Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Thursday, October 11, 2018

My Source of Strength


Psalm 62:1-2 NASB

My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

In this life, we will have troubles. Hurricanes may plow through our cities and cause massive destruction. Massive flooding may cause the ruin of thousands of people’s homes and lands, and cost human lives. And, then there are tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, wild fires and the like, all of which can wreak havoc, cause massive destruction, leave people homeless, contribute to much financial hardship, and bring about the loss of human life. As well, there are wars and coups, which do the same.

But, we don’t have to go through something of that magnitude for us to experience hardship, pain, suffering, doubts, fears, and the like. We can lose a job, or someone in our household (or family) may die suddenly, without warning. Or, our spouse may commit adultery against us or may one day announce that he or she is leaving because he or she has someone else. Someone in our family may be arrested and put in jail, too, or he or she may be murdered in some senseless moment of someone else’s rage.

Yet, whatever we go through in this life, no matter how small or how large, we can find our peace in God when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God the Son. We can rest assured that God is absolutely sovereign over all that he has made, which includes that he has absolute authority over all rulers in this world and in Satan’s kingdom, too. So, we need to cry it all out to him, and then let him fill us with his peace, and continue doing that whenever Satan tries to make us afraid, for our God rules supreme!

Psalm 62:3-4 NASB

How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah.

There are many ways in which evil people can assail those who are weaker than them, or whom they decide are “less” than them in some way. There are many methods of attack that the wicked use to put others down, or to put them in their place, or to injure them just because they don’t like them, or what they stand for, or just because they disagree with them in some way. The “blows” can be verbal or physical, or they can be via seduction and manipulation, too. So, we must be prepared, so that we are not overtaken.

As well, Jesus said that if we hate someone it is the same as murder, so we can murder people with our words, with our actions towards them, and with our wrong attitudes and deception, too. For murder is not just putting someone physically to death, but it can be crushing people’s hearts, and stomping on them severely, or just causing them enough pain and suffering to where they may give up the fight, and give up on life themselves.

One of the biggest ways we can attack others and murder them is via gossip and slander, where we may destroy other people’s reputations and cause them much emotional suffering. And, the thing of it is, many people who do this do it behind people’s backs while to their faces they may say “nice” things to them, and even complimentary things, and they may even speak well of them to certain people while they blast them to others.

Psalm 62:5-8 NASB

My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.

So, if we are the recipients of these types of attacks, or if we are subject to having gone through some tragedy over which we had no control, and we are troubled in our spirits, not knowing what to do next, then we need to go to God in prayer, seek his face, and ask for his guidance and direction. And, we need to accept his sovereignty, trust in his grace, and rest in his love.

Sometimes the hardships we go through or the troubles we experience are not short-lived, though, but they are long-term. And, we may have prayed for years about specific situations, and yet they continue, or they even get much worse. And, so it can be quite human to begin to question if relief will ever come, or if circumstances will ever change. And, we may begin to grow weary, to doubt, to fear and to be on the verge of giving up hope.

So, sometimes we have to counsel ourselves with the counsel of God. I know that I do that periodically, and that is usually when I use my formal name. That is when I refer to myself as “Susan,” instead of “Sue,” the name I go by. And, that is because that is what my parents called me, I suppose, and so when I am scolding myself or even counseling myself I say, “Susan…”

But, there are times when we have to talk ourselves through situations, and that is putting on the armor of God if we are using that armor as our point of reference for that counsel, i.e. we need to counsel ourselves in the way of God and not in the way of the world.

Yet, there are times when we have to speak to ourselves and tell ourselves to not be afraid, and to wait on God, and to remind ourselves that God is absolutely sovereign over all things, and that he is fully in control. We have to remind ourselves of these truths when Satan is attacking us with his lies or when other humans assail us in order to try to undo us, too.

And, too, it is good if we can verbalize these truths out loud with full confidence, and speak truth to Satan, too, and to his followers, when they try to persuade us to believe the lies, and when they try to convince us to give up hope. Sometimes we need to shout these truths out loud, too, when Satan is whispering “sweet nothings” into our ears in hopes to get us afraid, discouraged and feeling hopeless.

And, we must absolutely turn to God in all these things, rest in him, believe in his promises, know he is in control, and believe that he is working even when we can’t see him there. If we are his, he is working on our behalf, so we just need to turn the circumstances of our lives over to him, seek his counsel, do what he says, and then let him be our strength and hope for the future.

Blessed Are You  
An Original Work / August 29, 2012

Based off Luke 6:20-49 NIV 1984

“Blessed are you; blessed are you
Who are poor for God’s kingdom is yours.
Blessed are you; blessed are you
Who are hungry, you’ll be satisfied.
Blessed are you; blessed are you
Who weep now, for you will laugh with joy.
Blessed are you; blessed are you
when men hate and reject you because of Christ.”

“Rejoice in that; rejoice in that day
And leap for joy; great your reward.
But I tell you; but I tell you
To love those who hate you; do them good.
Pray for those who; pray for those who
Treat you wrong and say kind things of them.
Do to others; do to others as you would
Have them do; have them do to you.”

“If you love those; if you love those
Who love you, what praise is there for you?
Because Christ is; because Christ is kind,
Be merciful, just like He is.
Forgive others; forgive others
Their offense against you; be ye kind.
Hear My words and; hear My words and
Put them into practice, then you’ll be fulfilled.”


Thursday, October 11, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, that you are our Rock and our Fortress, our mighty deliverer, and our refuge in times of trouble. Amen!

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