Blessed Jesus

 Glorious, marvelous, grace that rescued me;

Holy, worthy, is the lamb who died for me!

What comes to mind when you think of great rescue stories? 

Maybe you think of the Chilean miners who miraculously survived their entrapment a mile underground for two months.

Or the astronauts on Apollo 13 who put their lives in the hands of their Houston-based team to bring them safely home from the void of outer space. 

How about the miracle on the Hudson River when, after the skillful landing of that engine-less airplane, every passenger and crew member was shuttled to safety away from the frigid water and sinking plane.

One rescue story that captured the hearts of Americans 25 years ago was the story of Jessica McClure - "Baby Jessica" - an 18 month toddler (the same age as my Levi) who was one moment playing with other children in the backyard, and the next moment tumbling deep into an unused well.  Trapped in the dirt and darkness for 2 ½ days, she was finally reached and pulled to safety by a team of dedicated rescuers.  Across the country Americans rejoiced at the news that she was safe.

Dirt, darkness, separation from her mother and father, fear, pain.  And Baby Jessica’s fall could have ended in death if it hadn’t been for those who bravely dug, drilled, and crawled until her rescuer’s hand finally grabbed that little pant leg and slowly pulled her inch-by inch back into the embrace of her loving family. 

This heroic story is a reminder of the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known.  Psalm 34:22 says “The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”  This promise was fulfilled when Christ left the glory of Heaven to enter our dark, dirty, pain-filled world to reach out, grab us by the pant leg, and pull us back into the safe embrace of our Father.  And all of Heaven rejoiced!

Blessed Jesus – our Rescuer, our Redeemer, our Savior.

Colossians 1:13-14 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Psalm 103:2-4 “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

Unlike Baby Jessica, whose fall was accidental, we have placed ourselves in that pit.  But despite our rebellion, despite our sin, God still pursues our hearts to redeem what was lost. 

Romans 7:24-25 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

I Will Exalt You

Psalm 145

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. 11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. 14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. 

Exalt is defined as: “to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate; to lift up; to praise; extol.” 

January always gets me thinking about priorities. With the changing of a calendar comes an urgency to make this year better than the last. Faced with the reality that another year is behind me, I want to make the most of the time God has given to me. So I start thinking about priorities. 

Family is more important than work. How do I make sure that my family feels valued amidst a busy work week? Relationships are more important than pastimes. I’m I spending more time pursuing a hobby than pursuing a friend in need? Do I truly exalt what I value the most? 

Above all, the most exalted should be my relationship with God. His creative work, as seen in the world and people around me, should be the first thought as I rise and the last thought as I lie down. 

Psalm 19: 1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 

Surrounded by his majestic creation, how can I go through my day without exalting Him to His proper place in my life? And yet distractions push their way in, and schedules get tight, and before I know it, I’ve replaced my time with the Lord with my to-do list. In my hurry through the day, I’ve completely missed opportunities to see His beauty and allow His guiding hand to bring joy and peace into my life.

Priorities. Now, I’m sure everyone has already made their New Year’s Resolutions (and some of us have already broken them!), but what if the ONLY thing we resolved to do this year was to exalt our mighty creator God above everything else in our lives. Above our to-do lists. Above our pastimes. Above SLEEP.

Psalm 99:5

Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. 

May this be our New Year’s Resolution, this year and EVERY year for the rest of our lives.

Psalm 34:3

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.