Like the Moon

"No, I will not break my covenant;

I will not take back a single word I said.

I have sworn an oath to David,

and in my holiness I cannot lie:

His dynasty will go on forever;

his kingdom will endure as the sun.

It will be as eternal as the moon,

my faithful witness in the sky!"

Psalm 89:34-37 NLT

Man counts on the rising and setting of the sun and the cycle of the moon.  I can set my clock to the faithfulness of the sun coming up at a certain time.  The waxing and waning of the moon is so predictable that it's cycle is recorded in writing.  By checking the schedule, I can know how long I can expect to see the moon in the sky today and at what phase it currently is. 

God is as faithful.  He can be counted on to keep His promises and do as He has said He will do.  Therefore, whenever I gaze at the moon in the night sky, or enjoy a magnificent sun rise, I can think of our great God.  He will not let me down!

Offspring.  "Know that the LORD is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3)  The psalmist who penned these beautiful words of worship knew of his position as a part of God's people because he was born into the nation of Israel.  By his heritage, he was secure in the pasture of his Shepherd who cared for His flock so lovingly and faithfully.  I, however, have not been born into such a heritage.  I was not born into a family of faithful followers, nor can my lineage be traced back to Abraham, but I can still claim the same as this psalmist.  How?  By faith.

When Jesus descended from heaven and left behind His divinity for a time, it wasn't just so He could be among those He had created.  No, He was on a mission to deliver this amazing gift of an eternal heritage to all people on earth (John 3:17), not just a select few who happened to be born into the right family (John 10:14-16, Romans 11:17-18).  He came to die for me, to sacrifice His life for you, so that in His perfect and final sacrifice for our sins, He opened up an opportunity for every man, woman and child ever born to experience rebirth.  Through faith in Jesus, then, I can be born again into a new family, the heritage of God that will last forever (John 3:3).  And because God said it was true, I can count on my position as His daughter (1 John 3:1).

As I can set my clock to the rising of the sun and the cycle of the moon, so I can trust in God's promise to accept me into and keep me secure in His eternal family.

Royal.  I am not an ordinary daughter.  As a child of the King, I am royalty.  As Jesus called God His Father when He walked the earth as a man, I can do the same through faith in Jesus Christ.  I am the child and God is my Father, my loving Caretaker, my Provider of all needs.  As such, I share this position in common with Christ, and I have become an heir along with Christ. 

This means I have much to look forward to in heaven as a princess.  I have an inheritance like nothing I have seen here on earth.  I am destined to share in the glory that is Christ's (Romans 8:17)!  I have to remember, though, that if I am connected to Jesus in such a way, walking on common ground with Him, I can expected to be treated as He was here on earth (John 15:18-21).  He was rejected, scoffed at, tortured, treated like a criminal.  In short, I receive the whole package of inheritance; suffering and glory.  The good news is that the suffering is temporary while the glory lasts forever!

As I can set my clock to the rising of the sun and the cycle of the moon, so I can trust in God's promise to consider me as a co-heir with Christ.

By Faith.  I don't always feel worthy.  I know my sin makes me unfit for receiving anything good and that Jesus came to make me white as snow even though my sins are as scarlet (Isaiah 1:18).  Still, my pasts haunts me, tainting my whiteness with it's grime.  I carry around a negative image of myself like dirty baggage.  Even though Jesus has relieved me of this burden, it's hard for me to let go.  I just don't feel good enough.

Thankfully, there is good news for me!  A simple faith in Jesus does make me worthy, despite how I feel.  As long as I depend on my own standards, looking at myself through my own glasses, I'll never measure up.  But when I truly receive the forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, I'll realize my new identity as a child who belongs.  No matter who I am, where I came from or what has been the pattern of my life, I am accepted by faith.  I'm just as much a treasured child as Jesus Himself is.  I don't have to worry that I'm not good enough, because none of us are (Romans 3:23).  Instead, I can rest in the arms of a Father who welcomes me into His family by simple faith.  Nothing more is needed because Jesus did all that was necessary in dying on the cross.

As I can set my clock to the rising of the sun and the cycle of the moon, so I can trust God's promise to accept me by faith.  

The sun and the moon can be visual reminders of God's faithfulness.  He can be trusted to make me part of His forever family and to consider me in His inheritance, all by faith.  So the next time I gaze at the moon in the sky or witness a gorgeous sunset, I can ponder the faithfulness of God.  On Him I can count, just like the moon!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can place my full weight on God who can fully be trusted.

When do I doubt my inclusion in His family, thinking there is something I must do to keep my place there?

How am I afraid of losing my place or His inheritance?