Proverbs 15:11
Hell and destruction are before the LORD:
How much more then the hearts of the children of men?
The Almighty is perfect in light and purity. He is unadulterated Rectitude to its utmost degree. Nothing in Him is foul, vile, or corrupt. Yet in the vilest place in creation, the lowest region of Hades where the bodies of men putrefy; in the place where the worm does not die, the inner place of the earth which receives the body of the dead and lying deeper does the soul; in the place of deepest descent, of uttermost destruction, in the realm of the dead, He is present.
If now the Creator has this basest of regions in its whole compass wide open before Him, if it is visible and thoroughly cognizable to Him, how much more then are the hearts of the children of man fully open to Him?
King David acknowledged these facts in the following simple words, If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Psalms 139:8
This acknowledgment of God’s omnipresence should fill us with fear, awe and security. Fear because there is no escape from His all-encompassing eyes. Awe because He can fill even the vilest of places while not Himself being defiled. Security because wherever we are, the Father has us in his mire. He may not agree with our decisions sometimes, but He stays our Father. He watches us always ready, waiting for that moment when we will finally have our full of husks, and are ready to climb the Ladder that only He sends.
Friend, there is no place that He cannot reach down to influence. This should make us want to pray for our spouses, our children, our friends, and many of those we don’t know in far-flung countries where brethren are persecuted, because where they are at in their lives, he is.
Let me end this devotional with an example of prayers in action to turn an evil tide. We are all familiar with the recent Mumbay tragedy. We remember the Jewish victims from the Chabad House outreach. The only reason why they were targeted was because they were Jewish. What I remember the most is the godly un-vengeful response from the Chabad American representative in Brooklyn. Also, the Chabad web site showed the response of Jewish people worldwide. As opposed to cries of outrage and revenge, their response was in prayers acted in deeds of kindness and piety in the name of the victims. Such an example of what the (former Rabbi) Apostle Paul said,
Hell and destruction are before the LORD:
How much more then the hearts of the children of men?
The Almighty is perfect in light and purity. He is unadulterated Rectitude to its utmost degree. Nothing in Him is foul, vile, or corrupt. Yet in the vilest place in creation, the lowest region of Hades where the bodies of men putrefy; in the place where the worm does not die, the inner place of the earth which receives the body of the dead and lying deeper does the soul; in the place of deepest descent, of uttermost destruction, in the realm of the dead, He is present.
If now the Creator has this basest of regions in its whole compass wide open before Him, if it is visible and thoroughly cognizable to Him, how much more then are the hearts of the children of man fully open to Him?
King David acknowledged these facts in the following simple words, If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Psalms 139:8
This acknowledgment of God’s omnipresence should fill us with fear, awe and security. Fear because there is no escape from His all-encompassing eyes. Awe because He can fill even the vilest of places while not Himself being defiled. Security because wherever we are, the Father has us in his mire. He may not agree with our decisions sometimes, but He stays our Father. He watches us always ready, waiting for that moment when we will finally have our full of husks, and are ready to climb the Ladder that only He sends.
Friend, there is no place that He cannot reach down to influence. This should make us want to pray for our spouses, our children, our friends, and many of those we don’t know in far-flung countries where brethren are persecuted, because where they are at in their lives, he is.
Let me end this devotional with an example of prayers in action to turn an evil tide. We are all familiar with the recent Mumbay tragedy. We remember the Jewish victims from the Chabad House outreach. The only reason why they were targeted was because they were Jewish. What I remember the most is the godly un-vengeful response from the Chabad American representative in Brooklyn. Also, the Chabad web site showed the response of Jewish people worldwide. As opposed to cries of outrage and revenge, their response was in prayers acted in deeds of kindness and piety in the name of the victims. Such an example of what the (former Rabbi) Apostle Paul said,
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
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