Psalms 118:1, 5-7 NIV
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
“Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”
In our day and age, we are continuously being bombarded with
messages intended to make us afraid, angry, distrusting and/or confused. These
messages are coming from the media, whether it be the news or social media, and
they are coming from the mouths of government officials.
But as followers of Jesus Christ, we have nothing to fear,
for our Lord is in us, and he is caring for us, and his steadfast love for us
endures forever. He will see us through anything this world can throw at us. He
is still completely sovereign over all his creation. Thus, He will strengthen
and help us.
It isn’t that man can’t do anything evil to us, though. He
can, and he will, for the Scriptures teach that we will be hated, rejected, persecuted,
beaten, falsely accused, falsely arrested, and even put to death for our faith
in Jesus Christ and for our testimonies for his gospel of salvation.
But it is that man can do nothing to us that God has not
allowed, and that God will not carry us through it, and that God has not a
purpose for it. God will see us through everything man throws at us, and he
will use it in our lives and in other people’s lives for his glory.
Psalms 118:8-13 NIV
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
“All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.”
Oh, yes, it is much better to take refuge in the Lord than
in man and in princes (rulers) who cannot save, and who often are liars and
deceivers who are working against the people while they make a public show of
being for the people.
We live in an age where so many of our leaders, whether in
the government or in the church, are lying to us, deceiving us, and are
literally working against us, not for us, even though publicly they claim to be
working for us and not against us.
So, while many of them claim that they are on our side, they
are literally handing us over to the desire of our foes. They are much like
pied pipers who are leading people to their deaths. Their tongues are smooth as
silk, but their bite is as fierce as a lion.
So, we can’t trust in man. Instead, we need to be discerning
of what men (and women) are telling us, and we need to be testing it all in
prayer and in the study of God’s word (in context), seeking God’s face, and
asking for the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.
For, many people are being led astray, not just with regard
to the gospel of our salvation, but also with regard to what is going on with
our government and in the world around us. Thus, even many Christians are
following men as though they are gods while unknowingly they are following the
enemy.
Psalms 118:14-18 NIV
“The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
‘The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!’
“I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.”
We need to make the Lord our strength and not humans. God is
the one whose praises we should be singing, not the praises of man. He is the
only one we should be looking to for any kind of salvation, for he is our only
hope. And he is the only one who is fully trustworthy.
Jesus Christ is our Savior, not man. He is the only hope for
what ails this sin sick world of ours. Only he can save us from our sins. Only
he can promise us life eternal. He alone has complete control over his
creation. He is the only one who can guarantee to fulfill his promises to us,
too.
Yes, this world of ours is messed up. Yes, evil is
prevailing right now, but only because God has allowed it, and only because so
many of God’s people have turned away from him and from his laws to follow
after the ways of man and of the flesh, and so God has handed them over to
their flesh.
I believe God is allowing all this trouble right now,
though, to bring his wayward people back to him in repentance and in renewed
faith in him before he returns for us, his bride. He is making his bride ready
for the wedding banquet to take place (see the book of Revelation).
So, God will bring good out of what appears to be a lot of
evil going on right now. He is disciplining his church right now in order to
bring her back to life, for she needs to be revived so that she might live. She
needs to be brought back to the place to where Jesus/God is her only Lord and
not the gods of this world before it is too late (Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co
6:9-10).
A
Believer’s Prayer
An
Original Work / July 31, 2012
With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.
Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.
Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.
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