Month: April 2009

Searching the Mind and Heart

Whether you like it or not, your life and mine is an open book. God knows the hearts of all and searches the mind and heart.

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. Psalm 139:4

The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. Proverbs 20:27

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.” I Chronicles 28:9

‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Rev 2:23

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24

“I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:10

“…You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all…” Acts 1:24

“… His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men, The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

God dwelling in the dark cloud

A couple of posts ago I was meditating on how God dwells in unapproachable light. According to scripture, it is also true that He dwells in the dark cloud. It has been interesting to study various passages and especially to read the viewpoints of a couple rabbi’s relating to the dark clouds present at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Many old testament saints understood God dwelling in the dark cloud because of personal experience. Take Moses for example. When God descended on Mt. Sinai, He told Moses “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” Exodus 19:9. Then Exodus 19 tells us “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”(19:18)

Also, we know that God led the people of Israel with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. When the glory of the Lord filled the temple it was a cloud that the people saw.

When he dedicated the temple, Solomon prayed: “The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.” (2 Chronicles 6:1)… and when he had finished praying the glory of the Lord had filled the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1).

Also, when Moses had met with God and came down from the mountain his face was shining… it was glowing with the glory of God. (Exodus 34:28-29, 35,2 Corinthians 3:7)

So in meditating upon this… think about how our Lord said “God is spirit and his worshippers must worship Him in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Now think about “For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). Now think about what God says of His angels… “of the angels He says: Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”(Hebrews 1:7) And then referring to angels and in conclusion in Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”

Spirits, fire, clouds, light.

“Sing praises to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds…” (Psalm 68:4)

So our God shrouds His glory in clouds. And yet He has graciously let us behold His glory in the person of Jesus. “…we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. And yet as he was preparing to go to the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father “glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world began” (John 17:5). I am excited to see that glory. I like how Moses in Exodus 33 asked to see God’s glory… such a cool passage. And a few of the disciples saw Jesus transfigured. Well… soon we shall see His great glory.

Just as Jesus ascended in the clouds… so He will return in the clouds. “…they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30)

“…Who makes the clouds His chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind” (Psalm 104:3)