On Balance

The old table prayer strikes a vital balance:  “God is great and God is good…”  A careful, wise reading of Scripture upholds this theological equilibrium.  Giving too much attention to God’s love and mercy leaves his holiness and majesty at the margins; and too much emphasis on God’s glory and power sidelines his heart of compassion and grace.

In our Prayer Gathering this week we saw how Psalms 111 and 113 express this crucial theological balance.  We prayed in response to God’s Word, exalting the Lord in his transcendent splendor and resting in his tender and loving arms.  Consider…

GOD IS GREAT.  Psalm 111:2-3, “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.  Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.” And 113:4-6, “The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!  Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?”  “Holy and awesome is his name!” (111:9).

GOD IS GOOD.  Psalm 111:4-5, “The Lord is gracious and merciful.  He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.”  And 113:7, 9, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap… He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.”

Hold “great” and “good” together—as you worship, when you pray, and as you grapple with life’s trials (whether physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual).  And let the cross give focus to your reflections on God’s character:  in his holiness and justice he rightly requires that sin must be atoned for; and yet, in his love and mercy he makes a way for that atonement to take place by pouring out his righteous wrath on his Son, Jesus Christ, who freely accepts that penalty in our place.

And, by the way, keep all this in mind if you see the soon-to-be-released movie, The Shack (not that I recommend it).  Be asking:  Does the God depicted in this imaginative story faithfully represent the God of Scripture in all his glory and grace, majesty and mercy?  Is the Lord represented in a way that is true to “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and that helps viewers grasp the need for a Savior on a cross?