Psalm 93 is such a confident assertion of who God is – He reigns, clothed in majesty…His throne is established from of old and He is from everlasting. Our God is magnificent and powerful, all-knowing, holy and unchanging and there are many days when by His grace and mercy I can proclaim these truths.
But as we head into Psalm 94 we are shown how we actually trust these truths, how we stand on them and do battle against all the enemies that the people of Christ find themselves faced with in this world.
In this world we find ourselves in difficulties and trials, we are opposed by a culture that either denies the existence of God or thinks of Him as irrelevant and inactive. Our world does not want to hear, let alone acknowledge that they owe their very existence to the Sovereign Most High God and that one day they will stand in front of Him faced with the reality of their choice.
In the meantime we are called to stand for Christ, to proclaim Him, to speak and preach and teach His Word. We are called to faith – to the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen; we are called to make the unseen visible as each one of us believes in and receives the promises of God to us in Christ Jesus.
And what are those promises? We are assured of salvation – of justification, sanctification and glorification. We are assured that every single moment that we spend on this planet our God is with us, more, He dwells within us by His Spirit. We are assured that our weakness magnifies His strength and that there is absolutely nothing that we cannot do through Christ who gives us strength. We are assured of victory over the temptations that assail us, assured of peace even in the darkest of circumstances. Assured of His all sufficient grace in our time of need and that He will be present with us in a way that we can actually feel – His presence will go with us so that we need never be afraid of anything that this world can throw at us.
These are but a few of His promises but it is only as we actually lay hold of them for ourselves that the Word is proclaimed not simply in words but in power and in the Holy Spirit and in actual real life evidence of the greatness of our God.
Here in this Psalm the writer draws on the truth of God and actually holds it to himself – in a way he receives the very character of God much as each of us who have believed in the name of Christ Jesus have received His character, His very being by His Spirit within.
He calls upon God to execute the judgment of the wicked that He has promised and he calls upon everyone who can hear the sound of his voice to pay attention – take heed, you senseless..and when will you understand…the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are mere breath!
He calls upon God to stand up for him as he stands against the wickedness he sees all around him and God, who has promised that He will always answer that call has been his help. God has indeed comforted him, strengthened, established and refreshed him and the psalmist has actually experienced His blessing.
Listen – when my foot had slipped – the Lord’s lovingkindness held me up; when anxiety and fear threatened to overwhelm me God’s consolations delighted my soul and when I considered the work of the enemy, even his apparent success nonetheless the Lord was my stronghold and the rock of my refuge.
He actually experienced God, felt His presence, knew, in the very centre of his being, that he was not alone that in fact God would never leave nor forsake him. Life may often be lonely, difficult and chaotic but the Lord is on my side, He is my support and His comfort is in my heart.
This is our God, this is the One in whom we have placed our trust. This is the One who has said – you are Mine! This God, this Christ, this Saviour is the One who has promised that He will keep me from stumbling and make me to stand blameless with great joy in the presence of His glory. This God is mine and I am His and I will not be afraid.
The psalmist knew the truth of God and he prayed to God on the basis of that truth. This morning, no matter what you are facing come to God with the truth of His Word, cry out to Him and He will answer.
Psalm 138:3 On the day I called You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.
But as we head into Psalm 94 we are shown how we actually trust these truths, how we stand on them and do battle against all the enemies that the people of Christ find themselves faced with in this world.
In this world we find ourselves in difficulties and trials, we are opposed by a culture that either denies the existence of God or thinks of Him as irrelevant and inactive. Our world does not want to hear, let alone acknowledge that they owe their very existence to the Sovereign Most High God and that one day they will stand in front of Him faced with the reality of their choice.
In the meantime we are called to stand for Christ, to proclaim Him, to speak and preach and teach His Word. We are called to faith – to the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen; we are called to make the unseen visible as each one of us believes in and receives the promises of God to us in Christ Jesus.
And what are those promises? We are assured of salvation – of justification, sanctification and glorification. We are assured that every single moment that we spend on this planet our God is with us, more, He dwells within us by His Spirit. We are assured that our weakness magnifies His strength and that there is absolutely nothing that we cannot do through Christ who gives us strength. We are assured of victory over the temptations that assail us, assured of peace even in the darkest of circumstances. Assured of His all sufficient grace in our time of need and that He will be present with us in a way that we can actually feel – His presence will go with us so that we need never be afraid of anything that this world can throw at us.
These are but a few of His promises but it is only as we actually lay hold of them for ourselves that the Word is proclaimed not simply in words but in power and in the Holy Spirit and in actual real life evidence of the greatness of our God.
Here in this Psalm the writer draws on the truth of God and actually holds it to himself – in a way he receives the very character of God much as each of us who have believed in the name of Christ Jesus have received His character, His very being by His Spirit within.
He calls upon God to execute the judgment of the wicked that He has promised and he calls upon everyone who can hear the sound of his voice to pay attention – take heed, you senseless..and when will you understand…the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are mere breath!
He calls upon God to stand up for him as he stands against the wickedness he sees all around him and God, who has promised that He will always answer that call has been his help. God has indeed comforted him, strengthened, established and refreshed him and the psalmist has actually experienced His blessing.
Listen – when my foot had slipped – the Lord’s lovingkindness held me up; when anxiety and fear threatened to overwhelm me God’s consolations delighted my soul and when I considered the work of the enemy, even his apparent success nonetheless the Lord was my stronghold and the rock of my refuge.
He actually experienced God, felt His presence, knew, in the very centre of his being, that he was not alone that in fact God would never leave nor forsake him. Life may often be lonely, difficult and chaotic but the Lord is on my side, He is my support and His comfort is in my heart.
This is our God, this is the One in whom we have placed our trust. This is the One who has said – you are Mine! This God, this Christ, this Saviour is the One who has promised that He will keep me from stumbling and make me to stand blameless with great joy in the presence of His glory. This God is mine and I am His and I will not be afraid.
The psalmist knew the truth of God and he prayed to God on the basis of that truth. This morning, no matter what you are facing come to God with the truth of His Word, cry out to Him and He will answer.
Psalm 138:3 On the day I called You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.
