The title of this article comes from praise the Psalmist uttered to our heavenly Father (Psa. 139:14). Throughout this chapter, the majesty of God is brought forth. Here is a list of things man ought to acknowledge about our Creator.

Psalm 139:1-6

The Lord knows everything about us, even things as simple as when we sitting down or raising up (verse 2). There is nothing we can think of that our Father does not know (verse 3). The same goes for every word that we utter – everything is heard by Him (verse 4). Realizing that He observes and knows us so well should cause admiration for His knowledge and a realization that we could never attain this ourselves (verse 6).

Psalm 139:7-12

Knowing the unlimited power of God, there is no place anyone could go to hide from Him. If into heaven, He is there. If into the depth of the grave, He is there (verse 7-8). The same is true if one goes into the depths of the sea – the hand of God is there (verse 9-10). It does not matter what time of day it is, for He is light even in the darkness (verses 11-12).

Psalm 139:13-16

Our God creates us in our mother’s womb (verse 13). When our bodies were stitched together at conception, we were not hidden from

Him (verse 15). Yes, each life has substance and is seen by the Creator even in the womb (verse 16). This is a reason why we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Many people might not see anything of worth when we are barely formed, but God does!

Psalm 139:17-18

When all of this is realized, it ought to cause us to value the thoughts of God and to desire to know all we can from Him (verse 17). The Psalmist spoke wisely when he stated that the thoughts of God are like the sand (verse 18), meaning, there is so much we can learn. Problems will come when we foolishly think we are so smart, especially those who think they know better than God. Before we think of ourselves too highly, we need to stop and consider the overwhelming might and wisdom of God.

Psalm 139:19-22

A natural outcome of such devotion to our Lord is a distaste towards those who disrespect our Father in heaven. There is a longing to be away from such people (verse 19). God’s children cannot stand hearing anyone speak His name in vain as this is wicked (verse 20). This feeling is not rooted in a lack of love for the lost. Rather, it is a perfect hatred for those who hate God (verse 21-22). Therefore, those who are enemies of the Lord are our enemies (verse 22).

Psalm 139:23-24

In the end, the faithful followers will cry out to the Father asking that He search us and know our hearts (verse 23). We want to make sure He knows that we do not want any wickedness in us or any sin held against us. We also want to express our desire to be lead in the right way (verse 24). This makes sense as the goal of His people is to be able to spend eternity with Him.

Yes, we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. Let us realize and appreciate what this means. God recognizes and cares for each of us individually. He has known us from the womb and loved us before we knew Him (Romans 5:8). His knowledge and strength stretch far beyond anything we are capable of. May this knowledge cause each us to be the kind of people the Lord wants us to be by faithfully following his commands every day of our lives (John 14:15).

                                                                                              Chuck

The reason for the seasons

The apostle Paul told those who wanted to elevate him that they should instead turn their attention to the one who does deserve it – God (Acts 14:15). Paul said this about the Creator: “Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness,” (verse 17).

Despite the concerns that some have about climate change, there will always be the four seasons as they were given to us by our God. We are not just talking about the Father either. Notice what was said about the Christ in John 1:2-3: “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”  Jesus was present when the world was formed and is also jointly responsible for its existence.

There is a saying that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” It would be more accurate to say “seasons”. People can create a panic in this world about climate change, but the four seasons will exist until the end of time. In speaking about our Creator, the Psalmist wrote, “The day is Yours, the night is also Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter,” (Psa. 74:16-17).

Man often forgets that God is in control and that this world will ultimately be destroyed by our God at the end of time (II Pet. 3:9-11). Until then, the sun will rise and the sun will set. The earth shall experience climate changes as it has for thousands of years.

How many times have older people said, “I haven’t seen weather like this since…”? In other words, things go in cycles.  Imagine a child that was born just before the seven years of plenty in Egypt (Gen. 41:54). The first seven years would be very different than the following years of hot, dry famine.

Those who reject God will never be satisfied with His comforting words. When things come back around and certain regions get the weather they are known for, some will cry, “See, more climate change!” As Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9).

Keep in mind that when we talk about the seasons, they continue to exist even in places that do not have huge, visible changes during the year. For example, when Jesus spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24, He stated, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter.” (verse 20). Did this mean that there was a danger that they would be getting the kind of weather that Alaska would normally see in the winter? Of course not. But the weather would be much colder than the summer.

We need to see that Jesus is the reason for the seasons and that there will always be the seasons. Southern California has a spring, summer, fall and winter. Are those changes as distinct as the seasons of the Northeast? Certainly not. But even if the weather patterns in both areas became more similar, let’s not panic. I realize that the media will state that such things have not happened since records were kept. Fine, but what about the thousands of years before they started recording temperatures?

The truth is, our God is the reason for the seasons. We are thankful for the planting and the harvest, for the sunshine and the rain, and for the night and the day. There is a time for everything (Eccl. 3). But remember, there will come a time when time will be no more. Let’s make sure we are ready for that before worrying about earthly things.

                                                                                                Chuck