Journal for Christ

Friday, August 12, 2022

One More Gem From the Walls of God's Shelter

August 12, 2022

Worship in WORD

31 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! ² Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

³ For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; ⁴ you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. ⁵ Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

⁶ I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. ⁷ I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, ⁸ and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.

HELP: Ps 31:9-15

⁹ Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. ¹⁰ For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

¹¹ Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. ¹² I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. ¹³ For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” ¹⁵ My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! ¹⁶ Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! ¹⁷ O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol.¹⁸Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.

HAIL (Praise or Bless): Ps 31:19-23

¹⁹ Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! ²⁰ In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. ²² I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

HEART: Ps 31:23-24

²³ Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. ²⁴ Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!

ESV

I’ve sat down one more time in hopes that I may mine one more gem from the walls of God’s shelter found in Psalm 31. Instead of the normal grid I have used, which contains parallel versions from the passage I am contemplating, I have chosen instead to follow another. Using the ESV, I have divided the whole psalm into parts and placed each section under the main headings of the outline I have followed through ought this psalm. This will enable us to read the psalm one more time in its entirety and capture the complete flow of David’s thoughts and feelings throughout Psalm 31.

In this psalm, I find a fitting pattern for us to pray in times of stress and tribulation. First, in hope, we enter His protecting presence and prevail upon Him in prayer for help and deliverance. Then we praise Him for His past mercies and even His future grace. Finally, we pray for a courageous heart, remember His promises, and seek His power to persevere in faith, hope, and love.

Worship in Witness

In such a time of stress and tribulation, I find myself at the moment. I’m in the middle of my five-day quarantine because I have covid. I also have a mild case of Shingles as well. It gives me more time to be aware of the turmoil in this country and worldwide. All the evil that is taking place. All the attacks on our Judeo-Christian values. Values that have undergirded and held our country together for over 200 years. There is now an increasing divide and animosity between the sacred and the secular. As I was reading the magazines from various mission organizations and a devotional called “I Am N” this week, I became more aware of the persecution of Christians worldwide (persecution that is far worse than we experience here in the states). The Lord promised this would take place in these last days.

Matt 24:4-12

⁴ Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. ⁶ You

will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise

against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹ "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but he who stands firm

to the end will be saved.

NIV

The Apostle Paul issues this prophetic warning as well:

2 Tim 3:1-5

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

NIV

It saddens me to see this happening to some who were prominent leaders in the pastoral, theological, and musical fields of ministry. They have claimed that they have “deconverted” from historic Christianity and are now “progressive Christians” or atheists. They have chosen to walk by sight rather than by faith. They have valued the strength of their minds or yielded to their emotions when faced with difficult questions or suffering. I find when I am being pulled in that direction to seek the Lord’s shelter and pray as David did in the pattern outlined above. And He is faithful to hide me in His sheltering presence and reassure me by His faithful word. If only they had availed themselves of these things and the encouraging fellowship of other believers, some I am sure would claim they have done so. But it also calls for more than these things. It also calls for patient waiting and hope. As I have said before, it means keeping our eyes on the Lord, not the storm. For some, it may mean wrestling with the Lord until they receive His touch that disjoints them from their doubts. Unfortunately, too many have run away rather than wrestled. I pray this will not be so with you or me.

Let us also take heed of the exhortations at the end of the verses quoted above:

Matt 24:13

But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

NIV

2 Tim 3:5b

Have nothing to do with them. (i.e., those described in verses 1- 5a)

NIV

Worship in Promise, Poem, Prayer, and Praise

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.shopify.com%2Fs%2Ffiles%2F1%2F1457%2F1636%2Fproducts%2FPathway_Prov_3-5-6_Web_1200x.png%3Fv%3D1578407106&f=1&nofb=1

Take It All

Big or small

Take it all

Before Him fall

Faith install

Doubts stored

And all discord

To Him be poured

Who is the LORD

Heaven hears

Dries your tears

Calms your fears

Comforts and Cheers

When

Father,

When the enemy seeks to surround me

Please open my eyes to see

The heavenly host that surrounds them

And the fear within me, please stem

When my mind is besieged by Satan’s lies

Both from the foolish and the worldly wise

Guard it by Your helmet of salvation

Remove doubt by Holy Spirit ablation*

When pain and sorrow tempt me to run

To abandon my hope in Your blessed Son

Point me to Your path of abundant grace

Empower me to continue to run the race

V Amen

Shelter by Vertical Worship

The arrows fly, ten thousand fall

Still, You protect me through it all

The waters rise, the oceans rage

Still, You're the One the storm obeys

In the shelter of Your presence

In the shadow of Your wings

I am safe; I am safe

I will hold onto Your promise

You will not abandon me

I am safe; I am safe

To You, I run when mountains shake

You are my shield, my hiding place

Almighty God, I will draw near

Your perfect love casts out all fear

In the shelter of Your presence

In the shadow of Your wings

I am safe; I am safe

I will hold onto Your promise

You will not abandon me

I am safe; I am safe

There's nothing left to fear

In the shelter of Your presence

In the shadow of Your wings

I am safe; I am safe

I will hold onto Your promise

You will not abandon me

I am safe; I am safe

In the shelter of Your presence

In the shadow of Your wings

I am safe; I am safe

I will hold onto Your promise

You will not abandon me

I am safe; I am safe

Writer(s): Jason Ingram, Jonathan Lindley Smith, Andi Rozier

Lyrics: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/verticalworship/shelter.html

With a few minor punctuation corrections

Video: https://youtu.be/DVk4vAK3KU4

This is a beautiful and awe-inspiring video – A must-watch video.

For Further Thought or Study

Psalms 31:24

24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Your heart is faint, but the Lord will put strength where now there is weakness; wherefore “be of good courage.” Cowardice weakens, fear saps a man’s strength; so “be of good courage,” for your strength shall be equal to your day, and you shall yet win the victory, “all ye that hope in the Lord.”

Psalms 31:24

Ver. 24. Be of good courage. Keep up your spirit, let no craven thoughts blanch your cheek. Fear weakens, courage strengthens. Victory waits upon the banners of the brave.

And he shall strengthen your heart. Power from on high shall be given in the most effectual manner by administering force to the fountain of vitality. So far from leaving us, the Lord will draw very near to us in our adversity, and put his own power into us.

All ye that hope in the Lord. Every one of you, lift up your heads and sing for joy of heart. God is faithful, and does not fail even his little children who do but hope, wherefore then should we be afraid?

Psalms 31:24

If thou art not of good courage, what will happen to thee? I would not have you deserve the coward's doom, and speak of it as "retiring." No, get not into that class; be thou rather like that soldier of Alexander, who was always to the front, and the reason was that he bore about with him what was thought to be an incurable disease, and he suffered so much pain that he did not care whether he lived or died. Alexander took great pains to have him healed, and when he was quite well, he never exposed his precious life to any risk again. Oh, I would rather that you should be stung into courage by excessive pain than that you should be healed into cowardice! Christ ought not to be served by feather-bed soldiers.

— Spurgeon

*I have taken extreme poetic license to use this term metaphorically. A sense that I cannot find anywhere else. Even when searching poetry websites, I only found two poems that use the word in their title and not the poem itself. And even then, when used in these titles, the word fits well within the definition of “ablation.” However, I felt that using this word metaphorically was an apt way of using the word in my poem. And once its literal meaning is understood, my symbolic use will become clear. Here is the definition of the word from Wikipedia:

Ablation (Latin: ablatio — removal) is removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosive processes or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, and include spacecraft material for ascent and atmospheric reentry, ice and snow in glaciology, biological tissues in medicine and passive fire protection materials.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ablation

Saturday, July 30, 2022

The Essential Substances Found in the Walls of God's Fortress

July 30, 2022

Worship in WORD

Ps 31:23-24

23 Love the Lord, all you his saints!

The Lord preserves the faithful

but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for the Lord!

ESV

Ps 31:23-24

23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!

The LORD preserves those who are true to him,

but the proud he pays back in full.

24 Be strong and take heart,

all you who hope in the LORD.

The New International Version. (2011). Zondervan.

Ps 31:23-24

23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

KJV

Ps 31:23-24

23 Love the Lord, all you godly ones!

For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him,

but he harshly punishes the arrogant.

24 So be strong and courageous,

all you who put your hope in the Lord!

I. Hope – vv. 1-8

A. Action – v. 1

B. Appeal – v. 2

C. Acknowledge – vv. 3-4

D. Abandon – v. 5

E. Abhor – v. 6

F. Acclaim! – vv. 7-8

II. Help! – vv. 9-18

A. Sorrow – vv. 9-13

1. Soul sickness – vv. 9-10

2. Societal scorn – vv. 11-13

B. Sovereign – vv. 14-18

1. Surrender – vv. 14-15

2. Shine – v. 16

3. Shame – v. 17

4. Silence – v. 18

III. Hail – vv. 19-22

A. God, for His Great Goodness – v. 19

B. God, for His Sheltering Presence – v. 20

C. God, for His Hesed [ds#j# ]#] – V. 21

D. God, Who Hears and Answers His People – v. 22

IV. Heart – vv. 23-24

A. Love – v. 23

B. Long – v.24

Thought flow: Hope→Help!→Hail→Heart

B. Long

If you recall what I wrote about last time, you will remember that I began at the end of verse 24 and not the beginning. I wrote about “hope” as a confident expectation as opposed to today’s view of hope as contingent and mixed with doubt. I also pointed out that the believers in Bible times (a misleading phrase, if anything) may have had a confident expectation. Yet they could have their hopes dashed by hoping in or for the wrong thing. They also could place their hope in a trustworthy source but misunderstand that source, be it a person or a promise. Unexpected outcomes do not necessarily mean the source was untrustworthy. However, it may indicate that our expectations were in error.

Leaving that aside now, I want to return to the first half of verse 24. Before I do, let me point out that I used the phrase “hope in the LORD” in a way that David did not. What I mean is that I used it in a way that implied that David was using it as an exhortation. However, this phrase was actually a description of those who already had a confident expectation.

“ ... all you who hope in the LORD.” ESV

The actual exhortation(s) come(s) in the first half of the verse.

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage...” NIV

Exhortation(s) or encouragement(s) directed towards those who “hoped in the LORD.” You may be asking, “what’s with the parentheses? They are there because there is a translational issue that will determine whether we have one or two exhortations in verse 24. I will say more on this later. There are two exhortations, at least, if you include verse 23. In that verse, we find this imperative: “O love the LORD, all ye his saints”(KJV).

Without this exhortation, obeying the one found in verse 24 is not achievable. Because without love for God, there is no motivation to follow the imperative: “Be of good courage (KJV)” or “Be strong (NIV, ESV, NLT).” Love for God (and supplied by the Holy Spirit – Romans 5:5) empowers and encourages us to persevere and have hope.

One more thing before I move on to “Worship in Witness.”

I mentioned a translational issue. Notice the difference between the KJV and the other translations above.

The KJV has:

“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart ...”

The NIV has:

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage ...”

As you can see, the KJV has an exhortation followed by a promise. The NIV (and all other translations I’ve consulted) have two complementing exhortations. Which is it? Not knowing Hebrew doesn’t help me in this matter. Perhaps Derek Kidner’s comment on this verse will prove the most helpful here.

24. Let your heart take courage could equally be translated ‘he shall strengthen your heart’, as in AV. The latter seems the more meaningful: an assurance of help to those who dare to count on it, rather than a double exhortation. But in either case it does not promise an end to trouble: rather (cf. Luke 22:42, 43) the strength to meet it.

Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 150). InterVarsity Press.

Others have pointed out that this verse recalls to mind some other famous passages of Scripture.

31:24 The words strong and courageous recall the words of God to Joshua and Israel to prepare them for the conquest of the promised land (Dt 31:6–7, 23; Jos 1:6–7, 9, 18).

Warstler, K. R. (2017). Psalms. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 844). Holman Bible Publishers.

In those verses, the LORD promises that He will be with them. Therefore, the exhortation to be “strong and courageous” is possible because the Almighty God would be with them! Here in Psalm 31:24, the promise is the same, whether it be direct (KJV – “he shall”) or indirectly (ESV -“take courage.”

Worship in Witness

Amid all this discussion about the exhortations found in verses 23 and 24, we cannot forget the context in which they are made. God’s people were suffering persecution, and mockery by those identified as “the proud (v.23).” The call to love, faithfulness, and courage was being given in such a context. However, faithfulness does not automatically lead to vindication, deliverance, and peace.

The closing exhortation is very telling about the nature of psalmic faith. It is understood that Yahweh does not automatically and instantaneously solve problems. This faith calls for courageous hope in the midst of circumstances that give little evidence of relief or divine intervention. We should also note that admitting the absence of these things does not lie outside the bounds of that faith. In addition, these verses admit that sometimes encouragement is needed and makes a difference.

Hubbard, R. L. J., & Johnston, R. K. (2012). Foreword. In W. W. Gasque, R. L. Hubbard Jr., & R. K. Johnston (Eds.), Psalms (p. 160). Baker Books.

Let us remember this truth when we face tribulation in our lives and feel like giving up –Like God has abandoned us or doesn’t care. Let us also remember these exhortations to love God and be strong.

One final thought here:

If one reflects further on these commands, I think they will see a symbiotic* or interdependent relationship between the two exhortations. Love is necessary, but it can grow weary or cold by the many onslaughts of sufferings and dangers it faces. I have found this so in my life. Sometimes, I question God’s love for me when I face trials. Let us encourage ourselves to seek His power to love Him more when this occurs. Let us remind ourselves of who He is and what He has done in the past. Finally, let us recall His promises to us (rightly understood) in His word.

Love must constantly be strengthened by faith in the promises of God (the Lord “preserves...and pays back v. 23). Likewise, it perseveres with a patient waiting and longing and confident hope in the LORD (v24). Thus faith, hope, and love are essential ingredients in the fortress walls of God’s protecting presence!

One final ingredient should be added. It should resound against the walls of God’s shelter.

Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thess 5:18

* SYMBIOTIC

sym·bi·o·sis: (sĭm′bē-ō′sĭs, -bī-), n. pl. sym·bi·o·ses (-sēz)

1. Biology A close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member.

2. A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence.

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/symbiotic

I guess I could have just said “interdependent,” but symbiotic sounds cooler 😎 😆

Worship in Promise, Poem, Prayer, and Praise

Image: https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/joshua-trees-heart-rock-picture-id1296003362?k=20&m=1296003362&s=612x612&w=0&h=FnSFqwASGsWR_IlnfI_M1_44TDBwXg1EKl-bGtTyNSA=

Verse: AMPLIFIED BIBLE (AMP), Publisher: Lockman

I Call to You

Lord, when I am in deep despair

I call to You for Your tender care

When life to me makes no sense

And trials and fears grow intense

I cry out to You, my hope and stay

For strength to cope amidst the fray

And You, my God, come to my aid

When I am lost and so afraid

You bind me closely to Your side

You are my shelter in which I hide

I see the dawn of grace appear

And faith rises up and conquers fear!

Be My...

Come, Lord Jesus, be my life

Amidst the sorrows and the strife

Be my strength all the day

In the battles, among the fray

- Amen

Strong and Mighty

Strong and mighty are Your arms
They are able to protect and encase
They guard me against life's harms
Yet gently hold me in Your embrace

Hold me up in the battles I'm in
And swiftly catch me when I fall
By Your strength, the fight I'll win
O God Almighty and Lord of all
- Amen

In the Meantime: by Hannah Kerr

Even in the waiting, You are kind

I rest in surrender

I don't expect an answer overnight

Your purpose is higher

Oh, so much higher than mine

Even in the waiting, You are kind

I will praise You

You see every season of my life

I will trust You

You're using every moment by design

In between expecting

In between receiving

Before I know the answer

Before I see the reason

You're moving in the meantime

Even in the waiting, You are good

Even when I'm doubting

If things are gonna turn out like I think they should

Even in the waiting, You are good

I will praise You

You see every season of my life

I will trust You

You're using every moment by design

In between expecting

In between receiving

Before I know the answer

Before I see the reason

You're moving in the meantime

Here in the waiting

My hope remains

Here in this place

My heart finds strength

Here in the waiting

My hope remains

Here in this place

My heart finds strength

I will praise You

You see every season of my life

I will trust You

You're using every moment by design

In between expecting

In between receiving

Before I know the answer

Before I see the healing

You're moving in the meantime

Lyrics: in the meantime, Lyrics. (n.d.). Lyrics.com. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://www.lyrics.com/lyric-lf/2110043/Hannah+Kerr/in+the+meantime.

Video: https://youtu.be/qR46yDtHySg

For Further Thought or Study

Many a believer has been deluded by magical thinking regarding God’s promises. They claim them as a spiritual “talisman” or “incantation” that can be clung to or cited to ward off evil. They expect immediate and miraculous results. God may intervene immediately and miraculously. However, God’s promises normally fall under the category of providence and sanctification. Both are sovereign and progressive works of God and involve the passage of time. Immediate deliverance and answers may be desired and comforting but leave out God's sanctifying and faith-building purposes. Paul sought immediate relief from a “thorn in the flesh,” but God had other purposes by leaving the thorn. Thus, the thorn of pain became a thorn of grace and God’s strength!

Friday, August 12, 2022

One More Gem From the Walls of God's Shelter

Saturday, July 30, 2022

The Essential Substances Found in the Walls of God's Fortress

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