God is Nurturing: He equips us for life and helps us develop into His sons and daughters.
- He embroidered us together in our mother’s wombs. We were created with great forethought and detail. (Psalm 139)
- He cares about the animals and counts the days until the pregnant ones give birth. (Job 29 or 39)
- God sets up his creatures for success. God gives every animal a means of defense.
- God has given us the Bible – the Sword of the Spirit – to defend ourselves from Satan. (Jesus showed us how to use the scriptures this way.) (Matthew 4, Luke 4, Ephesians 6)
- God trained David as a shepherd of animals long before he brought him into the role of King
- 2 Samuel 22:32-34 “For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.” (Also, Habakkuk)
- He spoke to frightened Elijah in a gentle whisper. (2 Kings 6?)
- God validated Jesus – maybe for Jesus’ sake as well as ours. He told Jesus at his baptism, “You are my son, with you I am well pleased.”
- Jesus calmed the wind and the waves; He can calm the wind and the waves in my spirit!
- Jesus called God ABBA (Daddy) and we are told that we also are children of God. He’s my DADDY. Just before his ascension to the other realm (heavenly one) Jesus told us that he was going to His Father and Our Father; to His God and Our God. WOW!
- When the woman with a 12 year bleeding disorder touched Jesus then had the courage to come forward and tell him so, Jesus didn’t say “Unclean, unclean – get away from me!!!”. Instead he called her “DAUGHTER”. Wow! He not only healed her but took away her shame by publicly proclaiming her healing. (Jesus is Our High Priest.)
God is our Powerful, Caring King Who Reigns Over the Earth. His Throne Is Like a Chariot That Move
Read these passages and come up with your own additional descriptions of God. Here are some to consider:
Read Ezekiel 1:1-28 and Isaiah 6:1-8.
- His throne is colored sapphire blue but is clear(transparent) like glass.
- His throne is surrounded by a rainbow resembling the crystalline shape and shine of an emerald
- His throne moves! He rides on a chariot of fire wheels held up by four Cherubim (angelic beings with 4 faces).
- The Seraphim constantly honor Him and praise Him.
God reigns over nature and the creatures of the earth. Read passages from Job 39-41.
- He commands the thunder and lightning. He causes the dawn to rise in the east.
- God takes the most feared monster and can make it into a pet for his girls. (Leviathan – Dragon)
- God cares about all the animals and even counts the days until they give birth!
God is a Protector (Defender of the Weak and Oppressed)
DEFENDER of the WEAK (OPPRESSED) – These scriptures hold true whether we are being oppressed by others or by Satan.
- Isaiah 40:31 - But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 42:16 -God says, "I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.
We don’t know what we don’t know …. God can always show us something new. He sees the whole landscape. We do not. HE is limitless and resourceful. We are limited. But, when connected to HIM, all things are possible.
- Isaiah 57:14 - “God lives with those who are contrite (in heart) and lowly in spirit TO REVIVE them.”
The Gospel of Luke tells us that when it was Jesus' turn to read the scroll during the Sabbath, Jesus quoted the following Old Testament scripture from Isaiah 61.
- Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, {2} to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, {3} and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”
After reading it, Jesus boldly stated that "TODAY, this scripture is fulfilled." Thus, meaning that He (Jesus) was the one whom the Spirit of the Sovereign LORD was on and the one whom God called to free the oppressed. (Oppression is the devil’s work.) The devil wants to control us. Jesus wants us to become confident children of God – Oaks of righteousness – a planting of the Lord for the display of His Splendor. (We are to reflect God.)
- Psalm 82:1-8 – God calls me to “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” He calls me to do this because this is what He is like.
- In Genesis 19 - God saw that Sodom’s climate was so sinful that it was tormenting Lot in his righteous soul. God decided to destroy Sodom. In as sense we could say that Lot (a righteous man) was being oppressed by the evil generation around him. He wanted to protect Lot and stop the spiritual torture. Even though Lot was not without sin, God considered him "righteous". God had promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if there were 10 righteous people living there. There weren't. Yet, God considered Lot righteous (because he believed God enough to seek His ways.)
- God talks about rescuing righteous men from evil. Righteous people are those who "seek God". They are not sinless.
- God is my personal protector.
- God is my "Daddy". He has called me and drawn me into a relationship with Him. He will never abandon me. No one can snatch me out of his hand. I belong to HIM! Allelulia!