Category: Uncategorized

77. Instruct, Teach, Guide

 Psalm 32:8

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:

I will guide thee with mine eye.

 God promises to instruct, teach, and guide us in the way we shall go. He is instructing and teaching so that we do, not just know but actually do the commands and walk in the right way. Guide is added to the instructing so that we stay on the narrow path, and we will always know and go the right way. Knowing the right way, going the right way and staying on the right way is extremely important for happiness and wellbeing. It is not easy to believe that God’s way is the only right way to go through life; it is harder to walk that way; it is even harder to remain on that way without wavering and wandering. For this reason we need this promise for our lives.

Therefore, we live meekly and walk humbly with our God so that we can receive His teaching and walk according to it. We open the Bible and pay attention to the preaching and teaching of the Word as the Holy Spirit applies the truth to our hearts and our wills. We are not so proud as to believe that we already know and live according to God’s commandments as guidelines for living. We hear God’s Word daily and weekly in order to listen and obey His teaching and leading.

It is also important that we believe this promise; we believe that the Holy Spirit will actually instruct, teach and guide us in holy living; He will not fail in providing what we need in the way of knowledge, desire and ability to walk the narrow way. It also helps to believe that blessings and good things come our way when we listen to His teaching and follow His guidance; good consequences will follow.

88. Redeems; not desolate

 Psalm 34:22

The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants:

And none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

 Believers know, by faith, that they are redeemed, and they can also take comfort in the promise that they shall never be left alone, desolate, isolated, abandoned, forsaken. Hebrews 13:5 promises: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This is spoken in the context of avoiding the love of money and being content, meaning that if you know He will not leave you the riches of His glory will always be present to you.

Pictures of desolation are disturbing, like movies of a city after heavy bombing, and it leaves us troubled, hoping such desolation never comes to us. The Lord promises to redeem us from fears, one of the greatest of which is being left desolate, with no one to care about me, no one to share life with. That fear is removed for the redeemed since God promises that that will never happen. Even if I should be left on a desolated earth God Himself will be with me, and such knowledge is comfort and assurance.

This “not be desolate” promise also touches eternity, for separation from God and everyone else is what eternal death means: desolation is what hell is all about. The eternal promise of God is that, on account of Jesus Christ, he who believes in Him will not perish (be left desolated, alone, abandoned, eternally separated, left in total darkness forever), but have eternal life. Jesus Himself already experienced and suffered the pains of hell when He was separated and forsaken by God the Father when He was on the cross bearing the sins of the world on Himself. He suffered desolation so that we never will.

76. Hide, Preserve, Deliver

 Psalm 32:7

Thou art my hiding place,

Thou shalt preserve me from trouble;

Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

 God promises to hide, preserve, and deliver me any time, but I especially need this promise when I am worried, scared, or threatened.

The Lord Himself is my hiding place. I come into His arms and let His love engulf me so that sin, death and devil cannot find me even though these enemies know where I am. Children may try to find safety hiding under the covers or in the closet from real or imaginary enemies, but they are still scared because they know they could be found. Not so with the children of God: they can rest secure and unafraid in the Hiding Place that is the Presence of God. Sin cannot tempt; Death cannot harm, Satan cannot destroy. We just cannot be found.

The Lord will preserve me from trouble. We are always finding ourselves in trouble on account of sin, either our own sin or someone else’s. Sin surrounds us like poisonous snakes in the wilderness. This is trouble. God promises to preserve from trouble: this can mean either I won’t get into trouble or I will be kept from the pain and sting of the trouble I do get into. This is a truly wonderful promise if we can believe it. We don’t have to look for trouble; it will find us. We do have to look for the one who preserves us from trouble.

The Lord will surround me with songs of deliverance. Trouble may be coming at me from many sides at once, but we have the promise that deliverance is also all around me at the same time. Songs of deliverance and shouts of victory are all about us as our Lord and Shepherd is continually staving off trouble and driving it away. If I could actually see the ever-present salvation of God and what He is constantly doing to keep evil away from me I would be continually singing and praising the Lord. This promise is real and God is always delivering me; I know it is true because the Lord says so; even though I do not see the battle and the victories I believe they are going on, because this is what God says He will do for us.

God is keeping these promises to hide, preserve and deliver every day and night and He will continue to do the same as long we live on the earth surrounded by the Enemy and by God all the time.

75. Forgive sin

Psalm 32:5

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid.

I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;

And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

 God promises forgiveness to those who acknowledge their sin, don’t hide their iniquity, and confess their transgressions. God would forgive everyone since Jesus died for all people, none excluded, and reconciled the world (all people), but He can only actually forgive the sins of those who will confess sins and receive that forgiveness by faith.

The condition (if I confess, then you forgave) is not the cause of God’s forgiveness toward us, but it is the means of receiving that forgiveness. My confession does not induce God to forgive; He is ready to forgive before I ask because of Christ who died for the sin. Confession is my receiving of His forgiveness; confession embraces two parts: sorrow for sin, or contrition, and faith that receives forgiveness of sin. Confession believes and receives.

“I will confess” is a statement of determination and faith. “Thou forgavest” is a statement of fact; the promise is true; the result is that my sins are forgiven. This is a big deal and a most wonderful promise: God forgives! He frees me from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death and grants eternal life in its place; He frees me from the guilt of sin, which wracks my soul and wrecks my body; He frees me from the bondage of sin, meaning I do not have to do what sin demands any longer; He lifts my burden and lightens my spirit; forgiveness sets me free. Take hold of the promise and enjoy the freedom.

74. Blessed forgiveness

 Psalm 32:1, 2

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile.

 Blessedness and blessings are promised to those who are forgiven. “Blessed” covers a wide range of life experiences: physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, social, financial. When every sphere of life is blessed life is truly good. The blessedness is God’s blessing, that is, His choice and His decision about what is truly good and what is good for you in the special way that is you. Blessings do not usually come according to our desires and choices, and so we don’t always recognize our life as being blessed.

It is the forgiven who are blessed; not everyone is blessed, although everyone could be forgiven and consequently blessed. The unforgiven are not so blessed, partly because they are still suffering the pains and consequences of sin, pangs of conscience and guilt, the wages of sin (death), and the rottenness eating away at the health of the soul. The unforgiven are the unbelievers who have not believed in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit accepted the offer of full forgiveness of sins. The offer is available to them, for Christ died for all, but they have not availed themselves of the offer; they reject Christ and resist the Gospel in unbelief. Therefore, the unbeliever is not blessed and does not know the joy of salvation. (The unforgiven unbeliever may be blessed of God, but the blessings are not promised for him.)

For those who believe in Jesus: their transgression is forgiven, their sin is covered, and their iniquity is not imputed to them. Forgiveness in itself is a great blessing; it includes eternal life and salvation, not to mention peace of mind and joy of heart. But furthermore, blessedness is promised for the one who is forgiven. Forgiveness is wonderful for it not only carries inherent blessings but also consequent and subsequent blessings. The specifics of the “blessed is he” is not here spelled out, but we can claim the “blessings” pronounced for various kinds of people throughout the Bible. Again, we may need to adjust our attitude to call blessing what God considers blessing, though it may not be what we wanted. For instance, God may consider it a blessing that we not have a million dollars in the bank, and so should we. I am blessed because God says I am, not because I am feeling good at a given moment; and I am blessed even if I am not presently feeling blessed, just like I am forgiven even if I don’t “feel” forgiveness.

Enjoy the forgiveness of sins and the blessings that result from it by faith.

73. Strengthen

 Psalm 31:24

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

 Many times God promises to strengthen the heart. Here he promises strengthening for those who hope in the Lord; that one can be of good courage because the Lord promises to strengthen him. Courage does not just come from “screwing it to the sticking post,” but it comes from trust in the Lord. When we look to Him and not to anyone or anything else we are strengthened in heart so that we can be of good courage. The key here is looking to, trusting in and hoping in the Lord.

Inner Strength does not come from inside, from ourselves, or from positive thinking, nor can it be borrowed from another strong person; it comes directly from the Lord to your heart. Ask the Lord for strength and He will give it; trust the Lord for strength to cope with the situation you are dealing with and He will grant it; hope in the Lord to be present and act on your behalf and fight for you; He will make you strong and strengthen you during the process. You will be surprised what you can endure and even overcome with the Lord by your side and on the inside. When the Lord strengthens your heart you will discover that you are a whole lot stronger than you ever thought possible. Let God be your adrenalin.

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.”