Lord Above

Charles Keech
Infinity Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780741445827
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (05/08)


In “Lord Above” author Charles Keech asks the question, “If the Lord were to speak to you would you listen?”  The book is a compilation of Scripture, including the apocrypha, topical observations, and thought-provoking questions that help the reader contemplate the laws of God, the only God, the God of Moses and the God of David.

These practical and anointed words become a guide for the reader seeking God with an ear to listening for His instructions, His admonitions, and His promises. Keech leads the reader into worship through the well-chosen Psalms, exaltations, and paeans of praise.

The question, “What doth the Lord thy God require of thee?” is countered with an assemblage of verses calling attention to each of the commandments given to Moses. The message is strong and clearly admonishes the reader to take heed to the danger of pride. In a logical sequence Keech calls attention to scriptures that warn of judgment to come and the destruction the wicked will experience as the result of sin.

This warning introduces the message of God’s mercy. I was filled with a sense of gratitude as I was reminded of God’s provision, salvation, healing, and peace. I found the selections on prayer not only a call to prayer but a pattern for prayer. These well-chosen verses are great for contemplation, reflection, and meditation as you prepare your heart for a time of listening for and to God.

Prophetic in his message Keech chose the story of Noah to challenge the reader to humility. He then introduced spiritual parallels using the eye, the nose, the mouth, the brain, the ear, and touch to demonstrate God’s amazing creation, to establish the existence of God and to suggest ways the senses can be used as expressions of worship.  He goes on to show how God used creation, history, the weather, temperature, water, and land restoration to declare the His existence and how man cannot survive without nature.

The final selections call the reader to recognize the freedom of choice and offers an invitation to all, to the gentile, to respond to the question asked in the introduction, “If the Lord were to speak to you would you listen?”

“Lord Above” provides a powerful selection of solid scripture verses, with minimal commentary. These selections direct attention to the message God has for man. Although I would have liked some transitional remarks between topics, the strength of the book is in the verses selected and the progression in which they are presented for consideration. These selections can have a life-changing impact on the reader.

The book can be adapted for use as a Bible study guide for individual or group use. It is ideal for personal or family devotions. “Lord Above” provides for those who want to know more of the foundational teachings of the Old Testament -- an excellent resource guide.