The Lord Is...

…Not could be, might be, perhaps under certain conditions, or in theory. Is. When the Bible says, and says so countless times and in countless ways, that “God is…” or “The Lord is…” it means just what it means in everyday life:

To “be.” 

Some definitions say it even better, with clarifying words like “present.” The Lord is…as in not a far-off, aloof, go-figure-it-out-yourself-and-call-if-you-need-anything God, but a “God with us” 24/7 God. And then there are some jaw-dropping "is" synonyms that are much more than just clarifying words...

Abide

Act

Breathe

Continue

Do

Endure

Hold

Inhabit

Last

Live

Move

Obtain

Persist

Prevail

Remain

Rest

Stand

Stay

Words can be amazing. But a picture paints a thousand words. And so the veil of familiarity and casual head-nodding dissolves once and for all while hiking through favorite brookside woods and fields. The accompaniment, which seems to come out of nowhere (yeah, right), is a familiar Psalm but set to a different tune…

"The Lord is…my best friend and my shepherd.

I always have more than enough.

He offers a resting place for me in His luxurious love.

His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.

That’s where He restores and revives my life.

He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure
and leads me along in His footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to His name.

Lord, even when Your path takes me through

the valley of deepest darkness,

fear will never conquer me, for You already have!

You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.

Your authority is my strength and my peace.

The comfort of Your love takes away my fear.

I’ll never be lonely, for You are near...

...You become my delicious feast

even when my enemies dare to fight.

You anoint me with the fragrance of Your Holy Spirit;

You give me all I can drink of You until my heart overflows.

So why would I fear the future?

For Your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life.

Then afterward, when my life is through,

I’ll return to Your glorious presence to be forever with You!"....

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”  - Revelation 1:8