Our God

In caring for a house, I have made one surprising discovery: Houses are anything but still. They look still. They look stable and immovable. But it’s not true! There’s a reason why they call house care “upkeep,” because you have to keep the house up! It is always falling down in one way or another. Winds ruffle and rip its shingles. Rain rots its seals. Vines find its … [Read more...] about Our Rock

I don’t know that we consider this image much when we think of God, but it comes up fairly frequently in the Bible, and it is easily one of my favorites: God is our carrier. We have already encountered this image in talking about God as our Father. Deuteronomy 1:32 says, “the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son.” In His role as our heavenly dad, God … [Read more...] about Our Carrier

In my life, I have once seen a shepherd personally. We were on a mission trip with a group of students, and it was a rainy day. We were traveling up and down windy roads in rural Portugal. Out in the downpour sat a shepherd. I think he had a rain jacket on. (I can’t remember if he had an umbrella.) But there he sat in the rain, watching his flock. That image has stuck … [Read more...] about Our Shepherd

You may not realize it, but you use a shield nearly every day. We all do. It’s called a windshield. 😊 I know a windshield may not carry the same panache of a warrior’s shield, but it serves a similar function. A windshield protects us. It protects us by bearing the elements of the road. Sure, it really does shield us from wind and the occasional rain and maybe snow. … [Read more...] about Our Sheild

This post begins a series of reflections on who God is for us. We begin with “Our Father.” God is our Father. And He is a good Father. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is retelling the story of God’s people, and he says that when they found themselves in the wilderness “the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son” (Deuteronomy 1:32). What a wonderful … [Read more...] about Our Father