I thought we would pick up where we left off the last time - our confidence in the Lord. We don't just wake up with the kind of confidence in the Lord that David exhibited in Psalm 62 just because we read or write a blog post. No, that kind of confidence where our expectation comes only from Him is birthed from a life of faith and prayer. Faith in Him like that is developed as we allow the Lord to reveal to us who He is (His character) and what He will do (His commitment) through His word. (How then shall they call on Him whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?... So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God - Rom 10:14,17). While this scripture applies to our initial salvation faith in Christ, it is also applicable to our developing faith in Him. We have to first know what His word says about Him and then we must push pass our doubt and hesitation, and believe that He is who says He is (But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him - Heb 11:6). When we allow the Lord to talk to us, revealing Himself to us through His word, and we when we share our hearts with Him in prayer, our confidence in Him builds. We see David's confidence building in Psalm 62. David starts out affirming who God is in verse 2: He only is my rock and salvation: He is my defence; therefore, he concludes he shall not be greatly moved. Then in verse 62:5, he reaffirms: My soul wait thou only upon God: for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, He is my defence; I shall not be moved - Ps 62:5-6. The more He affirms who God is, the more his confidence in Him builds. David goes from not being greatly moved in verse 2 to not being moved at all in verse 6. His dire situation did not changed between those 4 verses, and more than likely his feelings didn't change either. What changed was his level of faith. The more we affirm who God is by faith the more our confidence in the God of our faith builds: (Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper - Ps1:1-3). The key is meditating or rehearsing the word over and over again, day and night. Can you imagine how David felt trapped in that cave? It was probably dark, maybe cold, his heart was broken because he had been betrayed by his son; yet, he begins to declare that he is going to wait without complaining upon his God because He is his rock, his salvation, and his defense. I am sure David was talking to himself out loud. The more he affirmed who God was, the more he was convinced that God was going to meet his expectation. If we want to enjoy this kind of confidence in the Lord we must not only be committed to discovering what the Bible says about the God that we serve, we must begin to believe that He is all that He says He is and all we need Him to be. Faith chooses to believe in spite of what we see or how we feel. Let's begin to affirm Him today until we are convinced and confident (And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him...but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God - I Sam 30:6). our journey continues, Diane p.s. Begin to daily rehearse, remind and affirm to yourself who God is to you. Your Rock, your Fortress, your Stronghold, a very present help in the time of trouble.... spend some time in Ps 62. p.p.s. May your Christmas be blessed as you celebrate the birth of our Savior It's good to check back in with you. One thing is certain, this journey to live just for His glory constantly challenges us to change in order to grow. Our expectations is an area where change is required; specifically when it comes to what we expect of others. Often we expect of others what they are simply not able to give, and we are left disappointed (Hope deferred maketh the heart sick...- Pro 13:12). When people fail to respond the way we want them to or do what we expect we are left feeling frustrated, disappointed and hurt. Unmet expectations are at the root of many of our relational conflicts. Relational conflicts seem to be a source of much of our stress on this journey. The Bible encourages us to stop looking to others to meet our needs; instead, our expectations (our confidence, hope and fulfillment) must come from the Lord. David writes a Psalm of confidence in Psalm 62 and provides the exhortation and an example of what it means to place our confidence and expectations upon the Lord. In the midst of adversity the psalmist rises up saying: Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. - Psalm 62:1-2). David in the face of treason, betrayal and having his heart broken by his son confidently concludes that the Lord is his only source of salvation, only source of power, only source of hope, and only source of mercy. As David's soul waits upon God, he is in a state of inner silence, trusting without complaint, resting without being restless. Although at the time he felt discouraged, depleted and depressed, because he was not looking to anyone else but the Lord to meet his needs, he was not completely thrown off by his situation (I shall not be greatly moved). My soul wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him - Ps 62:5. David is stating that his hope is bound up and attached like a cord to only the Lord; not the Lord and someone else. The key to David's confidence in the Lord lies in a two letter word, the Hebrew article "ak" which occurs six times in this short Psalm as: truly, surely, alone, and only. (He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense I shall not be moved. He is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God - Ps 62:6-7). If you grew up in the 70's you might remember the brothers around the way used to greet each other this way " what's up ak". Well Jesus must become our Ak, our One and Only! Too often our expectations are upon the Lord and someone or something else. We pray to Jesus but we are still looking for some person to be our Messiah. It might be the Lord and the Pastor, or the Lord and our friends, husband, wife, the dream house or job. (Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity...if riches increase set not you heart upon them - Ps 62:9,10b). David didn't put his hope in people or possessions, his hope was tied to only the Lord. We have to stop looking to other people (who are filled with holes) to fix our holes, to make us happy and to meet all our needs. When we look to the Lord, we release others from the unspoken pressure we put on them. We also minimize our disappointment since we are no longer looking to them because our hope is in the Lord. After all, He is our Ak! looking to Jesus, Diane P.S. When stuff happens this week, and it will, look to Jesus only. If someone disappoints you, or hurts your feelings before you say anything to them, start talking to Jesus about how you feel. Look to Him to minister to your need, to fill your voids, to address your frustrations, to understand your feelings. Release someone today of the responsibility of making you happy! p.p.s. if you enjoy the journey don't forget to subscribe to receive posts automatically to your email, and invite a friend. |
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