I want to show you a simple phrase, a little phrase, but one that is paradigm-shifting for all who believe it. The word of God says some major things that are packed into little lines. But, I promise you, if you will believe this, it will change you.
Psalm 18:30
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Speaking of our God, the psalmist says, “This God—his way is perfect.” For many, in a daily bible reading, or perhaps even right here, there will be a temptation to assume that we have thought this through as far as we need to. How about taking a moment today to stop and consider that little phrase a little more seriously.
Our God’s ways are perfect. What does that mean? All that God is and all that god does is perfect. His actions, his motives, his plans are perfect. There is no thing that the Lord has ever done or will ever do that is not absolutely perfect.
How does that compare with you? Can you say that your way is perfect? Can you declare your intellect or your wisdom to be flawless? You cannot say such things if you are both honest and sane.
So, stop and think. Your way is not perfect. God’s way is perfect. This means that we cannot wisely question the ways of the Lord. We cannot sit in judgment over what God says is right. We are fools if we think that we know that which is good better than does the Lord.
And how do we find out what God desires or what God says is right? We look to the Bible, about which the psalmist says, “the word of the Lord proves true.” God’s way is perfect. God’s word is true. Thus the Scripture is the true word of the perfect God.
Our world is so messed up. We battle against all that God says is good and right. Many people, even people I love, would look at the word of God and weigh it in their minds to determine whether or not they are willing to give God’s ways their stamp of approval. We look at Scriptures about households, about family, about gender, about sexuality, and we say whether or not we approve of the Lord’s ways. We look at Scriptures that tell us of God’s sovereign power, of his way of salvation, of his righteous judgment, and we decide whether or not we like how God works.
Dear friends, hear this truth again. God’s way is perfect. His word is true. It is not my place or your place to judge whether or not we think God’s ways meet our standards. We are flawed. God is holy. Our right response to the word is to surrender to the God whose way is perfect, to trust in his word that is true, and to take refuge in the Lord for life.
Pastor Travis Peterson 