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."

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Comfort and Healing

Psalms 27:1 ESV

 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;

    whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

    of whom shall I be afraid?”

 

The Lord is my only light. He is my only salvation. He is the only stronghold of my life. Therefore, I will not fear. I will not be afraid of any who oppose me or of death or of disaster or scorn or of anything that might try to break me down and which would try to destroy me. My confidence is in the Lord.

 

My only light: Jesus and his gospel, his word, is the only light I follow. I do not follow marketing schemes or books or sermons of men. I do not adhere to lies and to the twisting of truth to appease human flesh. My only light is the unadulterated word of God.

 

My only salvation: I cannot save myself. No one else can save me, either, other than Jesus Christ. No army of men and no political leader and no preacher is going to rescue me from evil and give me hope and a future. Only saved by the blood of Jesus via God-given faith in Him.

 

My only stronghold: Jesus is my only fortress, my only refuge, and my only sanctuary. My strength, my fortitude, and my courage come only from him. He is the only one I go to for hope, for healing, for comfort and for direction. Without him I would not make it in this world.

 

Psalms 27:4 ESV

 

“One thing have I asked of the Lord,

    that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

    all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

    and to inquire in his temple.”

 

Before Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended back to the Father in Heaven, and sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his followers, the temple of God was a physical building in which was the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of Almighty God.

 

Since that time, the house of the Lord has been (is) us who believe in Jesus Christ with God-given and childlike faith in Jesus Christ. Collectively we are called the church, which is not a physical building or a denomination or an organization or corporation of men.

 

The church is the body of Christ comprised only of those with genuine faith in Christ, evidenced by death with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness, in the power of God’s Spirit now living within us empowering us to live holy lives (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Co 3:16-17).

 

So, to dwell in the house of the Lord is to live in Christ and for him to live within us. It is to abide in Christ and to have him abiding in us, and for us to abide in his Word. And it is to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ, walking in his light according to the Spirit of God and not according to the flesh (Jn 15:1-17; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

So, to inquire in his temple is for us to pray to the Lord and to worship him in spirit and in truth. It is to be in communion with our Lord 24/7 where we can hear him speaking to our hearts any time of day or night and where we can respond to him at any time, too.

 

Thus, if we desire and if we seek to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives, we are seeking to abide in Christ and to have him abide in us and for us to abide in his word and to have his word remain in us all the time, and for us to walk in obedience to our Lord and to his word, too.

 

Psalms 27:5 ESV

 

“For he will hide me in his shelter

    in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

    he will lift me high upon a rock.”

 

When we abide in Christ and in his word, and he abides in us, and his word abides in us, we bear much fruit for God’s eternal kingdom. But this also involves the Lord pruning us, too, so that we will be more fruitful. So, along with the joy of our salvation comes trials and tribulations, as well.

 

Even though our Lord will discipline us for our good, and he will test and try us, and he will allow us to go through days of trouble and heartache, all this is for our good to mature us in our walks of faith and to make us stronger and more determined to follow Jesus with our lives.

 

But he doesn’t abandon us during those times. Instead he hides us in his shelter. He comforts us, he heals us, he encourages us, and he makes us stronger. He teaches us many things during these times that we need to learn to endure the difficult days ahead, too.

 

He has a purpose for all that he allows us to go through in this life, and often the trials we are now facing are just steppingstones to greater ones yet to come. And through them we need to learn that Jesus is to be our only source of strength, comfort, and healing.

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

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