Month: August 2017

72. Preserve

 Psalm 31:23

O love the Lord, all ye his saints:

For the Lord preserveth the faithful,

And plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

 The Lord promises to preserve the faithful, but for the one who acts in pride there will be ample and abundant reward. This is not a reward in a good sense, but it is a just repayment of evil for evil: the proud will “reap what they sow.” And by “plentifully” God means the punishments and consequences will be at least enough to satisfy the just requirements of the Law.

It is not up to the saints or the faithful to seek vengeance or to make sure that justice is done. This is God’s doing, and He will make sure justice comes to the proud and that no one “gets away with it.” The proud doer is the person who decides and acts on his own without giving God a passing thought or paying attention to His Word. The proud doer is the opposite of the faithful saint, who faithfully strives to know and do the commands and demands of the Covenant; when he fails he still seeks to make himself right with the Lord through sacrifice and forgiveness. He does not hold up his own good works before God as the proud may do, but he recognizes his sin and holds up the blood sacrifice before God to maintain his faith relationship with God.

Therefore, it is the faithful that stand in a faith relationship with God; and it is to the faithful that God promises preservation. This preservation is apparently without limits. The Lord preserves the faithful from enemy attack and saves them. The Lord preserves the faithful with abundant supply and provision. The Lord preserves health and strength for daily life in service to God and neighbor. The Lord preserves the faithful in comfort, security and safekeeping. The Lord preserves our coming in and our going out from this time forth and forever more.

We can rest securely in Him all the time, no matter what the enemy seeks to do to us, and He will preserve us. Therefore, we saints love Him.

71. Hide

 Psalm 31:20

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man:

Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

 God promises to hide those who fear Him and to keep them secretly away from those who could do them harm. The presence of God is a secret place where believers may hide from the enemies; it is secret because the enemy cannot go into God’s presence and see anything there.

The pride of man, whether our own pride or the pride of others, is a dangerous thing that leads people into sin and away from God. Pride is an enemy of the soul; pride puffs up the soul and then God opposes the proud and brings them down; pride causes sinners to believe they can get away with sin; then the sin destroys them. Attacks upon us may come from prideful people for so many different reasons. Whenever we sense an attack on the soul on account of pride that is the time to allow the Lord to hide us in the secret of his presence. When one enters the presence of God by faith in Christ (repent and believe) pride, sin and the devil cannot find us or reach us. God hides. We do not fear what man can do to us.

The strife of tongues is a dangerous situation to be found in. Whether we start the argument, or continue it by defending, or just get caught in the crossfire we need to escape this kind of battle for it leaves wounds and scars. When strife begins to build up we may let the Lord keep us secretly in a pavilion, safe from the strife. The pavilion is the safe place behind the battlefield where the general resides. It is heavily guarded and a safe place to be. God will secret us there and hateful words and vicious lies will not find us. God keeps us secretly. Of whom shall we be afraid?

 The hiding place that God promises is a place that the Enemy cannot come. Sin and Evil may know where we are, but can do nothing about getting to us. Just knowing you are hidden by God in His presence gives you peace and security.

70. Goodness

 Psalm 31:19

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee;

Which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

 Not just goodness, but great goodness, is laid up and worked out for those who fear the Lord and trust in Him. This conditional promise is meant for those who believe in Jesus; and it is also an incentive for unbelievers to fear and trust the Lord, for the promise of great goodness should be compelling.

How often are believers reminded of these words from Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We remind one another of this promise when things are going badly and things look bleak; but we should even more remember this promise when things are going well and things are looking bright. Then we realize again where good comes from and we give Him thanks; we recognize that we have not earned or deserved good things, but God gives good things by grace.

This goodness is “laid up” for us = “Good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) Out future is laid up for us, and it is good. Not only shall we who fear God do good works, but we shall also reap the blessings that result from doing good works. Doing good and enjoying good: that’s a good thing. Life is good and it is filled with God’s goodness.

This goodness is “wrought” for us = “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” (Ephesians 2:10) Christ Jesus is continually shaping us and arranging events and things in His continuous creative activity to work all things together for good. How much goodness has God worked for us? We will never know, but we can always assume that if it was good it was God, for God is great and good.

69. Joy Cometh

 Psalm 30:5

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life:

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

 This is an amazing promise, unconditionally granted by our loving Shepherd to us tender sheep, who live in a world of ups and downs. Every single life on earth lives on a roller coaster of ups and downs, good times and bad, weal and woe, with seasons of affliction and seasons of blessing. This fact of life will never change, until the Last Day. Unfortunately, most people think like teenagers in that what I am suffering or enjoying at the moment will last forever; I will live all my life on a high or on a low. We often forget that there are seasons and things will change.

Anger and Sadness may be experienced now, but “this, too, shall pass.” The anger is only for a moment and weeping for a night. You won’t feel this way forever; at some time it will change and you will be on the upswing again. This kind of comfort is true, but most angry and depressed people cannot believe it at the time. The truth is that neither high times nor low last forever, but in time a falling or a rising will happen again.

This promise is more than a fact of life; it is a guarantee: favor and joy will come. You may feel anger at the moment but God’s favor is for the whole lifetime, so it will come back and you will be blessed again. You may weep and feel depressed at night but joy returns again in the morning, with a new day and new mercies. The Joy of life with Jesus is too strong and resilient to be kept down for long. The favor and the joy is always there; sometimes it gets covered over and needs some time until it pops up again; so the Psalms say: “Trust, and Wait.”

68. Strength and Peace

 Psalm 29:11

The Lord will give strength unto his people;

The Lord will bless his people with peace.

 The Lord loves his people and promises them blessings for their life that come from His own character, in this case He gives strength and peace.

 The strength God gives to us would be His own strength from Himself, not some alien, pulled-out-of-the-air, strength. God shares His life, He shares himself, and He shares His own strength. Now we His people share the very strength of God Almighty. We can make good use of God’s Strength from time to time when we need it, when we feel the weakest and when we are under threat or in trouble from our enemies. “When we are weak, then He is strong.” We need to utilize the strength of God when we are overwhelmed, when we are sick, when everything seems to go wrong, when the enemy is coming in like a flood, when we are down and depressed, or any time we feel in need of a physical or emotional pick-me-up. With the Strength of God within we are able to rise, stand up and be courageous. We can live with the attitude that nothing can topple us or make us fall. The Lord gives strength.

The peace of God, with which He blesses us, is the strong peace that is God’s, that is in God. “My peace I give unto you,” says Jesus (John 14:27). “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7). Is God at peace? Of course He is, always. The kind of peace that is in God is way beyond our ability to understand. When He gives us His own peace it would settle so strongly upon that we know we could never be moved or shaken, but we would be like a calm rock in a violent storm. He puts His Peace in us.

This promise is possible; this promise is real; this promise is meant for us to take hold of and by faith stand strong and calm like a rock. Can you believe we have such a Wonderful Savior God?

67. Strengthen

 Psalm 27: 14

Wait on the Lord:

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:

Wait, I say, on the Lord.

 If you wait on the Lord, then He will strengthen your heart. Wait is the command; strengthening is the result. The period of waiting and maintaining your courage does the strengthening of the heart. If answers to prayer, rescue, deliverance, help and victory came immediately there would not be time to strengthen the heart while we wait.

The longer we wait on the Lord without fainting, complaining, giving up, forgetting, or wavering the stronger we grow in our faith and trust. God will answer our prayers in His time and in in His way. Even though we know that we still tend to lose heart and forget that we once prayed for something. Instant gratification is not God’s way; He would rather use the needs and prayers that we talk to God about to develop a relationship, grow our faith and strengthen our heart. When we ask the Lord for help and the help is delayed or deferred He is telling us to “Wait!” While we wait we maintain our faith and courage, trust and confidence, and we do not become disheartened, discouraged or disappointed. That is how we wait; if we know how to wait God promises to strengthen the heart. More value and benefit may come to us during the waiting time than would come to us when the answer actually unfolds.

The Lord is always looking for ways to develop inner character and strength. Strength in this case means unwavering trust in the Lord no matter how opposite it appears to our hopes. When we endure through the tempting time of doubt and still maintain faith and courage the heart is strengthened, that is, trust is firmed up. God is interested in answering your prayers, but He is more interested in firming up a strong trust relationship with you. That is why He says, “Wait on the Lord.”

66. Take up

 Psalm 27: 10

When my father and my mother forsake me,

Then the Lord will take me up.

 The unconditional promise of being taken up by the Lord means that the Lord himself will support, provide, care for, love and nurture me; it means that He will never, no never, forsake me. The greatest fear children have is the fear of abandonment.

It is expected that other supports, props, nurturers and caretakers we need during our temporal lives on earth will eventually leave us, disappoint us, or be unable to help. Even our own parents who have been there and cared for us all our life long will probably die before we do, if they have not willingly or unwillingly neglected us during their lifetime. Eventually and ultimately, every one of us humans on earth will be forsaken; since no one lives forever, the ones we are counting on will abandon us at some time or another. We will feel alone and weakened.

But the Eternal God comes in and promises He will take me up. I can never be, nor be afraid of being, abandoned, forsaken, left alone, uncared for or unloved. If it ever happens that I have no one to be there for me the Lord will take me up. He will take me up in His arms to love and nurture and comfort me and make me feel safe.

We can extend and expand the metaphor to include every bad thing that could possibly happen to me: no matter what happens, no matter how catastrophic, my Lord and my God will be there for me; I will be taken up and cared for. Every child, adult, and elderly person can take this promise to heart: you will never be alone. This promise is meant to carry us through all the days of our lives until we see Him face to face.

Jesus says: “Don’t worry; I’ll be there; I will be with you always, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

65. Hide

 Psalm 27:5

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:

In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;

He shall set me up upon a rock.

 The unconditional promise from God that He will hide me means that He will keep me safe from the enemies. “Hide” does not necessarily mean that I can’t be seen, but it means that I cannot be touched. If the Lord sets me on a rock I am still hidden although I am visible, because the enemies cannot reach me. To be hidden in his pavilion is to be protected by armies and bodyguards. A “pavilion” is like the tent of the general’s headquarters behind the battlefield, the safest place to be during the battle. Being hid in the secret of his tabernacle is being kept in the very presence of God into which no evil enemy can ever enter; so I am safe in God’s presence even if the enemy knows I am there. Being set up on a rock puts me out of reach of the enemies and my defenders easily push them back.

This promise of “hiding” means that God places me in a place of safety from the temptation, threat, scare, attack and danger from Sin, Death and the Devil. This Hiding Place is available to me in the time of trouble. When I run to the Lord He hides me in the secret place in His presence for security and safety until the trouble passes and the enemy leaves.

Both the presence of Sin and the presence of God are at all times surrounding me and even inside me. It is helpful to develop a more conscious awareness of the one and the other; I need to know when and where and how to jump into the hiding place. Through repentance and forgiveness, confession and absolution, I run into the waiting arms of the Father by remembering the “hiding place promise.” There solutions to my problems are worked out, prayers are answered, sins forgiven, and the troubles dissolve and pass away; Jesus remains.

64. Light, Salvation and Strength

 Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 The unconditional promise for all of us is that the Lord is (and shall ever be) my light and my salvation and the strength of my life.

• My Light: Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12); Jesus also says, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14). This means that Jesus shines in us and out of us as light. The promise is that the Lord is my light, meaning that he will push back the darkness for me and I shall walk in light for the way. If the light of the Lord is always in me and around me there will be nothing for me to fear; I will not fear the darkness for “the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) In truth, if the Lord is my light all around me I cannot even see the darkness: whom shall I fear? I see darkness with my eyes and sometimes I can feel darkness with my emotions, but I walk by faith and I can only see the light. God is with me; He is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If He is here then no darkness can be here either: what is to fear? Faith does not see the darkness.
• My Salvation: Jesus is my Savior, the God of my Salvation. He has already saved me from sin, death and the power of the devil. He is daily and constantly saving me from the troubles these three enemies get me into; God is my salvation today and in every situation. He will save me from eternal death and hell. Jesus is actively saving me daily from trouble and distress every day, for He is my salvation. If He is always there to save me, whom shall I fear? He has saved, is saving, and will save me from all my enemies.
• The Strength of my life: the Lord, according to His promise, is not only my rock and my fortress upon which I can stand and in which I can hide, He is also the strength of my life on the inside, my inner strength. As my strength He makes me strong to stand against the attacks of the enemies, sin, death and devil; He makes me strong to drive them back and tear down their strongholds. If this is true, of whom shall I be afraid?

 The Lord promises Light, Salvation and Strength, and because of these three aspects of God’s Presence there is nothing to fear. What is to be afraid of? What can my fear-instilling enemies do in the face of God’s light, God’s salvation, and God’s strength? I think nothing. Therefore, I will not fret, worry, stew, or be anxious for anything; for what my God promises He delivers.

63. Pluck my feet out of the net

 Psalm 25:15

Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

 God unconditionally promises to pluck my feet out of the net; that is why I trust Him and pray to Him constantly. Because He promises to save me and deliver me from all trouble I am always looking to the Lord; my feet are continually get caught in nets and I am trusting the Lord to know how to extricate me from these webs and traps. Therefore, my eyes are ever toward the Lord: I am instantly ready to pray to Him to rescue me from another net. And God plucks.

The nets are various kinds of complications, webs, traps, difficulties, and troubles that I regularly get caught in; the nets may be relational, financial, emotional, material, physical, mental or social. Sin and the Devil weave the nets and tempt us to get our foot caught. Sometimes it may be other people’s sins that draw us into the web of circumstance. Either way, the Enemy is always making nets to put along the path of life, and avoiding them all is nearly impossible. In rare instances, we may be able to figure out how to extricate ourselves, but it most cases it is the Lord who knows the net and how to pluck my feet out of it.

God promises to do this on a regular basis in answer to our prayer, so why don’t we pray to Him in every trouble, net, snare, trap and web? Turn you eyes to the Lord at all times, especially in the day of trouble. God plucks.