GOD'S SEAL OF APPROVAL (Psalm 90)

And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes, affirm that work that we do. (Psalm 90:17, MSG)

Psalm 90 is from Moses. Beautiful poetry from the man God used to used to write such vivid accounts of creation and the patriarchs, as well as his own life story.

Here he asks for God's loveliness to rest on us. "Lovely" is not a word I often associate with God. Perhaps this verse is the one Wendell Loveless had in mind when he wrote this chorus from my childhood:

Altogether lovely, He is altogether lovely,
And the fairest of ten thousand, this wonderful Friend divine;
He gave Himself to save, Now He lives in heav'n to keep me,
He is altogether lovely, is this wonderful Savior of mine.

As well as, of course, as Chris Tomlin's contemporary "Here I am to Worship." Altogether lovely, worthy, wonderful--Amen!

God's loveliness lies, not in the symmetry of beauty of His features, but in His character. He is my friend and my Savior, my protector and my husband.

And the funny thing, that loveliness validates my work.

I looked up the difference between confirm and affirm. It's a matter of proving vs. declaring. First God pokes around my work, my words, testing them for truth. Then He declares and supports them. God gives it His Seal of Approval.

Wow. That sounds like pride of the most awful sort, but this verse suggests it's available to all of us. If God could write a review of my books, what would He say? Of course, He chooses to work through His people. Until we can get a glimpse into those heavenly records, all we can do is to support each other.

Since God offers to give us His seal of approval, He deserves my very best. I should strive for quality because He is my ultimate editor.

Today's favorite verses, which again made me think of writers: Long before you brought earth itself to birth, from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come"--you are God. (Psalm 90:2 MSG)

WANT MORE? GOT IT Part 2

I confess I find the descriptions of the division of the land b-o-r-i-n-g. My mind doesn't process visual images like maps and directions very well. So I read the descriptions the same way I had read about the sacrifices, comparing details instead of skimming over the verses. When everything is the same, the differences jump out at me.

Just yesterday we listened to Ephraim's pity party. "They have iron chariots!" They failed in their God-given mission to drive out the inhabits of the land.

Today Dan tells a different story. Oh, Joshua does tell us that the Danites failed to get rid of the Amorites on the plain. But they didn't give up. They suited up and went to war, attacking and taking the town of Leshem. I'm not entirely clear from the context if Leshem was on the plain or in the mountains, but they grabbed ahold of God's promise and found themselves a place to live.

This reminds me a little bit of the story of the prodigal son. One son worked by his father's side, and the other squandered his inheritance.

It also sounds like a lot of writers that I know. A conference director put it this way: no wonder God gives the same idea to more than one person. One person alone might fail in their God-given mission.

The Danites weren't perfect. They struggled with defeating the people of the plains. But they persevered and won a victory. When they defeated Leshem, God and His angels celebrated with them.

What's your assignment from God today?