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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