Recently in these Notes we have been on the tabernacle; the wood signifies the human nature of Christ, and the gold, His divine nature. The combination of these two very different materials, first in the ark, and then in the boards of the tabernacle, shows how God desires to uplift our human nature with His divine nature, in order to express His divine nature through our human nature. (2 Pet. 1:4; see “The Boards, the Bars, & the Oneness • 2”).

A few days ago, I was quite impressed with a verse in the Psalms that can help us see, in a very practical way, how to experience such an uplifted humanity.

The psalmist cried out to the Lord,

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
   For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
   For to You I lift up my soul.
— Psalm 143:8

To “lift up our soul” means that we, as those who are living on the earth, spend time in prayer to bring all that concerns us to God in heaven above, who indeed hears us when we pray to Him.

Our soul, of course, is who we are, our very person; how we think, our emotions, and our decisions are all included in it. So, to “lift up our soul” means we open to the Lord regarding all that concerns us in terms of what we are thinking, how we are feeling, and what decisions we are considering. We don’t come to the Lord to instruct Him on what He needs to do in our lives, how He needs to provide us with this or that, or the best way to care for us in this or that regard. Rather, we just talk to the Lord in a simple way to let Him know our thoughts and feelings about all the things that concern us.

I always appreciate another verse in the Psalms that also encourages us to bring everything to the Lord, even things we are upset about:

Evening and morning and at noon,
  I will complain and murmur,
   And He will hear my voice.
— Psalm 55:17, NASB

This psalm does not say that God rebukes for such “complaining” and “murmuring”; to the contrary, “He hears our voice” when we come to Him in such a way. How gracious and tender He is toward us, and how He desires for us to come to Him!

Similarly, in the New Testament the apostle tells us,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
— Philippians 4:6

Do you know what will happen to you when you come to the Lord in this way, talking to Him about your concerns? God Himself will begin to enter into those concerns, and as He does, He will enter into you.

After telling us to bring our requests to God in the verse above, the apostle goes on to say,

…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:6

Perhaps before you were anxious about a certain situation. Now, even if the situation itself hasn’t changed (though it may), something about you has changed, because you have allowed the Lord into the situation.

So before, people might have touched your anxiety about that matter, but now, though you still have a real concern regarding it, they also touch in you something of a genuine peace and rest that wasn’t there before. Of course, it is not only you, but Christ living within you, that they are actually touching, for this truly is “the peace of God,” that unique peace that comes from God Himself.

This is what it means, in terms of our practical experience, to have our human nature uplifted. In brief, as we lift up our soul to the Lord, He will uplift our soul with His divine nature.

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— 28 September 2023 —