Psalm 46:1-3 ESV
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
Life will throw its curveballs at us from time to time. And,
we won’t see them coming. The direction we thought we were going will take an
unexpected turn. Someone will die unexpectedly. An accident will happen.
Someone will get sick. Your spouse will suddenly announce he or she is leaving
you for someone else. You will lose your job suddenly. Or, someone will spread
a rumor about you that isn’t true and it will destroy your reputation. And, the
list goes on. You name it.
Yet, we should expect the unexpected. And, we must come to
the realization that God is not thrown off by these sudden changes in our
circumstances. For, he is completely sovereign over all that he has made. He is
in charge. He is in control. And, he either causes or he allows these things to
take place in our lives. For, through our trials and tribulations we learn to
call on him. We learn to trust him implicitly with our lives. And, we learn to
walk by faith and not by sight, trusting that he knows best, and that he has a
plan.
I know that sounds easy and simplistic. Yet, I know that “when
the rubber meets the road,” i.e. at the point which this belief is put to the
test, it won’t be easy. It will be hard. It will be painful. Tears may flood
our eyes and our hearts may sink. We may be aghast in unbelief, wondering how
that could have possibly happened to us. “How did we not see this coming? Why
did we not prepare ourselves for these possibilities? What went wrong?” we may
ask. For, we may have all kinds of questions come through our minds.
But, it is at these times that we must turn to the Lord to
be our strength and our help to endure these trials, to survive, and to have
wisdom from above to know what to do or how to respond. We must put our absolute
faith and trust in him, believing that he has a purpose for it all, and that he
has a plan. We need to trust him to work it all out for our good. And, we must
not give way to fear, for we must believe that God is in control and that he
will provide all that we need. So, we put our lives in his capable hands, and
we choose to follow His lead, even though we don’t know what lies ahead.
Psalm 46:4-7 ESV
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
We who have placed our trust and faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us, i.e. God is living
within our hearts. He is alive within our hearts working his will, changing us,
and moving us to follow him with our lives. He is making us holy, set apart
from the world and set apart for Him and for His service. He is conforming us
to His likeness. And, he is humbling us, too, through our difficult
circumstances.
So, we would do well to yield to his control; to yield to
his purposes for our lives. For, when we do that, he will be our strength. He
will empower us from on high to endure and to thrive, too. He will strengthen
us and he will help us so that we will not be shaken by these “curveballs,” but
that we will be able to be strong in the strength of the Lord. Thus, we will
not be moved by our difficult circumstances, but instead our faith and our
resolve to keep on in our faith in our Lord will be increased.
Yes, we are going to have enemies. Our primary enemy is
Satan, who is strongly against us. And, those who are under his control are
going to be against us, too. For, the closer we walk with our Lord, and the
more that we obey the Lord and we do his will, the more the enemy of our souls
is going to come against us to try to trip us up. He and his hordes are like an
army fighting against us hoping they will win out and that we will be defeated.
But, it is at these times when we must call on our Lord. For
he will be our strength to help us in our times of need. When we don’t know how
we can possibly face another day, he will be there when the morning breaks with
just the help that we need to make it through, one day at a time. He will put
scripture verses and scriptural songs in our minds to encourage us. He will
give us physical strength and mental acuteness far beyond what we could
imagine. And, he will fill us with his peace, too, which is so awesome!
Psalm 46:8-11 ESV
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 is God. We must never forget that! He can do anything
within his divine character, purposes and will. Nothing surpasses him. Nothing
can thwart his purposes. No evil can prevail over him or over his purposes for
our lives. For, he is absolutely sovereign and in control over all that he has
made. Nothing is too hard for him. The will of man will never prevail over the
will of God. What he allows he allows. And, what he stops, he stops.
So, when life throws its curveballs our way, we need to be
still and know that He is God. And, God is saying these things to me, too. I
need to hear them. And, I need to implement them in my daily life, too. I need
to be reminded of these things, too, lest I forget and I let fear conquer me. I
need to believe this, not just in my mind, but in my heart and in my emotions. And,
I need to apply these truths daily in my walk of faith.
We need to believe that God is going to be exalted in the
nations. Even though it may seem, at times, as though the devil is winning, and
even though the saints of God are being conquered, and the gospel of our
salvation is under attack, and it is being destroyed, God is still God! He is
the conqueror! His will and his purposes will prevail! Satan is a defeated foe!
And, when all else on this earth is destroyed, God’s Word will remain!
So, we need to hold on to that confident assurance, and we
must not forget it when the devil tempts us to fear or to doubt God. And, we
must walk by faith and not by sight, and we must not let these “curveballs”
take us out and undo us. For, God is still God! He is the same yesterday, today
and forever! And, we can count on him, depend on him, and believe him that he
has it handled, and that he will supply everything that we need. Amen!
It
Is Well with My Soul
Lyrics
by H. G. Spafford, 1873
Music
by Philip P. Bliss, 1876
When peace, like a river, attendeth my
way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to
say,
It is well; it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though
trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless
estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my
soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious
thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it
no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my
soul!
And, Lord, haste the day when my faith
shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord
shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well; it is well with my soul.
*copyright
status is public domain
Saturday, August 10, 2019
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