In the Shelter of Our Rock

Psalms 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

From a sad heart to a heart of praise. King David begins with his cries to the Lord, but ends with praise for who God is. When our hearts are overwhelmed by the cares of this world, when we face disappointments and hardships, Jesus is our Strong Tower and our Shelter. It is in Him that we find true peace and rest from the storms of life. It is in Jesus that we find rest from the endless toil of trying to grasp the impossible...life eternal. It was only when we were drawn to our Savior, by our God, that we were finally able to find the rest that can only be found in an intimate relationship with the One who is the Rock of our salvation. Once we are in the Rock, and He and His truth become the foundation of our lives, only then will we find joy, peace, and rest. No matter how overwhelmed we might feel dealing with this life, Jesus, our Rock, is the One in whose wings we find shelter and rest.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

True Victories...Only in Christ

Psalms 60:11-12 Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

King David recognized one very important factor when it came to winning battles; if God was not with him and his armies, there would be no victories. Far too often we depend on men to help us in times of difficulty. We count our resources, and check our contacts. We plan and scheme, and more often than not make our plans based on our own wisdom. The ones we depend on most are often the ones who fail us, or come up with worldly solutions that do not honor God. The only true victories we have in this life are those in which we follow the Lord, rather than us trying to lead and then asking for His blessings. They are victories that are won when we seek God's wisdom, and trust His ways over our own ways. David knew that if God wad not with them in the battle, the war would be lost. We must never forget that we face enemies that are stronger and greater than we are, but our God is greater than all! For greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. Whether we are facing the devils, the world, or our own flesh, the only way we will come out victorious is to get behind the Lord, and only advance as He directs. We must not fear the enemy when the Lord is leading us into battle, for in Christ Jesus we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37-39). His strength and love will always see us through. True victories are won only in Christ Jesus.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Jealousy Is A Thief

Psalms 59:1-4 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me, and behold!

David was literally running for his life. King Saul had sent men to watch David's house, in order to kill him. What brought on such unreasonable hatred toward someone who was nothing but loyal to the king? It was simply jealousy. Jealousy because David was exalted more than the king in the people's songs of the victories won by David, in comparison to Saul. Jealousy, because Saul knew in his heart that David would someday be king. Man's jealousy is nothing like God's jealousy. God is a jealous God because He desires the best for us. He knows that when we worship anyone or anything besides Him, it leads to a loss of blessings, and nothing but sorrow and loss of heavenly rewards. Man's jealousy is selfish and destructive. It leads to senseless arguments, and breaking of friendships. In the body of Christ it causes division and makes us look no different than the world. It is one of the deeds of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-20. It is what we are told love is not, in 1 Corinthians 13. It was the jealousy of the Pharisees that led them to want to kill Jesus. When we become jealous of what God allows others to have, or of how He allows others to prosper, we become discouraged, bitter, and ungrateful. When we focus on the blessings of others, we become blind to the blessings in our own lives. When we are too busy envying and coveting the talents and abilities of others, we miss out on opportunities to let God use the talents and abilities He has given us, to be a blessing in our service to Him and others. Jealousy is a thief, and will rob us of intimacy with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we find ourselves being jealous of those God chooses to bless, we need to stop immediately, repent, confess it, and ask God to help us pray for, and rejoice with, those He is blessing. If jealousy motivates someone to try and harm us, we must turn to the Lord, who is our greatest Shelter. We must pray for those who oppose us because of jealousy, and trust that the Lord will deliver us from their evil intentions; and ultimately allow Him to take vengeance on those who try to harm us in any way.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

When They Least Expect It

Psalms 58:1-2 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? No, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

It is likely that these words are the result of a judgment, and sentence, being passed on David, by Saul's judges, who did not take the time to hear David's side of the story. There is nothing new under the sun, and men being crooked, wicked, and desiring to spread violence to accomplish their goals, is nothing new. They will lie about the innocent and the righteous, and will do all they can to persecute them, destroy their lives, and even murder them. It will be the way of the unjust, until Jesus returns. This is an age old story that plays out again and again, and we see that it is still alive and well today. However, as is the case each time David points out the wickedness of evil men, he also leads us down the path to praising God for the vengeance and judgment that is coming. In the end, "The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that men will say, 'Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth.'" (v. 10-11) When Jesus was here, He washed the feet of His disciples with water; but one day He will allow the righteous to wash their feet with the blood of the wicked. So we need not fret over wicked men appearing to prosper and succeed with their evil plans; for God sees it all, and their day of judgment is coming soon, like a whirlwind, and when they least expect it.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Digging Their Own Pit

Psalms 57:5-6 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah

Proverbs 26:27 says, "He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him." We have a great example of this in Esther 7:9. Haman was hanged on the same gallows he prepared for Mordecai. In life we will encounter those who desire to do us harm. It may be because of our faith, or might be because we are in their way as they try to "climb the ladder of success". Whatever the reason, our best protection is to turn to the Lord in prayer, and trust Him to not only take care of us, but also exact whatever vengeance He deems appropriate. King David found himself running for his life, from Saul. On this occasion, in his pursuit of David, Saul did not realize that he pursued him (David) right into a cave that could have turned into his own grave, if David had not had a heart after God. The Lord is still in the business of taking care of His children. In my own life, I have experienced this up close and personal. False accusations were brought against me by a subordinate who was upset about being held accountable for their work hours. Another took that opportunity to jump on the bandwagon to claim that I failed to do my job. The leaders of the company then took that opportunity to launch a false investigation in order to get rid of me, because I would not go along with some dishonest things they wanted me to be a part of, at a higher level. In the end, even though I had documented evidence that all of the accusations were lies, they chose to get rid of me. I was at a crossroad. Do I sue them, and go after the main character in that sham of an investigation, or do I pray and leave it in the Lord's hands? I know that some thought I was foolish to leave it in God's hands; but in the end the Lord led me to a better, higher paying job, and the ringleader of the false investigation, who knew I was a follower of Jesus, was terminated in the same fashion he got rid of me. When it was all said and done, he was forced to take a job that was a demotion and cut in pay. I share this because there may come times when we will have to choose to exalt ourselves, by seeking revenge, and "showing them a thing or two", or simply pray and ask God to exalt Himself by coming to our defense. The one who dug the pit for me to fall into, tumbled into it himself. In all their planning and scheming they left one thing out of the equation...my God.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Just Keep Trusting the Lord

Psalms 56:8-9 You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me.

The occasion for the sad words of this Psalm was when David was forced to flee from Saul to Gath, and found himself having to pretend to be a madman before Achish, the Philistine king. Many of the Psalms were written as a result of suffering, betrayal, loss, pain, and disappointment, just to name a few. However, even in expressing sorrow, there is always an expression of faith and trust in the Lord. There is praise and thanksgiving for who the Lord is, and the deliverance of His people. We are reminded, in this Psalm, in verse 4, that we need not fear, if we are trusting the Lord. However, we are also reminded in today's verses that there will be times in our lives when we will shed tears of sorrow. None of us can escape painful moments in this life; and we are being truly unrealistic if we think that God will never allow us to suffer. We will suffer because of the sinful actions of others, and we will suffer because of our own wrong and sinful choices. God does not allow suffering because He is mean or does not love us. On the contrary, it is because He loves us that He sometimes allows pain. For it is in the midst of pain and suffering that He is able to put His great love, mercy, and grace on display. It is through times of suffering that we find God's comfort, and learn to trust Him more. David says something here that should encourage us, because we see the same thing said by the Apostle Paul in Romans. David said, "This I know, because God is for me." Romans 8:31 says, "What then shall say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" God is fully aware of our pain and suffering. He does not forget, and will one day vindicate the righteous in Christ. Until then, let us be like David, and continue to offer up the praises that God deserves; because regardless of our circumstances, He is always fair and just. When He is for us, those who are against us will eventually get what is coming to them. Just keep trusting the Lord.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

He Will Never Betray Us

Psalms 55:12-14 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.

The words of King David in this Psalm are words of great distress. They are words filled with pain, and a longing for peace and rest from the treachery of men. In this case, not just anyone, but one who was near and dear to his heart, betrayed him. The fact of the matter is that in this life we will face betrayal. Not only will we face betrayal, but we might find ourselves in the place of the betrayer. There is not one of us who is exempt from finding ourselves on either side of this coin. How often do we betray God? The One who gave Himself for us; yet, every day we betray Him with our words, actions, and deeds. I have said this before, but today is a good day to be reminded that we live in a fallen world, filled with imperfect, sinful, people. Yes, even those who are family, and our closest friend, are imperfect, and capable of betrayal. King David, in his lifetime, mourned the betrayal of a son, and a people, who turned against him. Where do we turn when such treachery reaches our doorsteps? Well, we turn to the One who never betrays us, the One who never leaves us nor forsakes us...Jesus. The truth is that life can wear us down. We can grow weary from all of life's challenges; but in the end, it is best to seek refuge in God. It is best to seek peace and rest, rather than vengeance. He is the only One who can heal us from the pain, and disappointment, of being betrayed. While we are here on earth, God's peace is the only peace that will help us to endure, and continue to serve Him in a fallen world. When all is said and done, we are looking ahead to a time when all of this will pass, and we will finally be with Jesus; for He will either come back and get us, or we will close our eyes in peaceful rest. Either way it happens, we will finally find rest from all the betrayal, treachery, and sinfulness, of this fallen place. Let us keep our eyes on Him, leaving those who turn against us in His hands, and trusting Him to be our Refuge, Strength, and Comfort, during those painful and mournful times of life.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).