"LET GOD ARISE"

[Michael Parnell]

^{Theme for 2015:
LET GOD ARISE!}

Psalm 68:1

 

Psalm 68:1 - "Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him."

The New King James Version.

While up a little earlier than usual this morning, I was spending some time with God in prayer and devotion.  Earlier in the week I had been praying for a theme for 2015 to share with our church body!  Although this Psalm was not part of my devotional Scripture for today, and at the moment I wasn't even praying about a theme, when I reached a place of just being quiet before the Lord, I sensed these words from David in my spirit: "Let God Arise!"

In this Psalm 68, God is presented as the God of all nations, not just the God of Israel.  Most interpreters agree that it was written when the ark of the Lord was transferred from the house of Obed-edom to the new location on Zion’s mountain (2 Sam. 6:2–18).

In verse 1, David begins his psalm with the marching cry of Moses (Num. 10:35): "Rise up, O Lord!" I.e., "Let God arise"!  He then follows it with several other ancient battle hymns.

As we enter into 2015, there is no doubt the Church is facing some seemingly overwhelming challenges, and you may be personally facing one or several.  I can readily identify with that, but even more so, the Lord knows about our challenges.  Paul has an answer in a question for us:  "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"  (Romans 8:31 - The New King James Version.)  I believe and know that the victories that lie ahead are going to be worth the battles, because God is for us!

I believe God's word to our local Church (and possibly for the universal Church) in 2015 is, "LET GOD ARISE"!

This Psalm is more than a historical narrative. It is rich with theology.  At that time, God’s person and His place for Israel in the world seem to have been understood in a much deeper way.

I believe if we will get to that same theological understanding and revelation of God's person and His place for our lives and our nation in a deeper way, we will definitely see a positive difference in 2015!

One key word is the very first word in the Psalm - "Let".  The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and is not going to force His way into your life without you letting or inviting Him to do so.  That's why God created us as creatures of volition.  We have to make the choice to let God arise in our lives, family, church and nation.

I will be elaborating on this thought this coming Sunday morning at CTL.  Join us and get a fresh word from the Lord for your new year!

Will you make this declaration with me for 2015?  "Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him."  If we will do that, I believe we are going to see God accomplish some miraculous things this year!

Remember: "It is all about Christ and His Kingdom!"

Pastor Mike