Psalm 60: 3-4: You have shown your people desperate times;
you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
to be unfurled against the bow.
Psalm 60:11-12: Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 61:1-5: Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Selah
For you have heard my vows, O God;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
Psalm 62:5-12: Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Selah
Lowborn men are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie;
if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath…
One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done.
My Understanding: You have heard the saying, “I never promised you a rose garden.” It originated from the title of a novel by Hannah Green, and it also was turned into a hit song in the 1970’s, which was sung by Lynn Anderson. It basically says, and I am translating it into Biblical terms here, that God never promised us that life was going to be easy or that we would never have to face hardships, difficulties, injustices, persecutions, rejections, trials and/or temptations. In fact, Jesus promised his followers just the opposite, and this was reiterated by the apostles and writers of the New Testament (in the Bible). As long as we live on the face of this earth, and we are in these flesh bodies, and we live among people who also live in flesh bodies, we will face times of great difficulty which will try our faith.
Yet, there is good news! For those who fear the Lord, i.e. for those who respect, honor as holy, follow, and obey the Lord Jesus, God has raised a banner to be opened up against the attacks of the enemy, Satan. A banner can be “a guiding principle,” “the flag of a country or army,” “a standard,” (Encarta) or as a sign that signals troops to prepare for battle. Our banner, as believers in Jesus Christ, is first of all Jesus Christ himself, then what he did on the cross in dying for our sins, and in being resurrected back to life in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin. He died to give us salvation from sin so that we could be set free from the control of and the penalty of sin. And, this is our rallying point through which we can prepare for battle against our enemy, and through which we can gain the victory over our foe. Jesus Christ won the battle for us! So, we can win against the attacks of the enemy by applying to our own lives what Jesus Christ already did for us (see Ephesians 6:10-20).
So, when we go through times of great difficulty and trials that try our faith, we know and can rest assured that if we have this salvation by God’s grace, and through faith (repentance and obedience), which are gifts from God, and as appropriated to our lives, and we have this kind of fear of God to where we follow him in obedience and surrender to his will, Jesus will be our refuge and a strong tower against our foe, Satan. When we cry out to God in our distress and in our weakness, he will hear us, and he will lead us right into the loving arms of Jesus Christ. He will hear our vows (like marriage vows) to him because he knows our hearts and he knows those who are truly his by faith. Our vows represent our part of the covenant relationship between us and God via Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins. We are given a heritage of eternal life with God when we enter into that covenant relationship with God via faith (repentance and obedience) in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, which is done by the working of the Holy Spirit of God in transforming our lives.
As well, when life hits us hard and sometimes kicks us to the curb, as well as at all times, our true rest, hope, salvation and comfort should be found in God and God alone. This does not mean we should not accept the help and comfort of other people, or that we should not rejoice in such encouragement and helpfulness of mankind. We should be thankful for all helpers and encouragers along the way. Yet, our complete trust and hope and salvation cannot be in man and should not be in man, because we, as humans, will fail each other, because we are all sinners, and because we are not God that we can control the destiny of our own lives, much less the lives of other human beings.
We can do our best to help others and to offer words and actions demonstrating genuine care and concern, yet we don’t have the power to decide man’s fate, or to change human hearts or the course of anyone’s life. If we put our hope in man and man fails us, we will be shaken. Yet if we put our hope in the Lord Jesus, and we have the understanding that God never promised us a rose garden, but he has promised to be with us, to comfort us, to give us strength, encouragement, counsel, and victory over our foe, then we will not be shaken because our hope is not in this world or this life, but is in life eternal with God/Jesus Christ. And, that is a hope that cannot be shaken because it rests in God, not in man.
So, today, if you are putting your hope in this life, in this world, in a nation or government, in job security, in wealth, and/or in the things or people of this world, I pray you will come to the realization that Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation, and that you will place your hope and trust in HIM and in HIM alone.
Tell Me the Story of Jesus / Fanny J. Crosby / John R. Sweney
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”
Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past,
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore;
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.
Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the ransom for me.”
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wJRmzK2KJM
No comments:
Post a Comment