This week, Michael writes that King Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun. But, there is a spiritual battle raging all around us. The devil is up to his old tricks. His purpose is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He is after the church, the body of Christ. For the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation: But be of good cheer; for I have overcome the world.”
Despite the devil’s attacks, God encourages us in Psalm 46:1-7 to take refuge in Him: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. Though there are trials, tribulation, and pressure in the world around us, we find comfort in the refuge and strength of our Lord. He is our helper in time of trouble. Despite the fear and turmoil and even though that which can be shaken will be shaken, The Lord is our firm foundation. Through the challenges of this life, God is still Sovereign overall.
It’s a good thing to rest in the hollow of His holy hand. When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion, He found rest in the will of His Heavenly Father. We need to prepare our hearts before the Lord. If God is Sovereign overall, all powerful, and all knowing, then our priority is to surrender to His will ... Not my will but thine be done. The devil uses an idle mind to plant seeds of doubt, worry and fear. However, according to Philippians 4, we are to take hold of the reins of our own minds to set our affections on things above, not on the things of this world.
The devil distracts our attention to the things of this world. Lust means "concupiscence; carnal appetite; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure. Evil propensity; depraved affections and desires”. Lust is anything that we desire over our desire to love God above all, therefore sinful. 1 John 2:16 says, “For all that is in the world... the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the (boastful) pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.” To turn away from the distractions of this world, Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
When Christians focus on our own fallen nature of sin, guilt, and unrighteousness of the past that Christ paid for on the Cross, when we repented and believed, the devil will steal our joy. To combat the devil’s accusations that we are sinners and worthy of death, Philippians says, “rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice.” Our joy and rejoicing is not in ourselves or in the blessings and pleasures of this world. Our joy is in the Lord. The devil will trick us into making deposits into a resentment bank. When we succumb to the devil’s mindset that says, “you’ve been wronged ... you deserve better. Don’t get mad, just get even,” these malicious thoughts accumulate deposits into a resentment bank that will destroy our joy in the Lord. According to Romans 6:16, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” If we succumb to the lies of the devil, we will be slaves to sin ... to missing the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The God of Jacob is our strong hold. He is our fortress, our strong tower, our defense in the midst of the spiritual battle. Martin Luther wrote of this truth in the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God: Did we in our own strength confide, our battle will be losing, were not the Right Man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is he,
Lord Jesus Christ His name. From age to age the same. And He must win the battle."
Psalm 46:10 continues: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” To be still is to become silent, to rest in the shelter of His protection. In whom do we find our rest? According to Oswald Chambers, the hardest thing to do is to wait on the Lord. It’s much easier to busy ourselves with activities in a futile attempt to fend off the enemy’s onslaught. However, God’s exhortation is to “Be still and know that I am God.” Jesus said, “come unto me ye who are weak and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Even though the mountains quake and slip into the heart of the sea, God is our refuge and strength.
We pray for God to bless our nation. However, the ultimate purpose is not that our nation will be blessed but that God himself will be exalted among the nations of the earth. For individual believers and for nations, the greatest blessing is not to seek the blessings but to bless the Blessor. As God promised Israel at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple in 2 Chronicles 7:14, there are four conditions for God’s people to accept God’s deliverance: The first is humility. The second is prayer. The third is to seek His face. The fourth is to turn from their wicked ways. When God’s people collectively are faithful to do these four things, then God will bless them in three ways: They will hear from heaven ... from God himself. God will forgive their sins. The Lord God will heal their land. According to this verse, “if my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
God’s people accept the promise of God by obedience, by being doers of the word and not hearers only. God blessing the land is God’s promise. He is faithful to his word. Acceptance of God’s offer is by obedience to His word. God will Conquer all: You O Lord are Sovereign overall. You are infinitely wise, cannot do wrong and always make the right decision. An excerpt from the Puritan prayer book, The Valley of Vision says about God the All: “I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal, and it delights me to leave them there. Then prayer turns wholly into praise, and all I can do is to adore and bless thee” that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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