Psalm 33:8-12 ESV
“Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded,
and it stood firm.
“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates
the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of
his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom
he has chosen as his heritage!”
Our Lord God is absolutely sovereign over all that he has
made. Nothing can thwart his plans and his purposes. No human, no corporation,
no country, no politician, no virus, and no army – nothing can defeat God!!
But this is not to say that God doesn’t allow evil people to
exist, and that he doesn’t allow them to accomplish their evil purposes, for a
time. He does. And, this is not to say that these evil people will not be able
to conquer us, for a time, militarily or via deception. They will (See Rev 12-14).
For, God, all throughout history, has used even more evil people
to judge his wicked, idolatrous, and adulterous people. And, he is doing it
again. For, he promised he would, if his wayward people would not repent (Rev.
2-3). And, in America, not many have repented, but the majority have continued in
their idolatry and in their wicked ways.
But I believe the Lord is allowing us to go through what our
nation is now enduring to bring the wayward church back to the Lord in
submission to him and in surrender to his will and to his purpose for their
lives. So, good will come out of it all, for its purpose is to get the people
of this earth to fear the Lord and to stand in awe of him, and to give him the
honor he so deserves.
And, when the Lord has accomplished his purposes in the
hearts of the people of this world, and in the hearts of his adulterous church,
he will then turn on his divine instruments of judgment, and he will judge them.
And, one day soon he is coming back for us, his bride, to
take us to be with him forever. So, although trials will come to test our
faith, we should not lose hope, for we have an inheritance waiting for us with
God in glory.
Psalm 33:13-17 ESV
“The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the
children of man;
from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the
inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes
all their deeds.
The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is
not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its
great might it cannot rescue.”
Again, God is completely sovereign over all that he has
made. Nothing surprises him. Nothing escapes his notice. He knows the end from
the beginning. He sees everything that goes on.
So, don’t believe the lies which tell you that once you are “saved”
that God no longer sees when you sin against him. For, if he couldn’t see our
sin, there would not be much need for most of the New Testament.
God still sees what we do. He sees ALL our deeds. He sees
everything you do when you think no one else is looking. He knows every lie
that you tell, every secret sin you commit, and he knows every thought that you
think, too, and every evil that you plot out against him and against his
people.
So, he sees all those who are depending on their own
strength to save them, or who are looking to other humans to rescue them from
the evils of this world. He knows every futile attempt you make to try to
rescue yourself. And, he knows every cover-up and every excuse and every justification
for why you are still walking in darkness and not in the light of his truth,
too.
And, he wants you to know that Jesus died to deliver you out
of your addiction to sin so that you can now be his bondservant and a slave of
his righteousness. And, he wants you to know, too, that you will be judged by
your deeds, and that if you continue a sinful course, heaven is not your
eternal destiny (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).
Psalm 33:18-22 ESV
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who
hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them
alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help
and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we
trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope
in you.”
Amen! And, do you know what it means to fear the Lord? It means
to respect, honor, and obey him. It means to take him and his word seriously,
and to apply it to our lives. And, it means to not take God and his grace for
granted, thinking we can sin now as much as we want without guilt now that we
are under grace. Romans 6 alone dispels that theory.
If you want your soul delivered from death (eternity in
hell), then you need to walk in the fear of the Lord. You must leave your lifestyle
of sin behind you, and you must turn to the Lord Jesus to follow him in his
ways from this day forward, until the end of time (Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 8:1-17).
But, following our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands
isn’t just about being forgiven our sin, escaping hell, and being promised
heaven when we die. For, when we put our hope and trust in Jesus Christ to be
our Lord and Savior, we enter into an intimate relationship with Almighty God.
Now Jesus is our Lord and master, but he is also our friend,
our comforter, our counselor, our helper, our companion, our husband, and our
confidant. He is absolutely the best friend anyone of us could ever have, for
he will never leave us or forsake us, he won’t lie to us or betray us, and he
won’t cheat on us, but he will be faithful in all things at all times.
Jesus loves us like no human ever could or ever will. For,
his love is absolutely pure and honest. His love for us always has in mind what
is for our good, as God defines good. He wants us to live pure and holy lives
committed to God because that is what is best for us. He wants us free from
slavery to sin, because sin destroys us and it destroys others we know.
He knows that what is best for us is for us to walk in
obedience to him and to follow him in his ways, for that is where we will find
perfect peace and joy and purpose and direction for our lives. That is where we
won’t have to fear what men may do to us, because we understand that all things
work together for the good of those who love (obey) the Lord, who have been
called according to his purpose and will for our lives.
So, trust in the Lord completely, especially during this
time of national and global crisis. Find your strength and your help and your
peace in God and not in the people or the things of this world which are going
to die, and which will disappoint you and even betray you. Set your mind on
things above, not on things on this earth, and follow the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly.
Let the Lord Jesus live his life out through you, too, as
you minister his love and grace to the people of this world, and as you share
with them the only hope for their salvation, and the only answer for what ails
them. He alone is our peace! He alone can rescue us from evil! So, trust him
fully!
Sing to Me of Heaven
Songwriters: Ada
Powell / Benjamin Burke Beall
Sing to me of Heaven, sing that song of peace
From the toils that bind me it will bring release
Burdens will be lifted that are pressing so
Showers of great blessing o'er my heart will flow
Sing to me of Heaven, tenderly and low
Till the shadows o'er me rise and swiftly go
When my heart is weary, when the day is long
Sing to me of Heaven, sing that old, sweet song
Sing to me of Heaven, let me fondly dream
Of its golden glory, of its pearly gleam
Sing to me when shadows of the evening fall
Sing to me of heaven, sweetest song of all
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