God doesn't have self-esteem issues

I love reading the Psalms, because they are so real.

You can really see what was going on in the heart of the various psalmists. You can see when they are angry... when they are sad... when they are hurt... as well as when they are "on top of the mountain". And the beautiful thing is that all of them are equally scripture. Not just the "Alleluia's" but also the "where the heck are you, God?" passages.

You see... God isn't like us. He doesn't have insecurities. He doesn't need to read self-help books on how to build one's self-esteem. Quite the opposite. He is secure enough that He doesn't get offended when we have doubts, fears, or concerns. He realizes that we, as humans, have weakness and faults. He knows that our failures don't change His faithfulness. And so, He is comfortable allowing us to see the reality that even the great "heroes of the faith" weren't perfect. In fact, most of them were quite far from perfection.

Kind of comforting, isn't it...

When I was young and first pursuing ministry, I liked to envision myself one day as a Jeremiah. Jeremiah was only about 16 when God called him as a prophet and he served an incredible role in bringing the nation of Israel to repentance... in calling them back to God. God's promise to Jeremiah, from the very beginning of his call, was:

"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command
you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land--against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:17-19

Wow! That just sounds so exciting when you're young! Then you look at Moses, getting in Pharoah's face demanding "Let my people go!". You see Elijah calling down fire from heaven. You think of Paul and Silas singing in the jail and an angel coming to open the door. You look at all of these great "heroes" (and they truly are role models) and you think "I'm going to be this great 'man of God' and just be so powerfully used by Him!!"

Today, however, I have a very different view.

Yes, I do seek to be used by God. Yes, I do want to be powerfully used by Him. But my view of what's important has changed so much. No longer is it that important to me if God ever does anything grand or dramatic. I love it when He touches people... when He uses me as a vessel of Him to see His life, love, and healing extended to others. But more and more, I look at King David.

Of all the great "heroes" only David was known as a man "after God's own heart". David was far from perfect. And scripture doesn't gloss over that fact. In fact, scripture shows very clearly David's sins-- lying, adultery, even murder. Scripture also shows how David suffered the consequences of his sin and how they cost him dearly.

But scripture also shows David being real with God. Of all the "heroes" in scripture, there is none that we see so transparent as David. In the psalms, we see him pour out his heart to God. We see him rejoice in triumphs... and we see him broken and humbled. We see his fears, his doubts, his questions... and we see his faith that God is faithful in spite of all those things.

An interesting fact is that during David's reign as king is the only time in the Old Testament when the Ark of the Covenant was housed so that it could be seen by all. At all the other times in scripture, it was hidden away-- either in the Tabernacle in the wilderness or in the Temple once it was built by Solomon. But during David's reign it was housed in a "sukkot"-- a temporary structure that was open on one side (very much like the creche's we see for nativity scenes at Christmas). But King David, in spite of all his faults, was allowed to bring the Ark, representing the presence of God, to the people.

God didn't feel the need to wait for a perfect man to reveal Himself in the Old Testament. He knew that His glory was sufficient in spite of man's weakness.

And today, it's the same.

God is secure enough in who He is to let His glory be known. He knows that we will make mistakes. He knows that we will fail. He knows that we will fall flat on our faces at times.

Yet, though we are faithless still He is faithful.