I am weary with the pain of Jacob's wrestling
In the darkness with the fear, in the darkness with the fear
But he met the morning wounded with a blessing
So in the night, my hope lives on
And when Elisha woke surrounded by the forces
Of the enemies of God, the enemies of God
He saw the hills aflame with angels on their horses
So in the night, my hope lives on
Oh, in the night, oh, in the night
Oh, in the night my hope lives on
I see the slave that toils beneath the yoke unyielding
And I can hear the captive groan, hear the captive groan
For some hand to stay the whip, his foe is wielding
Still, in the night, my hope lives on
I see the armies of the enemy approaching
And the people driven, trembling, to the shore
But a doorway through the waters now is opening
So in the night, my hope lives on
Oh, in the night, oh, in the night
Oh, in the night my hope lives on
Like the son who thought he'd gone beyond forgiveness
Too ashamed to lift his head but if he could lift his head
He would see his father running from a distance
In the night my hope lives on
And I can see the crowd of men retreating
As He stands between the woman and their stones
And if mercy in His holy heart is beating
Then in the night, my hope lives on
Well, I remember how they scorned the son of Mary
He was gentle as a lamb, gentle as a lamb
He was beaten, He was crucified and buried
And in the night, my hope was gone
But the rulers of this earth could not control Him
No, they did not take His life, He laid it down
And all the chains of death could never hope to hold Him
So in the night, my hope lives on
And I can see the Son of Man descending
And the sword He swings is brighter than the dawn
And the gates of hell will never stand against Him
So in the night, my hope lives on
Oh, in the night, oh, in the night
Oh, in the night my hope lives on
Oh, in the night, oh, in the night
Oh, in the night my hope lives on
Video: https://youtu.be/oGXptHQHGq8
Witness:
The other day at work I faced the usual temptation again to pick off the roller grills the old items that needed to be written off. We are allowed to do this, and I too often give in to the urge to eat even though they are not part of the healthy diet I try to maintain. I had a mild stroke many years ago and eating these items was not good for me. Yet try as I might I give in and rationalize why it is okay to eat them.
Excuses like:
· It’s free
· I didn’t have time to make something to bring to work, and I’m hungry
· They taste so good
· It’s just one
· It’s my Friday I can indulge a little
During these times I am conflicted with feelings of guilt and thoughts that justify my behavior. I struggle with the idea that my friend’s son fought drug addiction and at this moment still is one, yet here I am struggling with such a little thing and having no victory either. "You are so weak," I said to myself. One day resisting and the next day making up for it. Suddenly I realized that I was calling this problem “a little thing.” After all drug addiction is so much more evil and bad for our wellbeing. It was a SIN to take drugs. My “addiction” was so minor in comparison. Or was it? If giving in to temptation results in a sinful response then how can I call my actions a “little thing?” If it is still sin then Jesus my Lord suffered for both my overindulgence and my friend’s son’s drug addiction. In looking it this way, I do not lessen the sinfulness of drug addiction, but raise my awareness that I am no better than the drug addict when it comes to resistance, nor am I purer. In light of this. Armed with this thought my prayer is that the next time I am tempted to eat an old hot dog, I will see a nail instead that pierced my Savior’s hands and feet. And I pray that my friend’s son will see his Savior refusing the pain numbing drink offered [Mt. 27:34] in order to face with a sober mind, the mission He was sent for and drink the cup His Father gave Him to drink for you and me [Mt 26:42; Jn 18:11].
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11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence. *
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
NIV (1984)
* spouting malicious accusations
NIV (2011)
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Ps 27:11-14
11 Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
12 Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I've never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.
14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
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Ps 27:11-14
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
KJV
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Ps 27:11-28:1
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
ESV
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There was a comment from Ironside that I did not see in my previous study, which bears noting because I believe he may also capture some of the essences of what David is really saying.
Psalms 27:1-14 The Psalm closes with these words, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” God does not always do for us immediately what we ask. We are not only to wait on the Lord but also to wait for the Lord. Wait His own time. But now notice that thirteenth verse, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The words, “I had fainted” are in italics. There is nothing in the original to answer to them. But, you say, you would not have a complete sentence without them; you could not say, “Unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” No, you could not have a declarative sentence, but you might have an exclamatory sentence like this, “Oh, if I had not believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” What a tragedy it would have been if I had not believed, what a terrible blunder I would have made if I had not believed in these difficult days! I have had numbers of Christian businessmen say to me, “Oh, my brother, if it had not been for my confidence in the Lord, when my business went to pieces and when the savings of the years were swept away, I would have been like those other people who went to one of these high buildings and jumped off.” That is what David is saying, Oh, the tragedy if I had not known the Lord! But my soul was at peace and I could wait upon Him.(from Ironside Commentaries, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2012 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
I realize that is a rather lengthy quote, especially in the font size I have it, but I felt it was a notable quote that needed to be shared.
I have highlighted verses 13 & 14 because I believe they are intricately related. What ties these two verses together is the theme of faith and hope. I have purposely used the word “theme,” in the singular form because I believe that faith and hope are words that are intricately tied to one another. Someone has said of these words that they are “the soul’s forward and upward look towards God.1”
http://www.findaspring.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Find_a_Spring.jpg
HOPE It is one of the three great elements of Christian life and character (1 Cor 13:13). Faith is the root, love the fruit-bearing stem, and hope the heaven-reaching crown of the tree of Christian life. Faith appropriates the grace of God in the facts of salvation; love is the animating spirit of our present Christian life; while hope takes hold of the future as belonging to the Lord, and to those who are his. The kingdom of God, past, present, and future, is thus reflected in faith, love, and hope.(from McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
The psalmist declares in verse 13 in essence, “I believe I will see.” Here is hope working through faith in confidence that it will see the “Lord's goodness in the land of the living.” David was looking for the Lord.
This is the way of the believer.
Spurgeon notes:
Psalms 27:13 Some say, “Seeing is believing,” but it is not: it is the very opposite of believing. Some people must see in order to believe, but the true followers of our Lord believe to see. If thou wilt believe it, thou shalt see it; but if thou wilt not believe it till thou hast seen it, then thou shalt never believe at all.
(from Spurgeon's Expository Notes. Biblesoft Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
And only the regenerate can see. Those who have been born from again from above.
Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. John 3:3 AMP
Therefore, God plants
the seed of faith
and out it, hope grows.
This is where the keyword we find in verse 14 comes into play, the word “wait.” When a seed is planted, it does not immediately grow up into a mature plant. No, we must water it and nourish and watch over it, and we must wait! The word which is translated here as "wait" is the Hebrew word hw*q* qavah (kaw-vaw')2. When we research its meaning, we find that hope is a crucial element in the word.
hw*q* qavah (kaw-vaw')2 OT:6960 A verb meaning to wait for, to look for, to hope for.(from The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament Copyright © 2003 by AMG Publishers. All rights reserved.) OT:6960to wait, to look for, to hope, to expect(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)OT:6960 The words ordinarily rendered 'hope' in the A. V. are kavah hwq OT:6960), and yachal ljy OT:3176). The first, which is frequently used in the Psalms, signifies the straining of the mind in a certain direction in an expectant attitude; the second, which occurs several times in the book of Job, signifies a long patient waiting.(from Synonyms of the Old Testament. PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2013 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.) 1994 OT:6960 hw`q* (qāwâ) I, wait, look for, hope.This root means to wait or to look for with eager expectation... Waiting with steadfast endurance is a great expression of faith. It means enduring patiently in confident hope that God will decisively act for the salvation of his people (Gen 49:18). Waiting involves the very essence of a person's being, his soul (nepeš; Ps 130:5)... There will come a time when all that God has promised will be realized and fulfilled (Isa 49:23; Ps 37:9). (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
Hope then is faith holding onto the promise of God’s goodness in this life and especially in the life to come.
Note the marks of hope.
Hope is waiting:
· Expectantly
· Confidently
· Steadfastly
· Patiently
· With Perseverance
Hope is only as strong as the object* it is tied to. Hope in others or in self will surely disappoint because we are fallen and finite and fallible and feeble. But our object of hope is the LORD who is Upright and Unbounded and Unfailing and Unlimited. Hallelujah AMEN!
1(from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible: One-volume Edition. Biblesoft formatted electronic database. Copyright © 2015 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
2(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006, 2010 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
* Grammarly has flagged this as possible plagiarism because it found one instance on the internet that is similar to what I have said. I have never read this source before. The source has wording that is identical, but the sentence is not exactly word for word. So I reference it so you can see the similarity and the difference. This is a case of two people thinking along the same lines and yet not dependant on the other.
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