Be Thou My Strong Habitation…

 

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.--Psalm 71:3

I am redeemed!  You, my God, have set me free!  You are the house of my habitation..in You I live, move and have my being.  You, O Lord, are my house of defense, my strong tower...my rock.  To You and to You alone will I continually resort.  You have given commandment to save me!  Bend down your ear and deliver me speedily from those who are my enemies...from those who desire to see me fall.  For thy namesake lead me and guide me.  Pull me out of the net they have secretly laid for me.  You are my strength and into Your hands I commit my spirit.   I rejoice in Your mercy.....You have considered my trouble and have known my soul in all its adversities.  You have not given me into the hands of my enemies but have set my feet in a wide place.  You are always with me. 

Have mercy on me Lord, for I am in trouble.  Have mercy on me Lord for I am weak.  My soul is consumed with grief and my eyes from crying.  My times are in Your hands.  You hear me when I cry and draw me out of many waters.  My weakness does not place me in jeopardy because You are my strong tower!   Hide me in the secret place of Your tabernacle, show to me Your marvelous kindness.  Make Your face to shine upon me, and save me for thy mercies sake. My hope is in You, my God who preserves the faithful and strengthens the hearts of those who fear You. 

I dwell under the shadow of the Almighty God!  You are my refuge and my fortress...my God in whom I will trust..  You give your angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways and make all things work together for good for me...I am called for Your purposes.   You, Father, know my name and have set Your love upon me.!!   I can come boldly to Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  When I call, You will answer.  You will honor me and deliver me and show me Your salvation.  I will be strong and of good courage...I will fear not; nor shall I be afraid:  for the Lord, my God goes with me and will not fail me nor forsake me. Happy am I because my God is the Lord.

The Sweetness in Knowing Him…

 

A Psalm of David When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah.  

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.  But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.—Psalm 63

Oh God, You are my God.  David always personalizes his relationship with his God!  I, following his example, do the same.  He is my God.  How sweet these words are to me when I say them.  I belong to Him...He belongs to me.  All His promises are mine.  All His love and care are mine.  I have the richest of what heaven and earth have to offer even now!  I have HIM!!  He has redeemed me and called me by name.   Hour by hour He supplies my needs.  He guides and upholds my every step.  When I rest on Him, He does not fail.  When I trust in Him, my trust is not in vain.  He delivers me out of all my troubles...He does not leave me in deep waters, nor do the flames that surround, burn me.  He is always with me. No one, not even me, can snatch me out of His hands.  Nothing..NOTHING... can separate me from Him.  He is my treasure.  In Him I live and move and have my being.  He is my all sufficient God.  Sufficient for my every need.  He keeps me as a King keeps His jewels...My God, will never for a moment forget me.

David sought God early and always.  His thirst, like a physical thirst, would be heard.  He was in a weary land and had a weary heart...His desire was to be in the presence of His God.  He looked for Him in the sanctuary.  He looked for Him everywhere and would not be distracted.  He followed hard after Him, knowing  His lovingkindness was better than life itself.  David followed at His God's heels...he did not let him out of his sight.  The withdrawal of the light of His countenance was as the shadow of death to David.  He knew that without the hand of His God upholding him, he would soon fall. He knew that everything he needed was in Him!  

I want to long after God as David did.  I want to follow hard after Him...to look for Him everywhere and to have eyes to see His hand in everything!  Life here on earth is temporary...our God and His mercy are from everlasting to everlasting.  I want my soul to be satisfied feasting, as David did, on the marrow and fatness of God.  I want His shade to be my sweet, sweet resting place.  As I meditate on Him in the night, I pray that He brings to mind all the times He has delivered and that in my weakness I will remember that in Him who is sufficient, I have everything I need. 

Sadly, however, David knew that because he did follow closely after God that there would be people who would want to destroy God's work of grace in His life.  As David sought His God, they earnestly sought his ruin.   David was a man with many enemies.  But he knew that his enemies would fade and he would flourish.  He knew that they would fall and be victims of their own wicked schemes.  The pit dug for David, they themselves would fall into.  The hell they prepared for David would swallow them up.   He knew they were destined for destruction so he would continue then to rejoice in His God.

Beloved…it is so important to remember that we do not war against flesh and blood, but against prinicipalites and powers.  When you follow hard after God, there will be some that will follow just as hard after you in an attempt to destroy your witness for Him...to ruin His work of grace in your life.  THEY WILL NOT SUCCEED.  The Lord looks at them and laughs...He holds them in derision.  He sees there end.  Know that God has His banner of love over you.  His mercy to you will not fail.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noon day!  I love what Spurgeon notes here:  The mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped but the mouth that speaks praises to God will sing forever!

Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.—Psalm 37:4-9