Heartbeat of God

By David Peckham

The difference between one person and another, both now and then [in eternity], is relationship. While every person has a relationship with God [Creator and creation], a second relationship is the foundation of communion and fellowship with Him. The Bible speaks of this new relationship as a new creation, those who are in Christ.

Prior to the new birth in Jesus Christ, sin has made it impossible for any person to commune with God. Peoples and tribes throughout the world have created their own gods with whom they attempt to communicate, but their attempts are futile unless they come to God through Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504949583

David Peckham

The author was born and raised in Hastings, England. Educated at Moorlands Bible College, he spent the following years engaged in evangelistic ministry in England and the Faroe Islands. He has three grown children and lives with his wife Katie in the State of Washington. He is retired and, for the past sixteen years, has been involved in writing both Christian non-fiction and Historical novels. You are invited to browse David’s website at onhisshoulders.com.

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© 2015 David Peckham. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/11/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4957-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4958-3 (e)

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All poems are by the author unless otherwise credited.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New Kings James Version of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980,1982, 1990. Thomas Nelson, Inc. Publisher.

Quotes credited to KJV are from the King James Version.

Quotes credited to NASU are from the New American Standard Bible.

Quotes credited to RSV are from the Revised Standard Version.

Quotes credited to NLT are from the New Living Translation.

Quotes credited to NIV are from the New International Version.

Quotes credited to TLB are from The Living Bible.

Quotes credited to AMP are from the Amplified Bible.

Contents

Introduction

Prologue

Chapter One: What is Salvation?

Chapter Two: A Conversation with God

Chapter Three: The Struggle – Garbage Sacks

Chapter Four: The Struggle – Which Way?

Chapter Five: No Mugwamps

Chapter Six: Why Do I Believe It?

Chapter Seven: God’s Courtroom

Chapter Eight: God’s Justice

Chapter Nine: Just as if I’d never sinned

Chapter Ten: The Goal of the Holy Spirit

Chapter Eleven: The Believer’s Protection

Chapter Twelve: The Christian in Conflict

Chapter Thirteen: A Very Personal Relationship

Chapter Fourteen: Obtaining the Promises

Chapter Fifteen: Love, a Reciprocal Thing

Chapter Sixteen: My Desire – To See God

Chapter Seventeen: The Secret Place

Chapter Eighteen: Rewards

Other Books by David T. Peckham

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually 2 Chronicles 7:15-16.

D oes God really have eyes? No, yet He sees. Does God have ears? No, yet He hears. The Bible also speaks of God’s hands (Job 27:9) and His feet (Ezekiel 43:7). But God is Spirit, He is invisible, therefore no man has seen Him at any time (John 1:18).

Does God have a heart? Yes, but not one that beats to keep Him alive. When the Bible speaks of the heart, which it does over 800 times, it is referring predominately to the seat of emotions, affections, and feelings we experience. The heart of a man is who he is. It is His soul. One might even say it is his character.

It is difficult without referring to the original text, to decipher between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. When the Bible says In the beginning God it is not speaking of God the Father, but Elohim, the plural form of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thereby telling us all three persons of the trinity were involved in the creation of the world.

The word Elohim is not exclusive to the Hebrew language. Other cultures have their own Elohim, consisting of two or many gods. When other nations ask, "So where is their Elohim?" (Psalm 115:2), the Psalmist wrote:

But our God (Elohim) is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat Psalms 115:3-7.

This is the fundamental difference between all other Elohim and the Judaic/Christian Elohim. Our Elohim knows, understands, has compassion, exercises justice, mercy, love, and grace. "Our Elohim does whatever He pleases," whenever He pleases, and to whomever He pleases.

Our Elohim is just and faithful, and is under no authority but His own. No one is His dictator, governor or ruler. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

When Artaxerxes, king of Persia, scribed a letter for Ezra granting him permission to return to Jerusalem along with any Israelite who wished to go with him, he referred to himself as king of kings (Ezra 7:12). This title was common among all Persian monarchs and literally means great or supreme king, or emperor. So, when the title was assigned to Jesus (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16), it was not foreign to the Jewish mind.

When Daniel applied the title to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:1) it was as "a king of kings, but when Timothy applied it to Jesus, he did so as the King of kings. Note the capitalization of King when used of Jesus, and king when used of anyone else. When these and other titles are applied to Jesus, it is always as The … not as a …, for He alone is the Only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords. And, as Job declared, He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea."

Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? He removes the mountains, and they do not know when He overturns them in His anger; He shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders without number. If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ God will not withdraw His anger, the allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him Job 9:2-13.

Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? Exodus 15:11; read the Song of Moses, Exodus 15:1-19, Psalm 71:19, 113:1-9; Jeremiah 49:19; 50:54.

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ … Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it Isaiah 46:9-11.

There is none like Me in all the earth Exodus 9:14.

If we believed these words with all our heart, we would better understand and recognize the heartbeat of God.

With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible Mark 10:27.

We love and serve a great God. One who is Immortal, Invisible, God only wise, one whose love is immeasurable, whose grace is unfathomable, and whose mercy is renewed to us every morning:

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord Lamentations 3:22-26.

"When I first saw Rembrandt’s painting (Return of the Prodigal Son), I was not as familiar with the home of God within me as I am now. Nevertheless, my intense response to the father’s embrace of his son told me I was desperately searching for that inner place where I too could be held as safely as the young man in the painting. At the time, I did not foresee what it would take to come a few steps closer to that place. I am grateful for not having known in advance what God was planning for me. But I am grateful for the new place that has been opened in me through all the inner pain. I have a new vocation now. It is the vocation to speak and write from that place back into the many places of my own and other people’s restless lives. I have to kneel before the Father, put my ear against His chest and listen, without interruption, to the heartbeat of God" Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son.

As a thirsty deer searches for the stream,

        Seek your Savior’s face.

As a new born eagle lies under the wing,

        Nestle in His love.

As a fern grows in the shade of the oak,

        Repose in His care.

As a fox lies secure in its den,

        Rest in His arms.

As the moss grows on a mighty fir,

        Cling to your Redeemer.

As a finch feasts on the fruit of the tree,

        Delight in His goodness.

As a primrose blooms on the forest floor,

        Grow in Christ.

As the guest of a king eats of his ware,

        Feast on His banquet.

As a marmot takes refuge in the rocks,

        Hide in The Rock.

As lovers meet in their special place,

        Enter His chamber.

As lovers repose in each other’s arms,

        Enjoy His embrace.

As the disciple lay on His Master’s breast,

        Hear the heartbeat of God.

Prologue

My Mother’s Lap

O ne of the memories I have from my childhood is sitting on my mother’s lap, especially when I needed comforting. If I had scraped my knee while playing, she would pick me up and carry me to her chair where she would hold me on her lap. She would clean my wound then kiss it all better.

You’ll just have to be more careful, won’t you? she’d say as she wiped my tears with her handkerchief. Her smile is something I have never forgotten. She’d wait until I stopped crying before setting me on my feet with an encouragement to continue playing.

When I was a few years older, I remember when she told my friend not to fight me. I never was much of a fighter. My nose was bleeding from his right hook to my face, and my mother would get a wet cloth and wash the blood away. Two minutes later, my friend and I were playing King Arthur and his knights.

One of my childhood memories involves an act of disobedience, a petrified child, and loving arms.

About one mile from where I lived was a run down slaughterhouse where old cows, horses, and sheep were slaughtered, and the meat ground up for use as dog food. Trees surrounded the slaughterhouse as it was on the edge of a forest. My friends and I would always avoid coming close to it as we made our way to the forest to play cowboys and Indians, or King Arthur and his knights.

Although my parents had forbidden me to go to the forest, especially the slaughterhouse, they never told me anything more than what went on there. However, in my childlike mind, it was a place of evil. My friends and I would conjure up all types of horror stories associated with it. A rumor, I later learned was true, was about a murder that had occurred on the premises. We would stand and watch as the rickety farm trucks hauled their unaware victims to their death. I always felt sorry for the animals, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Along with the ban on going down to the forest and slaughterhouse, was the rule of never accepting a car ride from anyone I did not know. If I violated the first ban and was caught, I knew it would result in a grounding; but violation of the car ride ban was paramount to death!

While we were playing a man stopped his car and asked if he was on the road to the slaughterhouse. We told him Yes, but that was not enough for him. He suggested we get in his car so we could show him the way. We told him if he stayed on this road, he could not help but see it. He said he would really like to give us a ride and, what’s more, he had some candy he would share with us. The temptation was too great for two eight-year olds to resist, and all the warnings from our parents were temporarily forgotten.

The road was very rough and full of chuckholes, so the man could not drive very fast. He gave us the promised candy, and we finally arrived at the house of death and evil. He instructed us to wait for him in the car, and he would soon return. As soon as he disappeared, pure dread and horror overcame us as we remembered the warnings of our parents. This, coupled with the sight of the slaughterhouse, made us panic, and we jumped out of the car and ran home as if a tiger was chasing us. As we rounded the corner, I saw my mother standing there with her arms open. I did not slow down until those arms were tight around my shoulders. I had never felt so safe, and I wanted to press myself into my Mum. For me to hug her was not enough, I needed her to hug me. I remember her tears as she kissed me. A neighbor had seen us get into the stranger’s car and had told her. All I can remember hearing was, Thank God you are safe.

I had violated both rules, but the expected spanking never happened; neither was I restricted. My mother sat and held me until Dad came home from work about an hour and a half later. I knew she was going to let my father administer the punishment—I would have much preferred her to do it! My heart almost stopped when I heard dad come through the gate. I sat with my head down, and tears running down my face, while Mum explained what had happened. My folks had never spanked me before, but I knew this was to be the first time.

Dad lifted me from my mum’s lap, and sat me on his knee, and said, Pretty scared, huh? I nodded my head. Are you ever going to do this again?

No, Dad, I promise.

What have you got to say to mum and me?

I’m sorry, I breathed.

I didn’t hear that, he said.

I’m very sorry, I croaked.

He pulled me to him and kissed my forehead. I love you, he said, and those rules are made because we love you.

Even at that young age, I knew my father considered my fear and panic sufficient punishment. He told me later in life, as we remembered this incident, that I said the exact words he was hoping to hear, I’m sorry.

I begin this book with these personal stories because they remind me of the relationship I have with my heavenly Father. When I stumble He is there to comfort me. Even at the ripe old age of seventy-four, I enjoy knowing His arms are outstretched to hold me close to His breast.

I think of Peter as he began to sink, but Jesus reached out and lifted him to safety.

There are times when I experience His chastening hand, but I know I deserve it and hope to learn from it.

You will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you Isaiah 66:12-13, NIV.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me Psalm 23:4.

Chapter One

What is Salvation?

Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God John 3:3.

A s we look into this wonderful subject of salvation, we need to look back and ask the question "Why do we need