Further light on lifting

March 1, 2016

Worship: No Longer a Slave to Fear by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser – Bethel Music

You unravel me with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance from my enemies
'Til all my fears are gone

[2x]
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my mother's womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I've been born again
Into your family
Your blood flows through my veins

[4x]
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

I am surrounded
By the arms of the father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance

We've been liberated
From our bondage
We're the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
My fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
And I could stand and sing
I am a child of God...

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
You drowned my fears in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am a child of God

Yes, I am
I am a child of God
I am a child of God
Yes, I am
I am a child of God
Full of faith
Yes, I am a child of God
I am a child of God

[3x]
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of GodTop of Form

A-Z Lyrics BETHEL MUSIC Lyrics  "We Will Not Be Shaken" (2015)

Video: https://youtu.be/f8TkUMJtK5k

Witness:

I voted today, however, it may not have counted. Since voting is not done but once a year at the most I did not remember to fill in the box. I just put an X in the box. I heard a radio announcer on my drive home remind everyone to fill in the box completely not just mark an X. He said it wouldn’t count otherwise. Now I hope he is wrong, but I fear he is correct. If I had slowed down and read the directions on the ballot, I would have done it correctly. As I thought of that, I also thought about how often we don’t stop to read God’s Word to receive guidance for our lives. We live more by hearsay and opinion than by revelation. Then we wonder why things are so messed up in our lives and we blame God for our failures when it was really us who failed to follow God’s revealed will for our lives.

WORD:

Ps 25:1-3 25 Toa you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. NIV

Ps 25:1-3 25 To you, O LORD, Io lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you Ip trust; q let me not be put to shame; r let not my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed,s none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who aret wantonlyu treacherous. ESV

Ps 25:1-3 25 1 O LORD, I give my life to you. 2 I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. 3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Ps 25:1-3 25 To You, O LORD, I alift up my soul. 2 O my God, in You aI trust, Do not let me bbe ashamed; Do not let my cenemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, anone of those who wait for You will be ashamed; 1Those who bdeal treacherously without cause will be ashamed NASU

We have seen that the phrase “I lift up my soul” in reference to God means whole-hearted dependence, devotion, and delight. We could paraphrase it using the NLT but add the above to it. So it could read:

To You, O LORD, I give my life in wholehearted dependence, devotion, and delight to You.

However, there is more here to be learned. The word “lift up” has also the idea of “a burden” or “to carry a burden”. To lift one’s soul to the Lord takes divinely aided effort. I will close with a thought from Barnes as he comments on this phrase as found in Psalm 86:4 but applies to this phrase in general in all passages it appears with reference to God.

The idea is that of arousing himself, or exerting himself, as one does who makes strenuous efforts to obtain an object. He was not languid, or indifferent; he did not put forth merely weak and fitful efforts to find God, but he bent his whole powers to that end; he arouses himself thoroughly to seek the divine help. Languid and feeble efforts in seeking after God will be attended with no success. In so great a matter-when so much depends on the divine favor-when such great interests are at stake-the whole soul should be roused to one great and strenuous effort; not that we can obtain his favor by force or power, and not that any strength of ours will prevail of itself, but

(a) because nothing less will indicate the proper intensity of desire; and

(b) because such is his appointment in regard to the manner in which we are to seek his favor.

Compare Matt 7:7-8; Luke 13:24; 16:16.

(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)