Tag Archives: Trust

Singing with the King (61) – True & Trust

Leave a reply

For the Word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything He does. (Psalm 33:4)

bible lampThere are two words in this verse which are either lost, or come at a premium, depending on your worldview. They are true and trust. And trust cannot exist without truth. So let’s tackle true first.

The Hebrew word for true is most often translated as right and upright. Now, it only makes sense the Word of God is true (right and upright) because God is true.

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth. (Psalm 25:5)

But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. (Psalm 86:15)

This is not, however, an unknowable attribute. Why? First because He has given us His Word, and it can be learned:

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25:5)

And it causes us to worship:

I will also praise You with a harp, even Your truth, O my God; to You I will sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. (Psalm 71:22)

Sun on PlainsWhat does it mean that the Word of the Lord holds true? Some of the definitions of true are straight and level. God will go great lengths to speak to us: A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.   Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5) It should be noted these were the words quoted by John the Baptist as he began his ministry, soon to proclaim the coming of Christ. Things would be level, straight and plain; then glory of the Lord would be revealed—Jesus would be revealed.

Next comes the trust. We can trust Him because He is faithful:

Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9)

How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. (Psalm 40:4)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Faithfulness is used often to describe God’s character and His acts. But faithfulness in Hebrew has a secondary translation: truth (also a character trait). We as a society have pretty much given up on truth. It has been relegated to a matter of personal preference and opinion. But are we willing to give up on faithfulness? With God it is both, as proclaimed in His character, His Word, and His acts. You cannot separate one from another. God is true. God is faithful. And because of that, you can trust everything He does.

Singing with the King (60) – Be Exalted #2

Leave a reply

Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. (Psalm 57:5)

Last week I mentioned how context is critical to understanding and applying Scripture. I then showed the what the above verse was sandwiched in between:

viet nam battle sceneMy soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; They dug a pit before me. (vs. 4-6)

Now how is it that David could exalt the LORD in the midst of a dangerous and desperate position? The words of another Psalm give us some insight:

I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:11-12)

If we truly do trust the LORD, then hopefully we can say along with David, “What can man do to me?” But I also said the last time, I wanted to go a little further—and I meant that literally. Here’s more context to the “exalted” passage.

They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they dug a pit before me; they themselves have fallen into the midst of it.(vs. 6)

And what did we learn from the additional context? Deliverance! And David goes further:

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth. (vs. 7-11)

David recaps this verse at the end of the Psalm (there is no more) because he has been delivered; those who thought to do ill to him, fell into their own traps. He then breaks out into full-tilt praise to the LORD, all the way to the end. He sings praise because God answered His prayer; he sings praise because He is thankful.Man prays to God

The story ends well here, and David sings the Lord’s praise. But don’t forget, when he exalted the Lord the first time, he was still in the middle of it. So regardless of the context, of what’s going on around you, exalt the LORD. And should He deliver you, remember to be thankful. Job had it right as well, even when He was in the middle of it:

Then Job got up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face downward on the ground. He said, “I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!” In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God. (Job 1:20-22)

Singing with the King (56) – Like Them #2

Leave a reply

Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them. (Psalm 115:8)

Last week we talked about the nature of their makers.

valley of bonesThe next phrase in the verse is one of scope: Everyone who trusts in them. I have said and written on numerous occasions, when there is a sweeping generalization, if it is God doing the sweeping, then it must be taken literally, for He alone can address or accomplish those generalizations. So when the Father says everyone, He means everyone. No wiggle room.

And this verse is a clincher. This death is not just reserved for those who make the idols, it’s for those who trust the idols.

When you examine the Hebrew word for trust, there are some disturbing translations, especially when you’re trusting in the wrong god. It is such a trust to cause you to be careless and complacent. When that becomes the way you move, there will be little or no opportunity to change. You will be stuck. You will be dead in your sins and trespasses, and you will die in an eternity without God. Be sure you trust in the right God, the One True God.

Now there’s some good news, and bad news regarding who you trust.

Carelessness and complacency will never be an option for those who trust the living God. That is not in His nature, nor is it His desire for those of us who are His followers, His worshipers, His servants. We are in a never ending spiral upward to become more like Christ, pressing on, pursuing, and as the author says, “Following hard after God, and playing for keeps.”

Carelessness and complacency, is very much part and parcel to the nature of idols. Consider this: you can’t get much more careless nor complacent if you’re dead. Life, options, opportunities, decisions, all move by you minute by minute, day by day, but you don’t even see them, because you have eyes cannot see.

To illustrate how badly you are without Christ consider this description the Paul leaves us in the book of Romans: There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; they’re swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10-18)

That’s a pretty bleak description, that is the nature of those who are without Christ. So whom will you serve? Whom will you worship?

Singing with the King (47) – Out in the Open

Leave a reply

For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
(Psalm 27:5)

HiddenThe day of trouble. Sounds ominous. And the Hebrew word for trouble has darker translations: calamity, disaster, and wickedness are the three most used. Here are the other occurrences of this specific phrase.

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! (Psalm 20:1)

How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. (Psalm 41:1)

Near is the great day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers. ( Zephaniah 1:14-15)

There are two types of the day of trouble. The first is where our enemies seek our lives; man against man, which could escalate into nation against nation. The second day of trouble is God’s Day of Trouble—and it indeed is much more perilous than the other, for none shall escape this one, except for those He has delivered.

He will conceal me in His tabernacle. In the secret place of His tent He will hide me.

The word conceal in Hebrew also means to treasure. So not only are we hidden, but we are treasured. And the word for secret place is not only a place of secrecy and concealment, but of safety, shelter and protection. If the LORD hides you, then you are truly safe.

Treasure Mountain

He will lift me up on a rock.

We have moved from a safe, secure place to being out in the open. What happened?

Since it is the LORD Who is doing the lifting, His protection is the same. Over and over in Scripture we see that exalting oneself is dangerous, but for God to exalt you in quite another thing. And since it is the LORD doing the lifting, then there is nothing that David’s enemies can do to him. He is beyond their reach, he may even be beyond their perception.

The LORD’s ways are not understandable to natural man. They are neither comprehensible in scope nor manner, His ways are beyond us because of their sheer magnitude—they are beyond the capabilities of our senses. His ways are beyond us because of their holiness—they are beyond our fallen and broken moral reasoning.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

So David is lifted up to this high place for all to see; but he is either beyond their reckoning or beyond their reach. Either way, he is safe. And lest there be any concern about one’s security:

Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come; You have given commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. (Psalm 71:3)

Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none. (Isaiah 44:8)

Can you trust the LORD to care for you and defend you? Whether He conceals you or lifts you up, you are both safe and treasured.

 

Singing with the King (38) – Context (2)

Leave a reply

Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. (Psalm 57:5)

night skyLast week I mentioned how context is critical to understanding and applying Scripture. I then showed the what the above verse was sandwiched in between:

My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; They dug a pit before me. (vs. 4-6)

Now how is it that David could exalt the LORD in the midst of a dangerous and desperate position? The words of another Psalm provides insight:

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:11-12)

If we truly do trust the LORD, then hopefully we can say along with David, “What can man do to me?” But I also said last time, I wanted to go a little further—and I meant that literally. Here’s more context to the “exalted” passage.

They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they dug a pit before me; they themselves have fallen into the midst of it.

And what did we learn from the additional context? Deliverance! And David goes on further:

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth. (vs. 7-11)

David recaps this verse at the end of the Psalm (there is no more) because he has been delivered; those who thought to do ill to him, fell into their own traps. He then sings praise to the LORD all the way to the end. He sings praise because God answered His prayer; he sings praise because He is thankful.

The story ends well here, and David sings the Lord’s praise. But don’t forget, when he exalted the Lord the first time, he was still in the middle of it. So regardless of the context, of what’s going on around you, exalt the LORD. And should He deliver you, remember to be thankful.

One other thing regarding context. Who did David see when He looked up, even when he was in the midst of his troubles? Who did David see when He looked up after his deliverance? The LORD. We must always see our lives and live our lives in the context of the LORD.