My Refuge and My Shield

Psalm 119:114 (NIV)

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your Word.

In our Verse of the Day, the truth that God is our refuge and our strength is declared in His Word! Yes, we hope in His Word because that is how we KNOW through faith that He is with us … He surrounds us … He protects us! I want us to look at this section of Psalm 119 for the immediate context:

Psalm 119:113-120 (NIV)

ס Samekh

¹¹³ I hate double-minded people, but I love your law.
¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
¹¹⁵Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
¹¹⁶ Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.
¹¹⁷Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.
¹¹⁸You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their delusions come to nothing.
¹¹⁹All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes.
¹²⁰My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.

In a world where we feel surrounded by chaos and confusion and conflict and coercion and cancel, there is a place of refuge and strength for believers. His name is Jesus! I did not say there is a place of hiding because we are not called to hide from the world; rather, we are to be His light in the world. We are to be that city on a hill where it cannot be hidden. (Cf. Matthew 5:14-16) We need to remember the intercessory prayer of Jesus when He prayed for all believers:

John 17:13-21 (NIV)

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Jesus wants us IN the world, but He prayed for God to protect us … to be our refuge from the evil one. So, we do not ignore what is happening in the world or stick our heads in the proverbial sand. Believers have been called … we are sent into the world to testify to the truth! That truth is God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (Cf. John 3:16-19) Yes, we are to engage the world with the light of the Gospel … with the truth of the Word.

Thus, we need to know the Word of God. We need to know the Truth. And through the Holy Spirit who comes to indwell us, we receive wisdom and discernment. The Apostle John has elaborated this for us:

1 John 4:1-6 (NIV)

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Lord Jesus, you are our refuge and strength because You have given us your Spirit … the Spirit of Truth who indwells us and fills us with Your abiding presence and love. Only in You is the wisdom and knowledge of God made known to us. Only in You is the great love of the Father fully expressed and experienced in our hearts. You are the true light that gives light to everyone. Oh, that the light you have given to us might be received in every heart. You are the Living Word in which we hope and find shelter. You are the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through you. (Cf. John 14:6) And so, I pray that we your children would be your image in this world just as you are the image of the Father. You have sent us into the world just as the Father sent You into the world. Yes, I pray that through our lives and testimonies of redemption, more people will see your kindness and repent. I pray that your great love, which is rich in mercy, will bring life to those who are dead in transgressions. Oh, that your grace, Lord Jesus, would abound as your people proclaim the light and hope, the joy and peace, the truth and love of the Gospel … so that no one would perish but come to a knowledge of the truth and receive eternal life in you. This is my prayer, Lord, and I ask in Your Name. Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. ~ Psalm 18:30-32

Verse of the Day – 02/04/19

Psalm 18:1-2

[ Psalm 18 ] [ For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:] I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Another Psalm of praise for us to reflect upon … perhaps even sing within our spirits. Beautiful words of affirmation that God is indeed the refuge for our souls. He is trustworthy! He is a sanctuary to all those who love Him. I sense someone reading this blog needs this verse for confirmation! Someone needs to feel assurance that God is for them! My friend, if you ever doubt that God is for you … just read this Psalm of salvation and know that your enemies are defeated! Call upon God in your distress. Ask for help. He will hear from His holy temple. He knows your voice. He knows your name. He will deliver you. Trust in Him! His love is faithful. It is unfailing. It is everlasting. He is worthy of all praise!

So Now You Know….

Have a Blessed Day!

Verse of the Day – 02/03/19

Psalm 59:16 (NIV)

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

This is a beautiful excerpt from Psalm 59. David wrote this Psalm when King Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. If you read the entire Psalm, you will see the context is a plea for deliverance from his enemies. It is a petition for God to deal with his enemies and to bring consequences for their evil intent. But at the end of his prayer, David sings praise and thanksgiving to God for His power, love, and protection. Look at Verses 16-17:

¹⁶But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁷You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.

Though I find little eloquence in this Psalm (much of the tone is harsh to me), I do find a zealous message of reliance upon God … a sense of dependence upon God … and a profession of faith and trust in His vindication. My observation is that David sees God in control of the situations he faces, and he trusts God to protect him. David praises God because He is reliable and faithful to meet his needs. So while the passage does not have great theological weight, it does convey two important aspects of how to exercise our faith: Prayer and Praise!

So when you come under duress or under attack … when you face physical, emotional, or spiritual battles … find a quiet place to get still before God and ask Him to deliver you. Share with God your concerns … your feelings … your hurts … your needs. Then humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care (anxieties) upon Him, for He cares for you. (Cf. 1 Peter 5:6-7) And then remember to praise Him. Praise Him because He is your fortress … your place of refuge. Praise Him because He is your strength. You can rely upon Him to bring you through the situation you face! For Jesus Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So you can boldly say: “The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Cf. Hebrews 13:5-6) Oh my friend, you CAN trust Him! God has your back … and He loves you far beyond all you can imagine or conceive….

I am thankful that David was transparent and shared his own personal experiences for us. His writings enable us to draw upon the inspiration God imparted to him. I hope each of us will endeavor to seek God with the same boldness that David did. You might just be surprised at what honest prayer and joyful praise might do for your life…. Maybe we just need to realize it could be a great time to reset our mindset! I pray we will … and that we will submit to what God has desired to do in us and for us all since the foundation of the earth … enjoy oneness with Him.