Who He is

It was late. I was lying in bed, tired, but I couldn't fall asleep. I had to be up early for church the next morning, but my thoughts wouldn't leave me alone. I just wanted it to be morning. My mind wandered, as it often does on late nights, and I started thinking about God and His Word. A Bible verse came to mind and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep without looking it up so I grabbed my Bible and turned on my lamp.

I was flipping through the Psalms trying to find it (I didn't bother googling it), but instead of finding that verse I came across another verse.

Psalm 38:15, "For I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer me, my Lord, my God."

As I read that verse, something came to mind...

~ When I put my hope in Christ, my hope isn't in what He will do. My hope is in Who He is.

Then I came across another verse.

Psalm 43:4, "... Then I come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy..."

~ When God is my joy, my joy isn't in my circumstances around me. My joy is in God within me.

God will never let me down because He is the same forever.  I may not always understand what He's doing, but I can always trust in Who He Is.

My joy and my hope aren't merely emotions based on the world around me, they are results of Who God is in me.

To be completely honest, I have always struggled with having joy and hope. I still do. But when I remember that joy and hope solely depends on Who God is, it's easier to have joy and hope. God doesn't change. His character is the same as it's always been and is as it always will be.

He is my hiding place (Psalm 32:7).

He is my comforter (Psalm 119:50).

He is my peace (John 14:27).

The list goes on and on. God doesn't change (Job 23:13). His character remains the same. When we learn about Who He is through His Word, we more clearly see Who He is in our lives.

Sometimes its hard to have joy, peace, and hope. But we have to remember that those things are found in Jesus and in Him alone. It doesn't depend on our circumstances, but on Who He is.

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What are some of your favorite Bible verses about God's character/attributes? What are your thoughts on the subject? Any other thoughts?