Tuesday, February 10, 2009
He surrounds us with His love and protection
Psalm 125 reminds us that those who trust in God are unshakable in their trust of Him. That trust remains secure forever. Just as mountains surround Jerusalem, so also does the Lord surround His people protecting them. He has done it in the past, does it now, and will do it in the future. Great is His faithfulness to me and all of God's children!!! It is requested that the wicked not rule over God's people so they will not be corrupted by the wickedness but that God would be good to those who are good and honest. It is requested that God banish them from Israel so that there will be peace in Israel. It was interesting to me that the Hebrew word for trust is "batach" which is defined as being "confident, secure, sure". When I explored what these terms meant to me it brought such sweet assurance. I have been battling at times with insecurity. This is just another avenue for God to remind me that my only assurance, trust, security is in Him, and Him alone!!! It is so much easier for us as humans to trust in what we are able to see than that which is not. But I can "see" what God has done in the past and WILL "see" Him in the future. If not careful we can place our security in only what we "see" and not in He alone. He asks that we follow Him by faith only. We need to be able to state confidently that we know God Himself is with us/for us even when we do not "see" Him. I ask that God will show me when I place my trust in anything other than Him! This passage states that He surrounds us, protecting us from all enemies. I think of the night fires that were made as the soldiers stood watch for the enemy surrounding those they were charged to protect. What a mighty picture of our God!! This reminds that that nothing can come against us that doesn't go through Him first and I don't think there is anything powerful enough to go through Him if He doesn't allow it to do so. What a mighty God we serve-Amen? One interesting comment made by Beth was that God is both the watchman and the wall--again all sufficient! It is so comforting to know that irregardless of our troubles, circumstances, sorrows that God is there, surrounding us with His protection as He lifts us ever so gently up! We were also reminded in our study about giving up our concerns to the Father -- even our closest family members. Remember God's love is even bigger than ours for them!! We can trust Him to care for them and we need to make the decision to do just that. This has been especially close to me in the past year and I will admit I have had to give them more than once -- tried to take them back -- but they were His first -- only on loan to me. I pray that I will trust God more and more each day and rest in the peace that only He provides!! I pray that for you as well!
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When I read the 1st verse: Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever. Several things came to mind, first of which was the word trust. Trust can be a noun or a verb. You can possess trust in the way the dictionary defines it as "something committed into the care of another." If we have placed our trust in the Lord, we are committing it into HIS care. Another definition said it was "a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. So we have firm reliance on the integrity, ability and character of the Lord. Trust is also a verb, action word, to trust is to actively do something. I also would like to add that it is an ongoing action not just a one-time deal. We must trust actively by expecting, believing, relying on, depending on, and with complete confidence hoping in our Lord. I can think of nothing else that I could actively trust in or give my trust to except the Lord. We are going to waver that is why there are so many verses in the bible that speak to us about trusting in the Lord. The world around us cannot be trusted and that puts fear in us but we can always trust in the Lord.
ReplyDeleteThe second thought that I had about this was how it said we are like Mount Zion, unmovable and lasting. Mount Zion is like a fortress, it is also linked with God's Kingdom. This is an eternal place. We are like Mount Zion - God's Kingdom - unshakeable and for eternity. This was a beautiful picture in my mind to cling to as I continue to wrestle with trusting. I want to completely trust in the Lord so that others will see that I am like Mount Zion, unmovable, unshakeable, and eternally belonging to the kingdom of God. Not trusting in what we see here but in the Lord Who promises to surround us with Himself and His love. We are on an eternal journey and must keep our perspective that this life is just temporary and whatever comes our way has passed through God's hands for an eternal purpose. That is something we can trust in!
Through James' death and thereafter, that trust in the Lord and His promise of a life that is good, prosperous, profitable, hopeful, and wonderful was what I wanted others to glean from my actions. I wanted them to see God's goodness and mercy, the hope that only He can give, through the difficulty and hurt of the situation I found myself in so totally unexpected and shocking. It was the truth because I could not have gotten through it without that promise in Jeremiah 29:11. I had to totally trust Him or I had NOTHING!!! The thing is that I have to continue to trust that or I have NOTHING!! Like you said, this trust is an action verb as well as a noun!
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