Who is my God?

For the past few weeks, I've been doing a self-guided study of the characteristics of the Lord. A friend recommended it to me (thanks, Shannon!) and I loved the idea. It's been so good for me to get to know more about who my God is. Warning: this "study" is not fancy or polished. So far, I've looked at the Lord being gracious and being powerful. Last night I started looking at the Lord being just. I loved this verse more than before and thought I'd share.

Deuteronomy 32:4

The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.

This short verse has so much to offer. The Lord, our God, our maker and redeemer, is a rock. And not just a rock, but He is THE rock. He is the firm foundation for us to stand on. We can go to Him with anything and everything. We can rely on Him and depend on Him and trust that He will be strong and won’t move. I think of a large boulder and how sturdy it is – how it withstands the elements and surroundings to remain still and strong. And the Lord is the biggest bounder there is. And that is just from the first two words of this verse! The Lord is my rock and all of his works are perfect…even the works I don’t like or agree with…they are perfect. It is my misunderstanding or pride or selfishness that is so imperfect. But I can praise the Lord, my Lord for ALL of His works. I can praise the Lord that I feel unsettled, that there is pain in the world, that money is a challenge, that I am unsure of my life or what lies ahead, that people suffer, that I long for more. I can only praise Him for these things because the hard things are the things that draw us to the Lord as we see more and more of His character, in all of its perfection and glory. When the world disappoints, He is there.

And I don’t have to doubt His choices, His ways, His works because they are all justice. My God is just. Webster’s defines justice (as an adverb): having a basis in or conforming to fact or reason; faithful to an original; conforming to a standard of correctness; legally correct. The Lord is and/or upholds each of these things. He is the basis of all fact and reason and thereby conforms to Himself; He is faithful to His ways and truths – as He is the original – the alpha (and the omega!); He is correct in all of His ways; and His ways are legally binding (I especially think of the old testament here). There are no grounds for me to doubt Him and because His ways are correct (and also good!), I can rest in His decisions. They are not arbitrary; rather, they have been well thought out and well purposed. These things are giving me all the more reason to trust His ways. So often I am ungrateful – a nasty heart. I want so much to be pure in heart and lovely in being content with the Lord and what He has given me, and how He deals with me bountifully. Come quickly, Jesus, and change my heart. Unlike me, my God is upright and is without sin. He is just and upright. I have been called to follow Him – and a part of that is being just and upright in my doings as well. What are the areas that I have not been correct and godly? Job 34:10 explains these qualities of my Lord in other words, “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that He should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that He should do wrong.” Next time I am frustrated or confused by my life or surroundings or cards that others have been dealt, I hope that I remember this. I can be (and am, at times) wicked; God cannot be and has never been and will never be wicked. I do wrong; God can do no wrong. It is his nature to be perfect and just in all things…it is who He is.