GPiper
January 8th 2009, 06:50 AM
Life: What we need to know comes from the Psalms
“Why, O LORD, do you stand afar off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalms 10:1)
Somewhere are Romeo, Michigan the Ford Motor Company has a proving grounds where new cars and trucks are tested on a track to ensure they are as best quality and as safe as humanly possible. I am sure the vehicles are put through situations we’ll never be in to ensure when we get behind the wheel we’ll be as safe as we can be.
The Ford Motor Company and car and truck companies’ in the entire world are not the first to have proving grounds. God was ahead of all of them in fact the entire world is God’s Proving Grounds!
I am not sure how many times I prayed the same words as the Psalmist did in the first verse of the Tenth Psalms but it must be in the thousands! This morning as I was reading the Psalms the answer to both questions suddenly came to light. God tests us to see what we’ll do and how we’ll handle ourselves. Will we try to handle it on our own? Will we turn to others first for help? Will we turn to God first for help? Will we stop hoping things will work themselves out? Will we just give up?
But there’s another reason. Our greatest asset against the worldly forces that seek to undermine our belief in God is our Faith. It is during those times when God becomes an observer that our faith is not only tested but strengthened at the same time. In some ways faith is like the anchor of a ship once the anchor touches the bottom and the ship begins pulling on it the anchor embeds itself deeper and deeper into the bottom. But there’s more one of faith’s ever present companion is patience and it too is strengthened as God follows us just out of sight.
The ending verses of the Tenth Psalm testify that waiting for God pays off. “O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” (Psalms 10:17 – 10:18)
God in the shadows is more valuable then the self in the light of day! Therefore, do not follow the light of day but wait upon God!
BELIEVE!
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
"Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
“Why, O LORD, do you stand afar off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalms 10:1)
Somewhere are Romeo, Michigan the Ford Motor Company has a proving grounds where new cars and trucks are tested on a track to ensure they are as best quality and as safe as humanly possible. I am sure the vehicles are put through situations we’ll never be in to ensure when we get behind the wheel we’ll be as safe as we can be.
The Ford Motor Company and car and truck companies’ in the entire world are not the first to have proving grounds. God was ahead of all of them in fact the entire world is God’s Proving Grounds!
I am not sure how many times I prayed the same words as the Psalmist did in the first verse of the Tenth Psalms but it must be in the thousands! This morning as I was reading the Psalms the answer to both questions suddenly came to light. God tests us to see what we’ll do and how we’ll handle ourselves. Will we try to handle it on our own? Will we turn to others first for help? Will we turn to God first for help? Will we stop hoping things will work themselves out? Will we just give up?
But there’s another reason. Our greatest asset against the worldly forces that seek to undermine our belief in God is our Faith. It is during those times when God becomes an observer that our faith is not only tested but strengthened at the same time. In some ways faith is like the anchor of a ship once the anchor touches the bottom and the ship begins pulling on it the anchor embeds itself deeper and deeper into the bottom. But there’s more one of faith’s ever present companion is patience and it too is strengthened as God follows us just out of sight.
The ending verses of the Tenth Psalm testify that waiting for God pays off. “O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” (Psalms 10:17 – 10:18)
God in the shadows is more valuable then the self in the light of day! Therefore, do not follow the light of day but wait upon God!
BELIEVE!
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
"Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."