THE LORD …WHAT IS MAN?
REFERENCES: Ps. 8:1-4a ; Ps. 24;8b; Psalm 27:1 ( NKJV)
Ps. 8:1-4a
O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! 2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man….?
Ps. 24:8b Who is this King of glory?: The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
Ps. 27: 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
1.Speak the following words boldly: THE LORD IS MY SAVIOR; THE LORD IS MY KEEPER; THE LORD IS MY HELPER; THE LORD IS MY REFUGE; THE LORD IS MY ROCK; THE LORD IS MY HOPE; THE LORD IS MY DEFENCE.
Repeat them as many times as you need to and internalize them in such a way that they are embedded in the subconscious. This will help to cement your confidence in the God that is in control of the Earth and all that is in it.
Ps. 8:1 reminds us that there is an excellence in His Name. Throughout history there have been many well- known names that are affiliated with a different legacy. The name, Jesus, is famed for doing the impossible. Creation proclaims Him LORD. That is the power in which we have our confidence. When we speak that name darkness must succumb to it because He is Light. There comes a time when our only defense is Jesus. How about building a relationship with Him before you actually face a situation? Call Him Lord. Worship Him as such. Exalt Him and when the time comes, you won’t be estranged, but rather, you will feel that kinship with Him.
2. Ps. 24:8b tells The Lord is strong and mighty. Nothing and no-one should be feared because HIS strength is made perfect when we become weak in our own efforts. When we place Him in His highest place, we actually release His power in the atmosphere of our circumstances. Like David, we face battles in life, but we must visualize Jesus in front of us like a soldier’s shield. One of the purposes of a shield is to fend off attacks and protect vital organs. He wants to do that for us. The problem is that we sometimes step ahead of Him and are therefore vulnerable. Accept the refuge that He offers and allow Him to show Himself strong on our behalf.
Who is this King of glory? He should not be compared with anyone. We know Him in all the attributes that we just repeated in #1.
3.(2 Chron.20) When Jehoshaphat did not know what to do, he looked to/ focused on Jesus). Remember, He is the strength of our life. Of whom then should we be afraid? So often we have proved that the enemy is AS a roaring lion, but has the guts of a mouse. Jesus defeated Him already and bears the banner: FINISHED. Since mankind is God’s creation, God controls them so why should we fear them? Maximize God! See Him for his might and power. After all, He sits on the circle of the Earth and we are like grasshoppers in His sight. Which grasshopper can conquer the One who made it? Who can stretch out the heavens? Who causes the thunder to roll and the lightning to flash? Who causes the sun to rise and set? Who changes the seasons? Who woke us up this morning? We know that the alarm clock could not or else it would have been placed in the morgue to perform some awakenings. The LORD, God, The Creator is responsible for us. Whether we acknowledge Him or not He is concerned about our well-being. Would He create us just so that we can be destroyed?
4.“LORD” denotes rulership, dominion, authority, control, command, respect and obedience. If He is our Lord we must allow Him to function within those confines, and more, as He deems necessary for our good. Why then do we doubt that our rescue is important to Him? If God said and then saw (Gen.1), why don’t we declare Him as Omnipotent? Our words are potent so as we place Him in the highest place, mankind will be minimized to their rightful size. The Goliaths and the Pharaohs won’t seem so gigantic. Face these dwarfs in the Name of the LORD of Hosts. The LORD is strong and mighty… What is man?
When we are tempted to look at the adversary and his tactics, let us realize that his bark is bigger than his bite. The Enemy of our souls is NOT a lion. He just camouflages himself to sound like one. Jesus has already proven him powerless and has placed the victory in our hands (regardless of what it looks like to us). We make a determination to wait on Him who is mighty to destroy every weapon that is formed against us.
The LORD, THE MAKER, THE CREATOR OF THE ENDS OF THE EARTH gives us power when we are fainthearted. He alone is LORD.
REFLECTION
- What are some reasons that we become distraught when we face situations?
- As LORD, Jesus functions in various capacities in our life. What aspect of your relationship with Him as Lord, would you like to improve?
Dr. O. A. James