At the Cliffside: Commit to the Lord
Sometimes it’s easy to forget God’s faithfulness. To be so lost in our own unfaithfulness and busy lives that we don’t remember God’s love and promises. I have recently felt like this and wanted to take a little walk through some of the things I have learned these past few weeks. I hope that by reading my story, you can find encouragement in your own circumstances and remember to take time everyday stand at the cliffside in wonder of God’s faithfulness and goodness.
“The Lord passed in front of him [Moses] and proclaimed:
The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth…” –Exodus 34:6
I was recently reminded of this verse when I read it in Dane Ortland’s book, Gentle and Lowly, which explores the tender and merciful heart of Christ. Ortland explains that Moses was on the cliffside in this verse, watching God reveal Himself (145). Ortland exhorts, “There is no termination date on [God’s] commitment to you. You can’t get rid of [His] grace to you. You can’t outrun [His] mercy. You can’t evade [His] goodness. [His] heart is set on you” (149). This really resonated with me because lately, I feel like I’ve been struggling with my commitment to faith and relationships. However, hearing how God’s faithfulness and devotion extends to us is so encouraging. Just as you are the Lord’s, He is yours. This is a two-way covenant, involving reciprocation. Know that He is committed to you, even when you are faithless. He is waiting for you to turn to Him.
It is also neat to consider how the Holy Spirit works even when it doesn’t feel like it. Oswald Chambers’ daily devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, mentions that our circumstances are ordained by God, and He brings us into places so that the Spirit can work (231). This was convicting because I have lately been trying to work everything into my timeline and my circumstances and not giving God the room to work.
So, how do you find comfort in allowing God to work?
“and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.” –Galatians 2:16
Further along in my study of Galatians, I ran into this verse. Lately, I have been undergoing sanctification of my character for new commitments (in relationships and solidifying my faith), and this verse convicted me with the fact that I was trying to grow in my own strength. I need to realize that this process will be brought to completion by His faithfulness and Spirit working in me instead. This has led me to approach God and ask for patience in this season, yet also praise Him for His consistency amidst my own change.
Reading this, I realized that I am not my own providence, and there is nothing that I can do to deliver myself. Rather than viewing that with helplessness and shame, I have been finding joy and sweetness in that relieving news! This verse reminded me that I am not saved by my own works but it is through faith I live to testify of His grace, rejoicing in His love and dwelling in Him.
“Are you so foolish? After beginning by the spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?” –Galatians 3:3
Chambers brilliantly states that “we calculate and estimate, and say that this and that will happen, and we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses” (17). He goes on to say that we should wait expectantly for God as if He’s breaking in (Chambers 17). Rather than viewing these times as something destructive, as God “ruining our plans,” let us rejoice in the fact that He comes to rescue, fulfill, and exceed our expectations. Wait for Him. He will surprise you.
What I have really learned this week and would encourage you to focus on as well is staying focused on the Lord, open and receptive to the Spirit. What He begins, He will finish. Strive to look a little more like Christ every day so that you might be prepared for whatever He has in store for you; He is committed to you and cherishes you deeply. Take time to stand at the cliffside, looking at the horizon of possibility before you and watching as God reveals Himself to you in mercy.
Questions for Thought
- What plans are you holding onto too tightly? How can you hand them back to God?
- Are your current circumstances actually a result of your sin? How can you be asking for discernment and deliverance?
- How can you push through the feeling of stagnation and open your heart to allow the Spirit to work?
- How can you soften your heart to understanding that He is gracious and committed to you?
- This week, how will you rest in Him and find joy in His sweet timing?
Song for the Day
Works Cited
Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest. Barbour and Company, Inc., 1987.
Ortland, Dane. Gentle and Lowly. Crossway, 2020.
All Scripture is from the CSB Bible.
