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Psalm 46:1-11
This is another case of what Christians are supposed to do when they face a problem and what some might do. How Christians handle deal with a trouble can either positively or negatively affect others. Trust and thanksgiving are the primary topics in Psalm 46. It starts with solid commendation for the strength of God and his accessibility. It proceeds with the affirmation that the country of Israel need not dread, regardless of whatever happens. Despite of how anybody may seethe, or endeavor, the psalm pronounces that God will one day judge humankind and put a final end to war. The psalm closes as it started by trusting in the Lord of hosts, since he is with them as their safe, invincible Protector. Psalm 46:1-7 presents the subject of confidence and trust in God. He is Israel's defender, and he is available at whatever point the individuals of Israel need Him. The Israelites can trust and confide in him paying little mind to whatever occurs. Neither regular catastrophes nor the danger of other countries can shake God's people, since they have a bountiful stock of the presence of the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob. In verses 1-3: The dread of mountains and urban communities out of nowhere disintegrating into the ocean because of an atomic impact frequents numerous individuals today. Yet, the psalmist says that regardless of whether the world ceases, we need not dread. Notwithstanding utter annihilation, he communicated calm trust in God's capacity to save him. It may appear to be difficult to think about the apocalypse unafraid, however the Bible is clear, God is our shelter even with complete annihilation. He is not just an impermanent retreat; he is our endless sanctuary and can give strength in any situation.
The expression "a very present help in trouble" profits a more profound review. The idea of God being "very present" could likewise be expressed as "our God is in all things" (Deuteronomy 4:7). Previous encounters, including history, show that God is deserving of our trust (Hebrews 12:1). Christians today might feel caught in difficult spots. Like the Jews that were assaulted by the Assyrians, the best game-plan is to confide in the Lord to deal with the circumstance. He has done it previously, and he can do it again whenever the need arises. In verses 4-5: Numerous large cities have rivers moving through or near them, supporting the lives of the inhabitants by making agribusiness conceivable and working with exchange with other cities. Jerusalem had no waterway, yet it had God who, like a river, brought life to the land. However, as long as God resided with people, the city was invulnerable. Yet when they deserted him, God ceased to protect them, and Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonian army.
Empowering proclamations in the Psalms are inclined to being taken outside any connection to the subject at hand. Verse five is a typical illustration of this. The expression "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved" is consistently applied to support ladies in troublesome conditions. But the “her” referenced here is the city of Jerusalem, not a woman (Psalm 46:4). It is suitable to be energized while perusing this refrain, realizing that God's solidarity secures the individuals who honor Him (Exodus 20:6). However, it is not a reference to women or any specific woman. Instead, this assertion is essential for Israel's acclaim for God's liberation (Psalm 46:1-3). In verses 6-11: War and annihilation are inescapable, yet so is God's last triumph. Around then, all will be still before Almighty God. How appropriate is it for us to be still currently, respectfully, and reverently honoring God and his majesty and power? We should take the time every day to be still and worship and give thanks unto God.
Christians need to avoid faulty ways of dealing with trouble. Do not hold God responsible. Do not resort to resentment. Do not surrender to self-pity. Do not escape through some type of anesthesia (drugs, alcohol, etc.).
Christians should face trouble with faith. Trust in the goodness and in the power of God. Discover and depend on God’s promises. Accept God’s forgiveness and forgive others. And always search for the good in life.
Christians should develop a plan for enduring the pain of trouble by searching through God’s Word, listening for God’s voice, giving praise to God and be thankful of the blessings that we have, recognize God’s angels that are around us, grow our faith and trust in God, and let a Christian friend be a friend. God is always there to assist us, offering safety, peace, and refuge. God’s power is unending, and the victory has already been won. Those who love Him will be rescued by Him.
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Psalm 119:9-16, (11)
We are suffocating in an ocean of pollution. Wherever we look we discover the compulsion to have sullied existences. There are temptations all around us that can lead us astray. The world can put a stain on our Christian hearts and our lives. The Bible is one subject that, in my opinion, that every individual ought to acquire knowledge of. Except for the Bible, the public education system teaches everything else to children. Teaching the Bible in public schools is against the law, but we must reach every student with the Bible. The psalmist posed an inquiry that worries us about everything: how would we keep clean in a disgusting unsanitary climate? We cannot do this all alone; however, we should have guidance and strength more powerful than the enticing impacts around us. We need something stronger than what encamps around us. Where would we be able to locate this strength and astuteness? By reading God's Word, by applying it to our hearts and lives, and by doing what it says. Putting away God's Word in our hearts and souls is a hindrance to sin. It can help keep sin at bay. This by itself ought to motivate us to learn and retain Scripture. In any case, retaining Scripture alone will not keep us from transgression; we should likewise give God’s Word something to do in our lives, making it an essential manual for all that we do. Numerous individuals hold the belief that verse eleven only suggests that the Bible should be memorized. Although some of the meanest brats I’ve seen in Sunday school were able to stand up and quote one hundred verses of Scripture. When the psalmist composed, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart,” I think he implied “I submit to it, and I will obey it.” I think memorizing God’s Word is a wonderful thing. I agree with the various programs that help us in memorizing Scripture. But what is truly significant for us to do is for our submission and obedience to God’s Word. It is something magnificent to have the ability to stand up and present Scripture, yet we likewise need to comply with it, and that implies concealing it in our souls. The greater part of us abrades under rules, for we feel that they limit us from doing what we want to do, and this is an annoyance to many. From the start, then it might appear to be weird to hear the psalmist discuss celebrating in God's laws as much as in wealth. However, God’s laws were given to free us to be all that He wants us to be. They confine us from doing those things that will handicap us and hold us back from being our best. God’s rules and guidelines assist us with continuing in His way, following in His steps, and to stay away from the ways that lead to desolation. I want us to take a closer look at verse eleven. Thy - Who Word - What Have I - Possess Hid - Action In mine heart - Where That I - Who Might not - Probability/Possibility Sin - What Against - In opposition to Thee - Who
God had told Joshua that for him to succeed he must abide by and adhere to the directions presented for daily living that were found in God’s Law.
When we meditate, we spend time reading and thinking about what we read. It entails asking ourselves how we can alter our behavior to live in accordance with God’s will. The first steps toward putting God’s Word into practice are knowledge and reflection. We are to remember, respect, and accept what God says if we want to follow Him even more closely.
We ought to incorporate God’s Word into our lives and base our lives on God’s Word; we can only learn how to live for Him and serve Him from it. If we do not study God’s Word consistently and with care, we risk neglecting God and our true calling in life.
The word Present means to introduce, to show, to put forward, or to submit. The word reasonable is having sound judgment, which is based on good sense, and is appropriate. To be transformed (or converted) is to make a thorough or dramatic change in our behavior and our character. Renewing is to reestablish (as in a relationship) or to replace (as in something that is broken, worn out, or to the point of being no longer useable). We are to read God’s Word. We are to store God’s Word in our hearts so that it will deter the sin that we face every day. We are also to put God’s Word into action in our lives every day. God’s Word is a vital guide to everything that we do. Psalm 85:1-7
What is revival? Revival is a restitution or a restoration to spiritual vigor. Revival is a reawakening of spiritual fervor. It is to revitalize the spiritual ardor of oneself, of a group of believers so as to reestablish the ability to win new members to Christ. As Spurgeon said, “Revival is to live again, to receive again a life which has almost expired, to rekindle into a flame the vital spark which was nearly extinguished” (https://archive.spurgeon.org/s_and_t/wir1866.php). What a thought to know that someone who is spiritually alive needs reviving! The flame of life within their soul is dimming, like a candle, whose wax is slowly wanning. There are some Christians who are like this, they are barely alive. They have fallen, down into the mirey pits of sin, like falling into quicksand, slowly descending further into its depths. They have grown cold and indifferent. They have become like the world. Did you know that you can only revive something that once was alive? If it has never been alive, it cannot be revived, it only be brought to life. So, what is it with this passage of Scripture that we are looking at? It is speaking to those who have become lukewarm Christians. They are no longer on fire for the Lord. They have become casual Christians, only showing a spiritual side when it benefits their worldly desires. Verses one through three points toward the mercy of God “Thou Hast.” Verses four through five tells us to remember, “Turn Us” of “Our Salvation.” Verses six is about restoration, “Revive Us Again.” Church Hymnal, page 370, Revive us again. Psalm 85:6; 1 Chronicles 29:11. We praise the Thee, O God! For the Son of Thy love, For Jesus Who died, And is now gone above. Hallelujah! Thine the glory. Hallelujah! Amen. Hallelujah! Thine the glory. Revive us again. The psalmist was requesting that God resuscitate his people or bring them back to life. God is equipped and is very capable in restoring the two, the churches and the people. He can shower us with his affections, taking and bringing us back to where we should be, adoring and worshiping him. If we need restoration, if we need renewal, if we need revival in our congregation, in our family, or even in our individual spiritual life, we ought to seek out and request that God give us a new equipping of his love, grace, and mercy. How do we do this? This occurs through the continual usage of CPR – Christ Providing Rejuvenation, and by obtaining a regularly scheduled spiritual exam – which is much like a physical. Church Hymnal, page 141, Search me. Psalm 139:23-24. Search me, O God, and know my heart today. Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be some wicked way in me. Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free. We are to examine ourselves:
While a genuine restoration or revival has a place only with God's children, it carries with it a gift for the other sheep who are not yet in the fold. If you drop a stone into a lake the ring extends consistently, until the farthest corner of the lake feels the impact. When we allow the Lord to restore a believer, very soon his family, his companions, and his neighbors get a portion of that benefit; for when a Christian is resuscitated and revived, he prays more intensely for sinners. Yearning and a cherishing petition for sinners, is one of the signs of a recovery in the reestablished heart. Since salvation is requested for sinners, the gift comes from him who hears the supplications (prayers); and hence the kingdom increases by a revival. Before long, the revived Christian talks about Jesus and the Gospel; a great seed is planted, and the good seed is never lost, for he has said, “So shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). The good seed is that which is planted in the soil, and in the hearts. God readies the soil, with the goal that the seed rises for harvest. Subsequently by the witness of the believers, another entryway of mercy opens up to men. For a congregation to be continually requiring restoration and revival, it is the sign of many sins, for assuming that it was sound before the Lord it would stay in the condition into which a recovery would inspire its individuals. A church congregation should be a camp of fighters, not a clinic of invalids. In any case, there is incredibly much contrast between what should be and what is, and therefore a considerable number of the children of God are in such a tragic state of existence that the exceptionally fittest petition is for them to be revived. Whenever Christians are resuscitated, they live more reliably. They make their homes all the more blessed and more joyful, and this drives those that do not know Christ to enquire after their joyfulness. Heathens by God's elegance long to resemble such bright blissful holy people. Their mouths water to dine with them upon their secret sustenance. Furthermore, there is another gift, for it drives men to look for the Savior. Assuming that a wicked man ventures into a church service where every one of the holy people are resuscitated, he does not fall asleep under the message. The preacher will not allow him to do that, for this sinner sees that the man in the pulpit feels what he is preaching about and needs to be heard. This is an unmistakable increase, for the man tunes in with profound inclination. Moreover, the Holy Spirit's power, which the preacher has received in reply to prayer happens upon the listener's heart and he is persuaded of his wrongdoing, of God’s righteousness, and of the judgment to come. Christians who are on the watch around this non-believer rush to tell him of the Savior and his redeeming blood, so that although the revival is for the people of God, its consequence no man can restrict. Brothers and Sisters, let us look for a revival now and throughout the year so that the new year might open with plentiful beatitude. We should promise ourselves to create a supplication association (prayer group), a consecrated band of prayer warriors, and may God do unto us as per our faith. Revival is the product of ALL Christian’s praying and seeking the Holy Spirit’s presence. The product of a revival is the rejoicing for the one that was slipping away and now that has been brought back to life. Psalm 40:1-4
Have you actually taken the time to notice how many fast-paced things are in our society now? You can stroll through any grocery store or convenient store and see all the ‘instant’ items that are for sell. There is instant coffee, instant tea, soup, grits, oatmeal, potatoes, milk, instant internet access, fast-food restaurants, frozen meals; the list is endless, and it appears as if it is continually growing. We get so impatient at a traffic light, being behind someone driving too slowly, or waiting in the checkout line at a store. Just look at people’s facial expressions. We want things done now, quicker, faster; we do not want to have to wait for anything. That is what is classified as being impatient. We have let being impatient rule in every aspect of our lives. Have you ever noticed that God does not always move instantly? What? Why not? How do we fix this? We do not have the option nor the capability to fix it. We must wait upon the Lord. When Adam walked with God in the garden, did he perform a fast-paced walk? Did Adam go for a jog? Did he get ahead of God? I think not and neither should we. We should not try to get ahead of the Lord, but we are not to sit and do nothing. While we are waiting for God to move or to act, we are to serve, we are to pray, we are to minister unto others. Our Scripture today tells us that David called unto God, he waited, and God answered. Trusting that God will help us is not simple, however David received four blessings from his waiting: God lifted him out of the gloom, God set his feet on firm ground, God set up his goings (kept him steady as he walked), and God gave him another song. There are times when gifts and blessings cannot be obtained except if we go through the preliminary trial of waiting. Christians are admonished in the New Testament to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Jesus revealed to the disciples a story showing how they ought to consistently pray and not lose heart. This anecdote included a widow who kept going to a judge to request restitution against her foe. The judge was neither genuine nor mindful, however he became burnt out on the widow's constant requesting for justice, so he conceded to her solicitation.
The Bible does not record any strict occasions in David’s day to day existence, for example, being caught in a pit. This is just poetry depicting how profoundly frantic was David’s predicament. David’s warlike life was brimming with brushes with death, some of which was miserable to such an extent that they resembled being in a rubbish pit or a foul bog. We can almost envision being deserted in a huge opening in the ground that was loading up with water, mud, and ooze. In such a dilemma it is difficult to obtain traction, however the Lord came to down to David, addressed his weep for help, and pulled him to security. David says the Lord set his feet on a stone and made his means secure. The symbolism demonstrates that the Lord protected David from his foes and gave security to him.
Do we ever feel like we are in deep despair? David was so euphoric and appreciative about God’s redemption of him from his adversaries that he lifted his voice in a melody of praise to the Lord. He imparted this recognition to his comrades with the goal that they would love the Lord and have faith and trust in Him. This veneration or reverence is the importance of the expression fear in sections like this. He was being a witness by telling them what God had done for him. When God rescues sinners from sin, He pulls them out of a miry pit (Psalm 40:2). The people who cry to the Lord for salvation and accept Jesus as their Savior are safeguarded. God gives them a new life (Ephesians 2:4-10; 1 John 3:14). Second Corinthians 5:17 proclaims that any individual who is in Christ is a new creation. The Lord not only saves them from the pit of wrongdoing yet additionally sets up their walk and provides them guidance through life. Saul of Tarsus discovered absolution and a new life in Christ (Acts 9). He affirmed in 1 Timothy 1:15-16 that Christ Jesus came down to earth to save sinners, of whom he said he was the premier. He obtained mercy for Christ to use him as an example of patience to other believers.
Scripture pronounces that happiness is when we trust and obey with God’s Word (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 37:5-9). Tribulations and trials will come, even to those who honor God (John 16:33), however those who love the Lord are ensured triumph (Romans 8:28-30). David had learned in the wild to depend on the Lord for security, and he was not disillusioned. His confidence, faith, and trust in God brought him extraordinary joy. The individual who places his or her confidence and faith in the Lord does not accept advice from worldly pompous individuals. Nor does that person emulate the individuals who follow foolishness, false thoughts, or lies (1 Corinthians 2:12; Romans 12:1-2; Proverbs 5:22-23).
Often, we function as if we can manage everything, but then we finally realize that we cannot. Then THAT is when we call upon God. Waiting periods are necessary and it may be difficult. But the answer and the blessing will come in His time.
Waiting on God is our call to act. Doing the will of the Lord means that sometimes we are to be standing by quietly. And while we pause, we are to worship and love the Lord. We are to serve others as we tell the world about God. |
AuthorGod called me into the ministry over 20 years ago and I have had the blessed opportunity to preach for a church radio broadcast, served as a Sunday School teacher, served as a youth director along with my wife, as a music director, as an Associate Pastor, and as an Interim Pastor. ArchivesCategories
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