God is faithful and good. God is sovereign. God is our redeemer.
A Good, Faithful, Sovereign Redeemer
Act ONE, Week 3
Of all the attributes of our God, I find meditating on these threads is the most impactful to my soul. Over and over again, I must remember who God is and what He has done for me. As we conclude our time in Act 1: God, it is a comfort to know that the Author of our story is not only good and faithful but that He is sovereign—a king who redeems.
Yesterday, I took a walk in the woods. Although the sun was shining when I left, quickly the storm clouds rolled in, and the sky grew dark. As I stood in the midst of the forest, leaves dying around me, rain falling on me, and a blustery wind blowing through the thin sweatshirt I was wearing, I was reminded of our lesson this week, and creation painted a picture, a summary of Act 1.
God, the Author of our story, wants us to know His story. He is the Alpha and the Omega! He, who has no beginning, knew our beginning, and He intimately knows us—all of us—every thought, every action, every emotion. Despite the many ways we have turned away from Him, He is patient and He patiently provides the only way for us to be with Him forever: Jesus. He is the only way. So, what must you do to be saved? “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). “He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).
However, the walk through the woods of the world, the path that the Lord has you on, may not always be full of sunshine and rainbows. In fact, Jesus himself said in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in ME you may have peace. In the world [woods—oops!] you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (emphasis mine).
As I stand still in the middle of the woods, I am reminded that there will be times that we will watch the storm clouds move in, feel the wind pick up, and the rain beat down. The cold may bite, and we may actually be alone. Life around us may start to die away. But Jesus is faithful and good. He is our Sovereign King, worthy to be worshiped, and His death was the only means of our redemption. Isaiah pointed this out in our passage this week, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.” (Isaiah 43:1-2)
I hope we noticed this week that God's characteristics never change. Wherever we read in the Scriptures, whether it is an old prophet's writings (like Isaiah), a letter from Paul to the Ephesians, or John's revelation of what is to come in Revelation. He is the great I AM. He will always be faithful, even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). He will always be good, even when there is nothing good in us. He will always be Sovereign. He is a king powerful without limits. And He will always be a Redeemer who loves His people, those who love and serve Him. It is, after all, His purpose, “which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:9-10).
When we open up the Bible, God's Holy Word, I pray that we never stop looking for these attributes of our Author. They are anywhere you read, everywhere you look! So, let's press on and in. Press on in the faith and press in towards Christ.
I continue to pray that through this study, a helicopter ride over God's Story, catching a glimpse of our story woven into His, we keep falling in love with Jesus over and over again.
As we jump into Act 2: Creation this week, take note of how amazing it is that the Author becomes the Artist.
Looking ahead to Act TWo, week 1: What have we been created for? Created for Life
Attention: Please grab the new card for Act 2 Creation and save the date for the teaching on October 27th.
