“In Judah God is known”
Psalm 76:1a
This phrase never fails to stop me in my tracks. I’ve written on it before, but it continues to utterly captivate my heart and fill me with renewed wonder.
Here, in this place, God is known. What powerful confidence is held in those words. The infinite, mysterious, majestic, holy God, Sovereign Creator and King, He who declares the end from the beginning and does all that He pleases—He is known here. Not just acknowledged. Known.
Because He makes Himself known. He draws near as we draw near to Him, so we are not left searching in dark wilderness, but rather find ourselves surrounded by the love, power, and wisdom of God Most High (Isaiah 45:19, Deuteronomy 32:10). He has set His heart in love on us, a perfect and everlasting love that was manifested in the life and death of Jesus Christ, Son of God (Deuteronomy 10:14-15,1 John 4:9-10). His great power is at work in us, through us, and for us, power displayed in the victorious resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20).
God is known here, for He has revealed Himself in His Word and opened the eyes of our heart to see Him. His Spirit awakened our soul the moment we chose to trust in Christ for salvation, and now dwells within us. It is this Spirit who assures us of who our God is. That He is exists and He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). That He is magnificent and has complete authority in our lives and in our world. That He is good and the plans of His heart exceed anything we could ask or imagine (Matthew 7:9-11, Ephesians 3:20). That He is our Father who loves us and who will never let us go (Romans 8:15-17, 1 John 3:1, John 10:27-29, Isaiah 49:14-15).
When questions, doubts, fear, and anger enter into our heart, may this be where we bring them: to this God who is known to us. May our eyes be lifted from our circumstances to remember that He is for us. He knows those who are His, and we are sealed with His Spirit forever.
In Pleasant Places 