"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints"
Psalm 116:15
I had always assumed that this verse spoke of God's compassion on dying Christians, as He looked upon their final suffering, but recently I realized that the death of a believer is precious for a different reason. The suffering of a dying child would indeed evoke the Father's compassion, but I believe that the preciousness of a saint's death has entirely to do with the joy of being in perfect fellowship with that child, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:6-8)
For those who have confessed their sins to God and asked for His forgiveness, to die is to be instantaneously translated to the glories of heaven and the presence of the Lord Himself! This is a precious transition for the believer, one to be looked forward to with great anticipation.
When a loved one is absent from us, we may communicate with them, but we still miss them. However much we are in contact with them, we still long to see them in person.
This verse makes me think that it is the same with God. We may communicate with Him in prayer, but He still desires to have us present with Him. Thus, when one of His beloved children passes into glory, it is a precious thing to Him.
What a wonderful thing it is to be counted precious by the God of the universe!
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
An Unusual Birthday Present...
This morning I awoke to a very strange sight:
Snow on the second day of Spring! What a fantastic birthday present from my Heavenly Father!!Saturday, December 24, 2011
The Joy of Christmas
On Christmas morn in manger bed
How sweetly lies the Babe!
The Son of God, come down to earth
man's sinful race to save.
And as He grows, that sinless Babe
Becomes a sinless Man
To bear our punishment for sin.
Fulfilling redemption's plan.
Upon a cross, with crown of thorns
Upon His head, He dies.
Then placed within a cold, dark tomb,
How silently He lies!
Yet, from His cold, dark tomb, from death
Behold Him now arise!
He conquered death, and rose in life
To win us for His prize!
May you be blessed this Christmas by the reminder of all Christ gave for you.
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Unspoken
The door is closed, yet on my lips
Are clinging words unspoken yet.
The thought to speak the words was there,
And lips had formed their shape, but e'er
The voice and lips the thought had met
The moment vanished; silent stood the air.
Oh Lord, help my thoughts and words to meld
Inseperably with Thy will.
May, when Thy Spirit gives a thought,
That very instant the deed be wrought.
That when life is over I find not still
Thy words unspoken past the doorway brought.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
God's Perfect Plan
In sorting through some boxes of music recently, my mom discovered a song that someone had written for me when I was born. We have been unable to unravel the mystery of who wrote it, but one phrase that was repeated through the song struck me.
"God has a plan for you."
When I was born, my parents decided that I should be an organist. You see, I was born on J.S. Bach's birthday, and had long spindly fingers and restless feet. My parents started my brother and I with piano lessons when I was about 8, and no matter how I complained and pleaded to quit, they would not let me give up. When I was about 13, I switched to a different teacher, who helped me to play well enough that I actually enjoyed playing. After about two years of lessons with her, she suggested that I begin teacher training. Now, I had long thought that I would like to teach, and when my mom came home from meeting with my teacher and told me her suggestion, it was as if a light dawned and I suddenly realized that teaching was what I was supposed to do, even though it had not been part of my plans.
After I had been teaching for several years, God reminded me of one of His plans for me that I had resisted for many years. My parents had gotten the idea "somewhere" that I was going to be a church pianist (playing for church services, choir practices, etc.) The church we were in did not present many opportunities for this, and I was surprised when Daddy started telling people that I was going to be a church pianist. This was also not in my plans, and I protested that I was a teacher, not an accompanist.
Then, God's plan moved my family to our present church, and soon after we settled there I was put on the offertory schedule. From there, I learned how to play for congregational singing, and now am not only playing for congregational on Wednesday nights, but I am also accompanying the teen choir!
Then, two years ago, God once again reminded me of another long-resisted plan. In talking with a friend at church, the subject of the organ came up, and my friend asked if I had ever considered playing the organ. Just as when I realized that God wanted me to teach, it seemed as if a light had dawned, and I suddenly thought that yes, I could do that! We "happened" to have a small organ in our house, and my piano teacher "happened" to have majored in organ at college. The church I was teaching at had a beautiful organ that I was allowed to practice on for hours on end, and soon I played for church for the first time.
Then our church's organ died, and through that God provided a beautiful new Rodgers organ --but our primary organist had moved away, so now I find myself playing the organ every Sunday --just as God had planned before I was even born!
"God has a plan for you."
When I was born, my parents decided that I should be an organist. You see, I was born on J.S. Bach's birthday, and had long spindly fingers and restless feet. My parents started my brother and I with piano lessons when I was about 8, and no matter how I complained and pleaded to quit, they would not let me give up. When I was about 13, I switched to a different teacher, who helped me to play well enough that I actually enjoyed playing. After about two years of lessons with her, she suggested that I begin teacher training. Now, I had long thought that I would like to teach, and when my mom came home from meeting with my teacher and told me her suggestion, it was as if a light dawned and I suddenly realized that teaching was what I was supposed to do, even though it had not been part of my plans.
After I had been teaching for several years, God reminded me of one of His plans for me that I had resisted for many years. My parents had gotten the idea "somewhere" that I was going to be a church pianist (playing for church services, choir practices, etc.) The church we were in did not present many opportunities for this, and I was surprised when Daddy started telling people that I was going to be a church pianist. This was also not in my plans, and I protested that I was a teacher, not an accompanist.
Then, God's plan moved my family to our present church, and soon after we settled there I was put on the offertory schedule. From there, I learned how to play for congregational singing, and now am not only playing for congregational on Wednesday nights, but I am also accompanying the teen choir!
Then, two years ago, God once again reminded me of another long-resisted plan. In talking with a friend at church, the subject of the organ came up, and my friend asked if I had ever considered playing the organ. Just as when I realized that God wanted me to teach, it seemed as if a light had dawned, and I suddenly thought that yes, I could do that! We "happened" to have a small organ in our house, and my piano teacher "happened" to have majored in organ at college. The church I was teaching at had a beautiful organ that I was allowed to practice on for hours on end, and soon I played for church for the first time.
Then our church's organ died, and through that God provided a beautiful new Rodgers organ --but our primary organist had moved away, so now I find myself playing the organ every Sunday --just as God had planned before I was even born!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Sustained by Almighty God
This schoolyear has been flying by so fast, it hardly seems a week ago that nine shy and nervous four-year-olds walked through the door of my classroom to meet their equally shy and nervous teacher. We have just finished the twelfth week of school, and as I look back on the progress each student has made, I cannot help but rejoice in the One who is able to keep us from falling! (Jude 1:24)
It has been a long and exhausting couple of months, but I have been blessed beyond measure to see how God has strengthened and helped me. He has given me strength when I was weak, He has given me patience when I was on the verge of frustration, He has filled me with joy when my students were crabby, He has given me energy when I had thought I could not make it through the morning. How I am reminded of the verse in 2 Thessalonians that tells us "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."
It has been a long and exhausting couple of months, but I have been blessed beyond measure to see how God has strengthened and helped me. He has given me strength when I was weak, He has given me patience when I was on the verge of frustration, He has filled me with joy when my students were crabby, He has given me energy when I had thought I could not make it through the morning. How I am reminded of the verse in 2 Thessalonians that tells us "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Early Thirst
(Psalm 63)
The quiet light begins to dawn.
My soul awakes, as it is drawn
By silent thirst, with op'ning eyes
To cast off night and from slumber rise.
~
A soul a-thirst, all consuming need
To open Thy word and upon it feed.
As a droughted land, dry and parched I lay
'Till thus I awoke at break of day.
~
I long, not for water for a thirsty tongue ,
Nor yet for heart-soothing songs to be sung;
No! 'Tis more needful than all for me
To wake, arise, and commune with Thee.
~
Oh, with my thirsty eyes to see
Thy power and glory revealed to me!
--To know your blest presence nearer yet
Than when in Thy house with Thee I met!
~
More than life my Lord, my all!
Thy lovingkindness doth upon me fall.
I shall proclaim how great Thou art
With joyful lips and hungry heart.
~
While life is in me, I'll praise Thy name
And bless Thee, evermore the same
With greatful heart my hands I'll raise
And offer up my inadequate praise.
~
I come, and know that Thou shalt fill
My hungry soul, this morn so still,
As with a feast of extravegant things
Fit to be set before the richest kings!
~
Thus satisfied at last, I raise
My sated heart and lips to praise
The greatness of Thyself, and then
Begin to hunger, and to feed again!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thought this was funny...
So there I was, finishing up the last few things at my desk after re-decorating my classroom for the month, when I chanced to look over and see this:
My first inclination was to be annoyed that the banner I had just worked so hard to hang straight was now falling off the wall, but then the irony of it struck me and I had to laugh.
God is so gracious! : )
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Sea-Song
Savior, on the sea of life
Be Thou my Beacon bright
To warn me of the rocks of strife
That lurk just out of sight.
~
Be Thou my Anchor, Lord I pray
That I may stady stand
Trusting in Thee by night, by day
Held firm in Thy steadfast hand.
~
Be Thou my Compass and my Chart
To guide me on my way,
For as Thou dwellest in my heart
Thy word shall be my stay.
~
And when my course is set, dear Lord,
Do Thou my mainsail fill
-For no sailing ship could e'er afford
To sail 'gainst the wind's strong will.
~
Yea, Savior, on the sea of life,
Be Thou my captain, crew,
Yea, every part command and be
my life, the ocean, too!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Evening Thoughts
Softly fades the light of day
As here alone I sit and pray
Yet, truly, not alone am I
For God Almighty who hears my cry
Is ever present in peace or strife
-‘Tis He who brings true joy to life.
And as the sunset casts on all
Its glittering golden glow, I call
To He who created all in my gaze
Which now doth cheer my heart and amaze
For the One who created all beauty and grace
Has gone to prepare for me a place!
Now as I hear the birds’ soft call
The trilling strains which rise and fall
I remember Jesus’ words, which said
Behold the birds, how they are fed.
They reap not, sow not, nor gather and store,
God feeds them. Doth He not value you more?
My eye doth on some flowers fall
And quickly then do I recall
Christ’s words again, from that same place:
Consider the lily’s pretty race
They toil not, spin not, yet beautifully arrayed,
By God, tho’ so swiftly they are decayed.
Yet God, who marks the sparrow’s fall
And paints the world’s bright colors all
Who provides each creature sufficient food
And rains down blessings, great and good
He sees my tears He knows each sorrow,
And His children are given a bright tomorrow!
Now as the light begins to fade
I think upon the price He paid
-For such a sinful wretch as I
Who so richly deserved for my sins to die-
Of His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane
And His suffering and death on Calvary.
Then through the twilight a bird’s call sounds
A bubbling chirp which with joy resounds
He’s alive! He arose from the grave again
And with Him hope and salvation for men
Who repent and believe, as I did that day
When Jesus’ blood washed my sins away!
Now thankfulness within me swells
To Him who now within me dwells,
The three in one, the Trinity
Who lavishes love and kindness on me.
And as soft breezes brush my face,
I thank Him for His bounteous grace.
As I hear the birds’ soft evening song
I raise my voice and sing along
Here at the closing of the day
The Doxology I sing and pray
“To God, from whom all blessings flow”
My heartfelt praises upward go.
And now has fled the light of day,
The light has faded clean away
The sweet-voiced birds are now at rest
And I sit and think how I am blessed
For God Almighty, Omnipotent, He
Is ever near to talk with me!
As here alone I sit and pray
Yet, truly, not alone am I
For God Almighty who hears my cry
Is ever present in peace or strife
-‘Tis He who brings true joy to life.
And as the sunset casts on all
Its glittering golden glow, I call
To He who created all in my gaze
Which now doth cheer my heart and amaze
For the One who created all beauty and grace
Has gone to prepare for me a place!
Now as I hear the birds’ soft call
The trilling strains which rise and fall
I remember Jesus’ words, which said
Behold the birds, how they are fed.
They reap not, sow not, nor gather and store,
God feeds them. Doth He not value you more?
My eye doth on some flowers fall
And quickly then do I recall
Christ’s words again, from that same place:
Consider the lily’s pretty race
They toil not, spin not, yet beautifully arrayed,
By God, tho’ so swiftly they are decayed.
Yet God, who marks the sparrow’s fall
And paints the world’s bright colors all
Who provides each creature sufficient food
And rains down blessings, great and good
He sees my tears He knows each sorrow,
And His children are given a bright tomorrow!
Now as the light begins to fade
I think upon the price He paid
-For such a sinful wretch as I
Who so richly deserved for my sins to die-
Of His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane
And His suffering and death on Calvary.
Then through the twilight a bird’s call sounds
A bubbling chirp which with joy resounds
He’s alive! He arose from the grave again
And with Him hope and salvation for men
Who repent and believe, as I did that day
When Jesus’ blood washed my sins away!
Now thankfulness within me swells
To Him who now within me dwells,
The three in one, the Trinity
Who lavishes love and kindness on me.
And as soft breezes brush my face,
I thank Him for His bounteous grace.
As I hear the birds’ soft evening song
I raise my voice and sing along
Here at the closing of the day
The Doxology I sing and pray
“To God, from whom all blessings flow”
My heartfelt praises upward go.
And now has fled the light of day,
The light has faded clean away
The sweet-voiced birds are now at rest
And I sit and think how I am blessed
For God Almighty, Omnipotent, He
Is ever near to talk with me!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Turning Around
I was on my way to church for visitation last Tuesday night, when my car suddenly started making a very odd rattling noise. Not knowing much about cars, I could not figure out what it was, but since I would have to drive the car home anyway, I decided to wait until after visitaton to do so. As it happened, there was a lady on my way home who was open to a visit, so off I set.
As I started to back out of the parking spot, I noticed that the noise got much worse when the car was in reverse. I decided to try to keep from backing up until I got home. I turned down the lady's street, only to get to the end (a dead-end, of course) and realize I had passed her house. There wasn't quite enough room for me to turn around, so I was forced to put the car in reverse. Grumbly thoughts were just coming to mind, when I looked up. There in the sky right in front of me was a beautiful rainbow! --I stopped grumbling.
It was then that I remembered that I have a powerful and loving God guiding my steps. He knew that I would drive right past the lady's house and need to turn around, and He also knew that my car would be all right until I got home. Perhaps He placed that rainbow in the sky right where I would see it at my most grumbly moment to remind me of His care and protection.
As I started to back out of the parking spot, I noticed that the noise got much worse when the car was in reverse. I decided to try to keep from backing up until I got home. I turned down the lady's street, only to get to the end (a dead-end, of course) and realize I had passed her house. There wasn't quite enough room for me to turn around, so I was forced to put the car in reverse. Grumbly thoughts were just coming to mind, when I looked up. There in the sky right in front of me was a beautiful rainbow! --I stopped grumbling.
It was then that I remembered that I have a powerful and loving God guiding my steps. He knew that I would drive right past the lady's house and need to turn around, and He also knew that my car would be all right until I got home. Perhaps He placed that rainbow in the sky right where I would see it at my most grumbly moment to remind me of His care and protection.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Why Fall is My Favorite Season...
~Rain!
~The scent of woodsmoke in the air
~Bundling up for a walk
~Rustling through the leaves
~Sitting by the fireplace drying off after a wonderfully wet walk
~Baking bread
~Looking out my window at the vibrant leaves
~Watching the seasons change
~Rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord that spreads such beauty throughout the world!
Happy Fall Everyone!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Adopted
How sweet to be a child of God
In times of peace and rest
When thankful praises smoothly flow
From heart and mouth, for well I know
How much my Heavenly Father has blessed.
How sweet to be a child of God
In times of want and woe
When in my Father’s arms I hide
There, through His grace I safe abide
Though harsh the winds of worry blow.
How sweet to be a child of God
Where e’er my pathway lies
In health or sickness, toil or rest
My Father gives that which is best
For He is infinitely wise!
Monday, May 25, 2009
What is God Like?
It is the age-old question that has claimed the attention of countless men and women much smarter than myself. God by definition defies just description, being so much greater and magnificent than we could ever imagine. Perhaps that is what is meant in I Corinthians 13:12, which speaks to the fact that presently we know in part, having only what we can comprehend, but that when we join God in heaven, we shall fully know Him.
Yet, we do know in part –God has given us much information about Himself in the Bible. One passage that gives a very clear insight into the character of God is I Corinthians 13.
I John 4:8 states that God is love. The Greek word used in this verse for love is the same as that translated “charity” in I Corinthians 13 (According to my Strong’s Concordance). So, we may conclude that since the Bible tells us that God is love, the description of love given in I Corinthians 13 is, in fact, a description of God Himself. Not to say that it is an exhaustive description, but it does give a very clear picture of some aspects of the nature of God.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind…
God is often described in the Bible as longsuffering, for example in Exodus 34:6 when the Lord was meeting with Moses on Mount Sinai, His name was proclaimed, “And The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…” (emphasis mine) As to kindness, there is Psalm 117: “O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.”
Charity envieth not...
There is a difference between envy and jealousy. Envy is, according to my dictionary, “To repine at another’s prosperity or happiness”, while jealousy deals with the suspicion of faithlessness in the area of love. (Although God never “wonders” if there is something more precious to His child than Himself --He always knows.) In other words, God does not covet what is ours, nor does He covet or despise our happiness. God is elsewhere described as a jealous God, but He does not envy. He simply wants our love for Him to eclipse whatever else is in our lives.
Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up...
God is not --as most humans are—“puffed up” with undue pride. The word vaunt means to boast or brag ostentatiously. It is true that God speaks of His own greatness, but unlike the prideful boasting of man, every word God speaks is true and deserved.
Doth not behave itself unseemly...
The word unseemly means unbecoming, improper, or indecent. God is never any of those things! His complete holiness prevents it.
Seeketh not her own...
If Christ had sought “His own”, He would never have yielded Himself to be tortured and die that we might be saved. God is the perfect example of selfless sacrifice.
is not easily provoked...
As we have already seen, God is longsuffering. He never acts prematurely or harshly. The prophets often were frustrated with how wicked God allowed His people and other nations to become. They would ask God why He would not just punish them right away. God’s timing is perfect, however, and His punishments just, so He let them go, keeping His wrath from falling on them until their cup of wickedness was full. We may not understand God’s timing or purposes, but we may understand that He is just, not acting out on a short temper or a rash decision.
thinketh no evil...
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God does not sit up in heaven, plotting how to “get even” with sinful humans. Rather, He mercifully works all things together for the good of His children, (Romans 8:28) even when we disobey.
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth...
God, in His complete holiness, cannot take pleasure in sin. He is not, as we too often are, blinded by the lies of Satan which enshroud sin in a web of deceitful pleasure. He sees through our attempts to lie to ourselves, (and Him) seeking to justify our wickedness. Rather, God delights in the truth. He delights in seeing us read His word, learning and understanding the freeing truth He has so graciously given to us.
Beareth all things...
According to my Strong’s Concordance, the word for “beareth” has the connotation of bearing patiently. God does not complain. He bears the pain and sorrow of man’s constant wickedness, yet does so patiently and silently, only speaking for the benefit of others.
believeth all things...
–I must admit that this one stumped me for a while. How could the God who made everything have beliefs? Yet, if we ascribe to Plato’s definition of knowledge, belief is necessary to knowledge, and God is all-knowing, so He must have beliefs. We tend to think of beliefs as pertaining to things that are unknown, but if one were to look at life like a philosopher, one would see that beliefs can concern things that we are quite certain are true. Thus, it is possible for God to have beliefs. His differ from ours, however, in that all of God’s beliefs are true and certain.
hopeth all things...
This is one of those attributes of God that I shall probably not fully understand until I get to heaven. How can God hope, being omniscient? Yet, I have always thought of hope as the joyful expectation of belief fulfilled. In that sense, it would be possible for God to hope; since His beliefs are always true, and thus always come to pass, he might joyfully expect them to do so.
endureth all things...
Patient endurance is built on belief and fueled by hope. God patiently endures man’s terrible wickedness, with the hope of the coming eternity we will spend with Him after the judgment day, when there will be no more sin to so sorrow and pain Him.
Charity never faileth...
God will never fail! No matter what must come to pass in our lives, no matter how others wrong us, no matter how faithless we are, God will never fail. It is we who so often fail God, and then seek to blame Him for our failures.
-I apologize for the lengthiness of this post, but I was so excited about this passage, I wanted to try to do it justice. : )
Yet, we do know in part –God has given us much information about Himself in the Bible. One passage that gives a very clear insight into the character of God is I Corinthians 13.
I John 4:8 states that God is love. The Greek word used in this verse for love is the same as that translated “charity” in I Corinthians 13 (According to my Strong’s Concordance). So, we may conclude that since the Bible tells us that God is love, the description of love given in I Corinthians 13 is, in fact, a description of God Himself. Not to say that it is an exhaustive description, but it does give a very clear picture of some aspects of the nature of God.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind…
God is often described in the Bible as longsuffering, for example in Exodus 34:6 when the Lord was meeting with Moses on Mount Sinai, His name was proclaimed, “And The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…” (emphasis mine) As to kindness, there is Psalm 117: “O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.”
Charity envieth not...
There is a difference between envy and jealousy. Envy is, according to my dictionary, “To repine at another’s prosperity or happiness”, while jealousy deals with the suspicion of faithlessness in the area of love. (Although God never “wonders” if there is something more precious to His child than Himself --He always knows.) In other words, God does not covet what is ours, nor does He covet or despise our happiness. God is elsewhere described as a jealous God, but He does not envy. He simply wants our love for Him to eclipse whatever else is in our lives.
Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up...
God is not --as most humans are—“puffed up” with undue pride. The word vaunt means to boast or brag ostentatiously. It is true that God speaks of His own greatness, but unlike the prideful boasting of man, every word God speaks is true and deserved.
Doth not behave itself unseemly...
The word unseemly means unbecoming, improper, or indecent. God is never any of those things! His complete holiness prevents it.
Seeketh not her own...
If Christ had sought “His own”, He would never have yielded Himself to be tortured and die that we might be saved. God is the perfect example of selfless sacrifice.
is not easily provoked...
As we have already seen, God is longsuffering. He never acts prematurely or harshly. The prophets often were frustrated with how wicked God allowed His people and other nations to become. They would ask God why He would not just punish them right away. God’s timing is perfect, however, and His punishments just, so He let them go, keeping His wrath from falling on them until their cup of wickedness was full. We may not understand God’s timing or purposes, but we may understand that He is just, not acting out on a short temper or a rash decision.
thinketh no evil...
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God does not sit up in heaven, plotting how to “get even” with sinful humans. Rather, He mercifully works all things together for the good of His children, (Romans 8:28) even when we disobey.
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth...
God, in His complete holiness, cannot take pleasure in sin. He is not, as we too often are, blinded by the lies of Satan which enshroud sin in a web of deceitful pleasure. He sees through our attempts to lie to ourselves, (and Him) seeking to justify our wickedness. Rather, God delights in the truth. He delights in seeing us read His word, learning and understanding the freeing truth He has so graciously given to us.
Beareth all things...
According to my Strong’s Concordance, the word for “beareth” has the connotation of bearing patiently. God does not complain. He bears the pain and sorrow of man’s constant wickedness, yet does so patiently and silently, only speaking for the benefit of others.
believeth all things...
–I must admit that this one stumped me for a while. How could the God who made everything have beliefs? Yet, if we ascribe to Plato’s definition of knowledge, belief is necessary to knowledge, and God is all-knowing, so He must have beliefs. We tend to think of beliefs as pertaining to things that are unknown, but if one were to look at life like a philosopher, one would see that beliefs can concern things that we are quite certain are true. Thus, it is possible for God to have beliefs. His differ from ours, however, in that all of God’s beliefs are true and certain.
hopeth all things...
This is one of those attributes of God that I shall probably not fully understand until I get to heaven. How can God hope, being omniscient? Yet, I have always thought of hope as the joyful expectation of belief fulfilled. In that sense, it would be possible for God to hope; since His beliefs are always true, and thus always come to pass, he might joyfully expect them to do so.
endureth all things...
Patient endurance is built on belief and fueled by hope. God patiently endures man’s terrible wickedness, with the hope of the coming eternity we will spend with Him after the judgment day, when there will be no more sin to so sorrow and pain Him.
Charity never faileth...
God will never fail! No matter what must come to pass in our lives, no matter how others wrong us, no matter how faithless we are, God will never fail. It is we who so often fail God, and then seek to blame Him for our failures.
-I apologize for the lengthiness of this post, but I was so excited about this passage, I wanted to try to do it justice. : )
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