Skip to main content

Trusting in the Rock

 Psalm 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

We like verses that start like this, don't we? They comfort us and help lift us. They declare where we have put our faith and for how long we have trusted in our mighty God. However, if we skip the first four verses of this psalm, it would be like jumping into the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” at the fourth verse. We miss a lot in that jump. 


So, look at what the author says starting in the first verse. 1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. The author uses similar terms to describe his life walk. He trusts Jehovah God, so he will not be confused. When we know God, we will find many confusing aspects of his being and his word that are impossible to resolve. God is infinite, and we are finite, so it is only normal to be confused. However, we have the resource of his Holy Word to guide us away from the most confusing aspects of life. The more that we know God, the wiser we become concerning life’s struggles. 

2 Deliver me in thy righteousness and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me and save me. 3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 


The psalmist’s life pattern has been as follows: he trusts God for deliverance, he expects God to listen to and save him from trouble. God has become his literal habitation, and that haven is like an enormous rock fortress. God allows attacks, but the author has hope, and that hope is in the Lord GOD in whom he has trusted since his youth. 


God never promises to remove us from all trouble and trials; he does, however, promise to be with us in and through tests. And you know that problems bring us to a closer walk with the Lord than tranquility does. So, my friend, create an intimate relationship with God, who is a fortress. He is a beautiful place to be in troubled times. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Are You Worth?

What are you Worth?  Have you ever thought about what you are worth? In investing circles there is a term used to gauge this exact question, it's called Net Worth. You take all of your assets, like property owned, funds in your bank account, clothes, jewelry, car, etc.. You total all of these things. You then take everything you owe, like mortgage, car loan, and credit card debt, and you subtract these items from the first total. This gives you your net worth. That number represents where you are financially. Most people never stop to think about this number because they don't understand anything about it. They never have two nickels to rub together. They live from hand to mouth and know (or at least believe) nothing will ever change so, they fall into the "daily grind" mentality. Psalm 49 should be a great encouragement to such as these. The sons of Korah write about them. These sons write about all of us. They call all people everywhere to listen to their wisdom. Bo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Circumcision Advantage

 What a title right? I'm thinking of Romans 3:1 where Paul asks, "What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?"  This was always an avoided subject in Sunday school, especially in a mixed class. We didn't use the "C" word. Too wierd.  Paul is bringing up this topic for good reasons. He wants to show that the Jews definitely have had a great advantage during their history. In the next verse he tells one of them when he says, ... "First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God." The first jew talked to God in person. God chose Abram to be the father of many nations and to bring the blessing of the Messiah to the world. The Old Testament is the story of the Jewish nation. God dealt with the Jews throughout the ages of the time before Christ. They were the chosen. But in all that blessing they ended up crucifying the Messiah.  With all of their advantages the Jews came short of the ideal....
Post a Comment
Read more

Abs of Steel with Glasses

Have you ever wondered why Clark Kent always took his glasses off before he turned into Superman? I hadn’t ever thought about it either until this last Saturday when I almost got sucker-punched. Wellington, one of my spunky Juniors, wanted to wrestle. He feigned a punch to my gut and I said, “Go ahead. I have abs of steel!” I think that my gym visits might be going to my head because my abs of steel are buried under a healthy layer of blubber. I have improved my six-pack but it is far from chiseled. It looks more like a quarter of a keg. Anyway, quick as a wink and with near lightening speed Wellington said, “Yeah but up here is made of glass!” as his poke went within a hair’s breadth of my glasses! I belly-laughed. His rapid reflexes and wit had caught me by surprise. And what he said was so true and funny. It was an excellent though brief lesson. I often prepare for an oncoming fray. I get ready, set and then “BLAM”! The proverbial punch comes from a totally different direction. ...
Post a Comment
Read more