Psalm 119:74 I See You!

May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

Psalm 119:74

God made you who you are and He has a plan and a purpose for you.

Part of that plan includes all the other people who He made, all the others  for whom He has a plan and a purpose.

You are not alone!

I know it sometimes feels like you're alone. I've certainly fallen prey to the Elijah syndrome (I Kings 19:9-18), thinking I'm the only faithful one left.

Actually, my sense of self-importance tries to convince me that I'm the only one who actually gets it. Unlike Elijah, I'll acknowledge that many others have faith. But to me they're like sheep, just wandering along, stuck in their tired old churchy habits. They don't really get it. Not like I do.

But I'm not alone, and neither are you. God is at work in the lives of many people, some of whom might surprise you.

So how do the people who fear God recognize one another on the 1 road of life?

They're the people who do things that make you rejoice! Just in the past few weeks I've rejoiced to see . . .

• Church members showing up early and staying late through two Sunday morning services, eager and willing to do whatever it takes to make un-church and de-churched newcomers feel welcome and comfortable.
• Career ministers saying Yes to God's leading to leave a comfortable and productive ministry to take on a new job in a new place, outside their comfort zone.
• Young couples who have returned to faith and to the church, but haven't been content to just passively sink into the comfort of a family-focused congregation. Instead they are actively and eagerly looking for ways to stretch themselves to serve God as a family, to be willing to step outside that comfort zone together.
• Women in a prison chapel who want more than a jailhouse faith and are willing to learn spiritual disciplines that will sustain them in following God when they return to life outside.
• College students who are willing to let God lead them where they should go, rather than letting the American Dream determine their path

They're the ones who put their hope in God's Word.  I rejoice to see people with their hope in the right place . . .

• Believers who resist the pressure to trust in the post-modern philosophies and morals of 21st century culture as opposed to the timeless truths of God.
• But also, I rejoice in believers who can rise above simply finding their sense of self-importance in the Word and instead go deeper into the Word to train their hearts toward love, kindness, patience, peacemaking, and meekness.
• I rejoice in those who see the many problems in a world gone mad and yet put their trust and hope in God and His Word, not in politicians and their platforms.
• My soul leaps with joy when prisoners learn to stop trusting the old habits that landed them in prison and replace them by diligently practicing new routines grounded in God's Word.
• My heart is warmed by Christians who go beyond collecting favorite verses to prop up their personal preferences and choose instead to use the scriptures as a guide to the heart of God. 

You are not alone! Look around you and take notice of the ones whose fear of the Lord is radically changing their lives. And tell them.

I see you! I see you following God and it gives me joy!