Be Still

Friday, October 14, 2016, 1:11 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Trust and Obey.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 46 (ESV).

Help in Trouble (vv. 1-3)

God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

When we allow fear to overtake us, how does that help? Does it ever solve anything? Does it bring peace and relief from our suffering? No, it doesn’t. In fact, it brings tension, and headaches, and ulcers, etc., because it is based in lack of faith, and not in trust in our Lord and in his sovereignty over our lives. And, so fear only makes matters worse, not better. So, instead of fearing our circumstances and the trials and tribulations we face in this life, we need to commit our lives into the Lord’s hands, and trust him to accomplish his will and his purposes through what he is taking us through.

If you say, “I just can’t handle this!” that is a good thing, in a way, because it is admitting that you can’t, in your own strength, resolve your own difficulty. It is bad, though, when we stop there, and we give up hope just because things got much harder than they were before. Once we come to the realization that our best efforts do not move us one step further to resolution of our problems, and that we can’t do this on our own, then we need to take the next step, and that is to commit it all into God’s hands, and then to leave it there. Then, we must trust him to show us the way to go, and then follow him wherever he leads us.

He is With Us (vv. 4-7)

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

    God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

If we have believed in Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner-master) and Savior of our lives, and by the Spirit we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we have been resurrected with Christ to newness of life, then we are the city of God, the Jerusalem from above, and heirs of the promise. For, when we believe in Jesus, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God, and now we are the Lord’s temple in which he dwells. Because God now lives within us via his Spirit, we have him continually with us helping us, leading and guiding us, encouraging and comforting us, and giving us hope and healing. We are not without resources, for our God is all powerful and he is able to do whatever needs to be done. Nothing is impossible with God!

Our Fortress (vv. 8-11)

Come, behold the works of the Lord,

    how he has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the chariots with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!”

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

God brings difficulties into our lives as well as he brings peace and deliverance. As we are coming into this time of the end, where the beast is rising and is conquering nations and peoples and Christians, things are going to increasingly become more difficult. And, I believe it is for a good purpose, and that is to bring God’s people, who have gotten lazy about their relationships with him, to surrender their all to him, and to let him truly be Lord (owner-master) of their lives. And, I believe it is for the salvation of human lives that such troubles should come, so that people will look to God instead of to themselves for their own deliverance.

So, when trials come our way, which they will, and with increasing measure, we should not let them undo us, but we should commit our lives into the hands of God, and trust him with our circumstances. We should believe him for deliverance, either through the trials or out from under the trials, which come to test our faith. We need to believe that God has a plan and a purpose for them all, even though we may not yet see what that is. And, we must believe that God is going to gain the victory through whatever he takes us through, so that his name will be honored throughout the earth. Amen!

Trust and Obey / John H. Sammis / Daniel B. Towner

When we walk with the Lord

in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,

He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise,

not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,

not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,

not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,

not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove

the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,

for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet

we will sit at His feet.
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do,

where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.