He is Our Boast and He is Our Praise…

1 We have heard with our ears, O God,

Our fathers have told us,

The deeds You did in their days,

In days of old:

2 You drove out the nations with Your hand,

But them You planted;

You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.

3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,

Nor did their own arm save them;

But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,

Because You favored them.

4 You are my King, O God;

Command victories for Jacob.

5 Through You we will push down our enemies;

Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.

6 For I will not trust in my bow,

Nor shall my sword save me.

7 But You have saved us from our enemies,

And have put to shame those who hated us.

8 In God we boast all day long,

And praise Your name forever.

Selah

9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame,

And You do not go out with our armies.

10 You make us turn back from the enemy,

And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.

11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food,

And have scattered us among the nations.

12 You sell Your people for next to nothing,

And are not enriched by selling them.

13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors,

A scorn and a derision to those all around us.

14 You make us a byword among the nations,

A shaking of the head among the peoples.

15 My dishonor is continually before me,

And the shame of my face has covered me,

16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,

Because of the enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us;

But we have not forgotten You,

Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.

18 Our heart has not turned back,

Nor have our steps departed from Your way;

19 But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals,

And covered us with the shadow of death.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,

Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,

21 Would not God search this out?

For He knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?

Arise! Do not cast us off forever.

24 Why do You hide Your face,

And forget our affliction and our oppression?

25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;

Our body clings to the ground.

26 Arise for our help,

And redeem us for Your mercies' sake.—Psalm 44:1-26

Israel in Psalm 44 seems to be in the midst of calamity and defeat. David looks back in verses 1-3 and remembers what God had done for them in the time of Joshua...how God had fought for them and driven out the pagan nations from the Promised Land.  When I do as David does here, my heart is encouraged and my spirit revives.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me

To eat up my flesh,

My enemies and foes,

They stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against me,

My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me,

In this I will be confident.—Psalm 27:1-3

In Verse 3, David remembers the why of their victory. It was God who gave the land to the children of Israel. It was NOT their own arm that saved them.  It was His right hand...His arm that did it, because He favored them. Jesus did the same for each of us at the cross over 2000 years ago. 

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly... But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.—Romans 5:6;8

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.—Ephesians 2:4-9

I love the next few verses.  

4 You are my King, O God;

Command victories for Jacob.

5 Through You we will push down our enemies;

Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.

6 For I will not trust in my bow,

Nor shall my sword save me.

7 But You have saved us from our enemies,

And have put to shame those who hated us.

8 In God we boast all day long,

And praise Your name forever.

Selah—Psalm 44:4-8

Beloved...only God is trustworthy. Through Him, we will do valiantly. He is our boast, and He is our praise!  He will never let us down.  

Last night, I couldn’t sleep because of discomfort and pain.  Anxiety, taking advantage of my weakness and lack of sleep, crept in and did its best to gain a foothold by highlighting the many things in life that are beyond my control. 

Scripture that I had memorized became my refuge — specifically Isaiah 26:3-4.  Focusing on this passage reminded my heart of the time when God was not my refuge.  When, in my youth and arrogance, I thought I was the captain of my ship and the master of my faith...a time when anxiety didn’t assail me.  

Here is the thing.  Back then I DID have reason to fear.  Whether I acknowledged it or not, I was not in control. The end could have come at any moment, and His everlasting arms would not have been underneath to catch me. Today, no matter what happens, the eternal God is my refuge, and underneath me are His everlasting arms.  That truth brought His peace to my heart. My pain lessened, and I slept.

In verses 22-26 David cries out to God to His people for His mercies sake. As His children, we can do the same.  His banner over us is love.  Once we are His, we are His forever.  His left hand is under our head, and His right hand embraces us.  There is nothing that can separate us from His love. 

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:37-39

FEAR TO FEAR

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:8) 

Whenever fear comes in and makes us falter, we are in danger of falling into sin. Conceit is to be dreaded, but so is cowardice. "Dare to be a Daniel." Our great Captain should be served by brave soldiers. 

What a reason for bravery is here! God is with those who are with Him. God will never be away when the hour of struggle comes. Do they threaten you? Who are you that you should be afraid of a man that shall die? Will you lose your situation? Your God whom you serve will find bread and water for His servants. Can you not trust Him? Do they pour ridicule upon you? Will this break your bones or your heart? Bear it for Christ's sake, and even rejoice because of it. 

God is with the true, the just, the holy, to deliver them; and He will deliver you. Remember how Daniel came out of the lions' den and the three holy children out of the furnace. Yours is not so desperate a case as theirs; but if it were, the Lord would bear you through and make you more than a conqueror. Fear to fear. Be afraid to be afraid. Your worst enemy is within your own bosom. Get to your knees and cry for help, and then rise up saying, "I will trust, and not be afraid."—Spurgeon

Shout to God with the Voice of Triumph!

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!

Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

For the LORD Most High is awesome;

He is a great King over all the earth.—Psalm 47:1-2

God is the great King over all the earth. Some day He will assume His rightful throne and all the nations will come and pay homage to Him. 

Beloved…as believers we can shout to God in praise and triumph even now. He is the Lord of our hearts.  God is the great I AM, and He is our Savior.  We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. In Christ we have a place of refuge to which we can continually resort. He is our sanctuary of protection, of mercy, of grace, of comfort, of love, of holiness, of deliverance and of communion. Nothing happens to us in this life without it passing through His sovereign hand first. 

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth,

Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God—Psalm 90

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.—Psalm 33

So…

When the enemy besieges our soul, 

When fear and anxiety threaten on every side, 

When hope seems to be crushed, 

When the “walls” of this life seem impregnable and insurmountable 

We CAN rejoice and clap our hands in thanksgiving and expectation because in the midst of trial and trouble He is our Sovereign who cares, sees and is right there with us. When trouble comes, we don’t have to run away and hide. We can instead remember that He is our King. He has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the Son of His love. We are His precious children. He has seen us through before and will see us through again. We don’t need to worry.  We can worship instead.  

Beloved…when the battles come, lift up Your hands and shout for joy in triumphant praise, and watch the the walls of fear and faithlessness fall down flat. God has done (and will do) great things for us and we are glad.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57

"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Deuteronomy 20:1-4

"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: 'Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.'"

Ephesians 6:10-12

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Colossians 1:16

"For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him."

Romans 8: 38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Colossians 2:15

"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

1 Peter 5:8-9

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

2 Thessalonians 3:3

"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."

Psalm 20:7-8

"Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright."

1 John 4:2-4

"This is how you can recognise 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."

Finding Yourself in a Place You Thought You’d Never Be…

David had backslidden and found himself in a place where he thought he would never be.  He was among the ungodly Philistines and preparing for war against God's people. By God's grace he was rejected by the Philistines.  He goes back to his city and finds that the Amalekites had attacked and burned it with fire.  They had also taken their wives, sons and daughters captive.  1 Samuel 27 tells us that David had done much worse to those cities he had attacked....in comparison to David, the  Amalekites were merciful.

David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, "Lest they should inform on us, saying, 'Thus David did.' " And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.—1 Samuel 27:11

David was distressed and the people thought of stoning him because their souls were so very grieved at their loss.  David has reached his lowest point but what an example he is for us!  What do we read that David does?  He turns to God for strength...

"But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."

AND GOD IN HIS MERCY AND GRACE GIVES DAVID THE GUIDANCE HE NEEDED!  God in his mercy allowed David to hit rock bottom.  He knew what it would take for David to turn back to Him...God does the same for us.  He removes those things we are trusting in instead of Him until we have no other place to turn.   I am very thankful for the trials my God has brought me because in them and through them the Lord has turned my heart towards Him.  My trials have made me look up.  O Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.  Trust in him at all times you people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Ending with Psalm 118:

I called on the LORD in distress;

The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.

The LORD is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in princes.—Psalm 118: 5-6;8-9

Two more….

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall, 

But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:29-31

but He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. 10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength]—2 Corinthians 12:9-10 AMPLIFIED VERSION

Becoming More Like Jesus…

 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.—Romans 10:1

I have been thinking on this verse now for several days.  At first I was convicted because reading the cross reference verses made me realize just how far short I fall in loving and sympathizing with those around me.  

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.—Romans 9:1-5

If it were possible, Paul would rather go to hell and suffer eternally if by that His Jewish brethren could be saved. Pretty convicting…. Moses had a similar heart:

Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."—Exodus 32:31-32

As I continued thinking, however, my heart was also encouraged because it became clear to me that Paul’s desire and prayer for Israel did not come from Paul…they came from the Lord.  God’s desires became Paul’s desires simply because Paul delighted in His God with a single-minded devotion. For Paul..to live was Christ and to die was gain.  He trusted God to use all that happened to him…the good, the bad and the ugly…to further God’s sovereign plans. 

As Paul prayed for the nation who rejected him, misunderstood him, persecuted him and hated him, the Spirit of God produced and shed abroad His supernatural love in Paul’s heart enabling him to love Israel with God’s perfect love.  The true spirit of Christianity is that of love and sympathy. It leads to prayer even for persecutors and to hope for even the most hard hearted and hard to love people in our own lives.  Paul’s words also made me remember these words from Jesus. 

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

Here is where this verse became not just convicting but also eminently practical for me. As I obey the Spirit of God and pray for the people around me, God works a miracle in my heart. He takes my unlovely, critical, cynical and bitter thoughts toward both my enemies and my friends and in return gives me His love, compassion and right desires for them. He releases me from the prison of making another’s attitude (good or bad) about me. I don’t have to argue with them or analyze them. I can simply bless them by praying for them and in the process my own heart changes. Like Jesus, I begin to care about them. By His Spirit, my heart fills with love, unites with theirs and begins to love them by desiring God’s best for them.  

Beloved, Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. And yet, He prays for us continually. Be like Jesus. 

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.—Hebrews 4:14-16

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.—Hebrews 7:25

So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"

And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."—Luke 10:27-28

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,—Matthew 5:44

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.—John 6:38

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him—Colossians 3:12-17

Spurgeon on Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.—Psalm 37:5

Commit thy way unto the Lord. Roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord. Leave with Jehovah not thy present fretfulness merely, but all thy cares; in fact, submit the whole tenor of thy way to him. Cast away anxiety, resign thy will, submit thy judgment, leave all with the God of all. What a medicine is this for expelling envy! What a high attainment does this fourth precept indicate! How blessed must he be who lives every day in obedience to it! Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Our destiny shall be joyfully accomplished if we confidently entrust all to our Lord. We may serenely sing— 

"Thy way, not mine, O Lord, 

However dark it be; 

O lead me by thine own right hand, 

Choose out the path for me." 

"Smooth let it be or rough, 

It will be still the best; 

Winding or straight, 

it matters not, It leads me to thy rest." 

"I dare not choose my lot, 

I would not if I might; 

But choose Thou for me, O my God, 

So shall I walk aright." 

"Take thou my cup, and it With joy or sorrow fill; 

As ever best to thee may seem, 

Choose thou my good and ill." 

The ploughman sows and harrows, and then leaves the harvest to God. What can he do else? He cannot cover the heavens with clouds, or command the rain, or bring forth the sun or create the dew. He does well to leave the whole matter with God; and so to all of us it is truest wisdom, having obediently trusted in God, to leave results in his hands, and expect a blessed issue. 

Spurgeon on Truth…

 The lip of truth shall be established for ever but a lying tongue is but for a moment.—Proverbs 12:19

Truth wears well.  Time tests it, but it right well endures the trial.  If, then, I have spoken the truth, and have for the present to suffer for it, I must be content to wait.  If also I believe the truth of God, and endeavor to declare it, I may meet with much opposition, but I need not fear, for ultimately the truth must prevail.

What a poor thing is the temporary triumph of falsehood!  A lying tongue is but for a moment!  It is a mere gourd, which comes up in a night and perishes in a night and the greater its development the more manifest its decay.  On the other hand, how worthy of an immortal being is the avowal and defense of that truth which can never change; the everlasting gospel, which is established in the immutable truth of an unchanging God!  An old proverb saith, He that speaks truth shames the devil.  Assuredly he that speaks the truth of God will put to shame all the devils in hell, and confound all the seed of the serpent which now hiss out their falsehoods.

O my heart, take care that thou be in all things on the side of truth, both in small things and great; but specially, on the side of him by who grace and truth have come among men!