“so that they may turn from darkness to light . . .”
“For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind
(The Book of Amos 4: 13 NASB)
And declares to man what are His thoughts,
He who makes dawn into darkness
And treads on the high places of the earth,
The LORD God of hosts is His name.”
If you do not know me, that’s okay, but I know me, & I know who and what I think I am. To be truthful, I may not know you, but just the same, you know who you are and what you think you are.
Maybe you have just finished reading that last statement and are scratching your head, wondering where in the world could this thought be going. Stay close. Maybe I will be able to reveal what the Lord is revealing to me.
The apostle Paul (his Greek name) was persecuting the early church. Paul was an educated man, one who knew the Mosaic Law, one who had studied under the great teacher Gamaliel; nevertheless, Paul quickly saw himself in contrast to Jesus during an ordinary day as Paul journeyed toward the city Damascus.
“And I said, “Who are You, Lord?
(The Acts of the Apostles 26: 15-18 NASB)
And the Lord said,
“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
But get up and stand on your feet;
for this purpose I have appeared to you,
to appoint you a minister and a witness
not only to the things which you have seen,
but also to the things in which I will appear to you;
rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles,
to whom I am sending you,
to open their eyes
so that they may turn from darkness to light
and from the dominion of Satan to God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”
Of late, I have begun to question, to wonder: Why do we question God?
We bend and twist, leaning away from His will—OR—We pull and turn away, going against that which we know the LORD is calling us to.
- Why do we do this?
- Why do we question, lean back, turn away from, or fight against God: the One who holds our very life in His hand?
- Why do we think we are in charge of ourselves, making false claims, “I’m the boss of me!”
- Yes, I am guilty of voicing such words (just ask my husband), when clearly we are not the boss of our own life & destiny. GOD IS!
The prophet Amos faithfully reminds us, helps us see the—TRUTH of WHO GOD IS!
In doing so, the prophet of God helps us understand, as we are reminded—WHO WE ARE NOT.
The LORD God of hosts Is He—
“who forms mountains and creates the wind”
& NOT US.
“declares to man what are His thoughts,”
& NOT US.
“makes dawn into darkness”
& NOT US.
“treads on the high places of the earth,”
& NOT US.
In reminding us of the TRUTH of GOD, the prophet ends by stating God’s Holy name, just so we will NOT EVER FORGET who we are in relation to ALMIGHTY GOD!
“The LORD God of hosts is His name.”
- Are we fighting the will of the LORD?
- Are we standing in opposition against the One who has set us apart to do His will?
- Are we resisting the destiny the LORD has predestined for us—even before we were born?
When God calls, when He reveals His purpose for our lives & when God tells us how He wants us to carry out His will—
Then we are not called to rush forward but to patiently wait, allowing God to train us for the task He has for us to do.
This does not mean we sit idly biding our time, but we spend time with God daily—
- Praying
- Studying God’s Word
- Loving & Serving Others
- Seeking Him in ALL we see, hear & experience.
For Almighty God is heard in the wind that comes down from the mountains He created!
For the LORD shares His thoughts with His children He has saved!
For Holy God wipes darkness from the earth each dawn when He ushers in the new day!
For Father God treads high above everything!
We clearly know His name—“The LORD God of hosts is His name.”
May we respond as Saul of Tarsus (Paul’s Hebrew name) responded when Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus.
May we be found faithful, “so that they may turn from darkness to light . . . .”
“But when God,
(The Letter of Paul to the Galatians 1: 15-17 & 22-24 NASB)
who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb
and called me through His grace,
was pleased
to reveal His Son in me
so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me,
but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
. . .
[Paul spent time with the LORD]
I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ;
but only, they kept hearing,
“He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”
And they were glorifying God because of me.”
- Today, may we be reminded & see the—TRUTH of WHO GOD IS!
- May we also be reminded of—WHO WE ARE NOT. &
- May we be found faithful to walk within the purpose God has for us today!