the golden calf-idol, and the third a relationally isolated, hard-nosed prophet.

Although we hold each of these three men as bona fide Bible heroes, and rightly so, the details of their lives demonstrate that they were just regular guys—and yet each was invited to walk with Almighty God in an intimate relationship. Perhaps through these three holy men, God was saying that he desires to bring his people into a saving, sanctifying, and enduring relationship, and that includes you and me.

What a thought: You can walk and talk with God like Moses. You can minister to God and for God like Aaron. You can hear God’s voice and know his will like Samuel. You can hear God’s voice, experience his power, receive his forgiveness (although keep in mind, he is never soft on sin), present your needs before his throne—and be heard!

Now tell me this: What other god is there like our God? And what other people are so blessed like us to have a god who walks with them, forgives their sins, and hears their prayers? There is no other god like that—only our God.

Perhaps today you are not feeling so blessed. Not true, you are blessed beyond measure, because you belong to Almighty God. And when that truth hits you today—and I pray that it does—perhaps you will respond as the psalmist did in his final verse,

Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy. (Psalm 98:9)

How blessed you are to be able to approach the Unapproachable!

Take A Moment: In light of the unapproachable God’s invitation to come near to him, why not take a moment to do what the psalmist declared: “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.” (Psalm 99:9)