ISAIAH 35:4 – Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

THEME OF THE DAY. BEHOLD YOUR GOD. How does a Christian grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3:18)? How do we pursue what Jesus defines as eternal life, knowing God and Himself (John 17:2-3)? How will a believer become more and more like the Lord Jesus? The answer to all those questions and what really simplifies our understanding of the Christian life is found in the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth – And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). But how does that work? God doesn’t literally transport us to heaven. Nor does He just “zap” us into perfect likeness to His Son, the Lord Jesus. Actually, it isn’t mysterious or difficult. God draws us to behold His glorious Son through the zealous pursuit of Him in His Word and seeking prayer. Give ourselves over to beholding Him in His Word and prayer, and He will reveal Himself to us. So, as we unfold today’s nugget, a little different approach. Let’s do what Isaiah writes of in today’s scripture – “Behold your God” through His Word alone.

Here is our God as described in the Old Testament – The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful, and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Exodus 34:6-7); The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy (Number 14:18); His mercies are great (2 Samuel 24:14); The Lord your God is gracious and merciful (2 Chronicles 30:9); You are a God ready to pardon, gracious, and merciful (Nehemiah 9:17); His mercy endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34); You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon you (Psalm 86:5); You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth (Psalm 86:15); Your mercy is great to the heavens (Psalm 108:4); His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalm 145:9); Who is a God like You that pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger forever because He delights in mercy (Micah 7:18).

Here is our God, the same God of the Old Testament revealed in the New – God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16); God commends His love toward us (Romans 5:8); God who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He has loved us, even when we were dead in sins (Ephesians 2:4); the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared to man (Titus 3:4); In this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him; herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10); the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14); grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17); and the Gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).

Those are only a few samples to meditate upon to behold our God. May the Lord draw us by cords of His everlasting love to do what He saved us for – to behold Him that we might adore Him, love Him, obey Him, become like Him, and soon, be with Him forever.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for revealing Yourself to Me through Your creation and especially through Your Son.”

QUOTE: “Spend time, a lot of time, a lot of quality time in your Bible to ‘Behold, your God’. That is why He saved you.”