Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”

[This is you, Yahweh, the Holy One: completely other than your creation, totally complete in yourself, needing nothing, being both One and fully self-sufficient as the Trinity.

You are the Powerful One, the Warrior King, undefeatable and ever triumphant. You fight and win against every enemy–those who oppose what is good. You, Lord Jesus, came to destroy the works of the devil, freeing us from the fear he has used so effectively against us. You have also defeated death and hell, sin and evil, rebellion and shame. You have replaced all these with love and light, with life and joy, with peace and hope. You are the mighty One, triumphing in your strength, wisdom and power.

So, we give you praise, honor and exaltation, for in your might, you are also the pure and sinless One, you are the Just One, bringing proper judgment on sin; you are the Loving One, bringing forgiveness for all, especially to those who believe

Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”

[As the gates in those ancient cities where cranked upwards to allow entrance, so may the doors of our hearts, our thoughts, our souls be lifted up to allow you, Lord Jesus, entrance into every aspect of our lives, giving you the honor and glory you deserve.

May we be in submission to the reality that we were created to be dependent on you, to walk in obedience and trust, so that your power may be made perfect in our weakness, that honor may flow to you out of every situation, and that we may appear with you in glory when you come again.

You alone are the great King of Glory. Help us to live in the truth that what you are, what you do, and what you say all flow out of your glorious being and serve to bring you the exaltation you deserve before all the created hosts of the universe.]

I’ve spoken often about God sightings. For they are an important aspect of our spiritual growth. They are the fulfillment of God’s desire stated in Ephesians 3:18,19: “…may [you] have strength…to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

So part of being filled with the fullness of God is “knowing the love that surpasses knowledge.” In considering what that means, it has come to me that it is experiencing His love; you don’t just know about it intellectually, you see it active in your life.

That is the definition of “God sightings,” seeing God’s love in your life. They are, however, not always easy to see, as they appear to be coincidences. We often pass over them, not even noticing them. But as we look for them, they pop up all the time and each one affirms and confirms God’s love for us.

As an example, here are four God sightings I had this week. The first is that I had a flat tire—but right in my own yard, not on the turnpike or some other difficult place. Second, I had just gotten at the transfer station a used little compressor that runs off the cigarette lighter, and it worked! So I was able to gerf the tire pumped up for our planned outing. Third, the next morning when I decided to tackle the problem, I looked at the tire; I had parked the car in such a fashion that the screw in it was visible and accessible. So, I didn’t have to take the tire off. And the fourth one was the fact that I had the materials to plug the hole.

These were not coincidences, they are the touch of God as He involves Himself intimately in my life. Seeing them strengthens my faith, triggers thankfulness, happiness and joy. It also filled me with the fullness of God and His goodness.

And then I could immediately share these with others, some believers, some not, sharing with them the goodness of God.

Keep your eyes open for God sightings in your life (maybe I should call them “Love Sightings!”). They happen every day because Jesus is always there! And then share them with others, they are a none threatening way to help people see God.

As we are experiencing a slow motion spring this year, the flowers are coming out slowly, one by one. First are the daffodils. lifting their bright yellow faces to the sky. Then the warm yellow of the forsythia is right behind.

Yesterday while driving, I noticed that there are two types of forsythia bushes: the wild  and cultivated. The wild ones grow in odd shapes, often lopsided, and their blossoms tend to be thin.

Then there are the shaped ones, often in a neat hedge with a better covering of blossoms, not lopsided at all. Much more impressive.

Then I thought about how these represent two types of Christians. The “wild” ones float through life doing what they feel like,  following their hearts or a momentary whim. “I’ll pray for you when you come to mind.” They can have spontaneous spurts of growth, but it is often lopsided. In the place of reading, studying and meditating on Scripture, the occasional conference or TV preacher gives them a high. And that is always followed with a low, gradually or suddenly.

The pruned ones are those who discipline themselves for godliness. They spend time in the Word, in personal worship and meditation. For them  prayer is the undergirding activity in their lives. And like pruned forsythia, they are not only beautiful in the blossom time, but all the summer with their lush green leaves, and they also  give grace and act as a hedge. As Jesus said in John 15, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Wild may be fun, but elf-control and obedience bring joy, perspective and fruitfulness. We get to choose.

Pictures: wild on left (it leans to the left) and cultivated on the right.

Continuing from yesterday’s  post about giving glory to God.

Another way of revealing Him to others is to share what we are learning as we read, study, memorize and meditate on Scripture. The insights and understandings He brings are far above human thinking and help us shift from a natural worldview to a biblical one.

For instance, in 1 Peter 1, where I am re-memorizing now, it says that trials come to us to test the genuineness of our faith (are we responding with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, trusting God, or do we complain, revealing the falseness of our faith?). Every negative event is a test and a chance to reject our natural response, to trust and grow.

What overcomes the world is our faith. And we can help others exercise their faith as we act on our faith in the midst of difficulties by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Simple, clear and often difficult. But very good. So let’s share our faith by living it out!

Another way of giving God  glory is seeing the “God-sightings” He brings into our lives daily (when you provide, protect and guide), and then when we share them with those around us. Like yesterday while shopping, I had a question about an electrical item, but there was no store employee to help me. However, as I went around the corner, there was my neighbor who is an electrician and he readily answered my question. God at work. God revealed.

And this small book will help you see your God sightings. It is available on Amazon under s.m. Wibberley