Our Faith Walk

Sure Facts, Overwhelming Odds, and God

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”  Genesis 50:19-20 (KJV)

What do sure facts, overwhelming odds, and God have in common?  These are factors which often determine a person’s chance of success in the world.  While these may be actual considerations, they are not the final word.  We must always factor in the sovereignty and providence of God to not only level the playing field, but also to become the obvious advantage.

Sure facts take into consideration those elements we are born with or born into.  They include our “family factors”—our race, our gender, family structure (i.e., parental influence, number of siblings, birth order) and socio-economic position.  We had little control over their selection.  In the case of Joseph, he was born into the family of Jacob as the second youngest of thirteen children.  Jacob had two wives (Leah and Rachel) and two handmaidens (Bilhah and Zilpah) who bore his children (Genesis 30) but Joseph was Jacob’s favorite (Gen. 37:3).  This created an unhealthy and toxic environment for child rearing marked with sibling rivalry and jealousy.

Overwhelming odds are circumstances that minimize the possibilities of success in life and relationships.  They sometimes affect one’s ability to earn a living, care adequately for one’s family, or to live safely and confidently.   Joseph was sold by his jealous brothers to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver and was brought to Egypt.  Being a Hebrew slave, the odds of Joseph rising above his new found station in life was slim to none.  The odds became even smaller when he was thrown into prison as a result of the lies of Potiphar’s wife.  When it appeared release from prison was nigh, Joseph became the victim of the baker’s forgetfulness further obstructing any hope of freedom (Gen. 40:23).  But God was about to do exceedingly above all that Joseph could ask or think (Eph. 3:20).

God was on the scene for Joseph as the Holy Equalizer and Change Master.  What appeared to be sure facts and overwhelming odds for Joseph soon became “biblical history.”   God, the Holy Enabler and Way Maker, reversed the circumstances for Joseph whose journey began as a slave from Canaan but ended as a powerful ruler in Egypt.  He went from servant to savior for his people who would have perished from the famine in their land.  Joseph could have used the 16th Psalm as his personal testimony:  “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.”

Succumbing to what we believe are “sure facts and overwhelming odds” in our life can only result in despair and hopelessness.  Belief and trust in our God becomes the refreshing promise of rescue and provision regardless of the circumstances we face.  God’s plan and purpose for our life supersedes indisputable facts and devastating odds (Habakkuk 3:17-19).  Our future is not dependent on our family history or our personal past, but on Who we serve.  So the next time you’re weighing your options based on “facts and odds”, remember to factor in God.  God always has the final word.

 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7

Knowing God

Do As I Say!

“Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

Ephesians 5:1,2 (NKJ)

 While shopping last week, I observed a frustrated parent attempting to convince their strong-willed child to follow their instruction.  After several failed attempts, the parent sternly issued this directive, “Do as I say!”  The child, discovering new wisdom (or fear) complied.  Paul instructs the new believers in Ephesus on how they are to walk out their new life of faith.  His directive to them is a blueprint for spiritual success—“Be imitators of God.”

The word imitator (mimetes) is translated “mimic”.  If we are God’s children we ought to mimic or imitate the attributes we see in our Heavenly Father.  This should not be as difficult as it sounds since we have become new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) and partakers of God’s nature (2 Pet. 1:4).  We have within us, the spiritual makeup (Holy DNA) to reproduce God’s character in our lives.  If successful, the result is a mindset and life style that reflects “God in us” (John 17:21, 23).

In examining God’s attributes, the one from which all other attributes find their origin is love. God is love (1John 4:16) and His love was manifested to us through His only begotten Son (John 3:16).  It is through Jesus Christ, that God revealed His love for mankind.  It is this divine love, agape love that the children of God are to imitate.

Jesus modeled for mankind what the love of the Father looked like in a fallen world through His willingness to leave the splendor of heaven for the squalor of earth.  He “became poor that we might become rich in salvation and life” (2 Cor. 8:9) and was “made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).  He “humbled Himself and was obedient to death on the cross” (Phil. 2:7, 8).  Jesus’ walk of love was viewed by God as a “sweet smelling sacrifice” (Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 2:9).  The idea behind the sweet smelling sacrifice is it was pleasing to God.

I’m sure God is often challenged by His strong-willed children.  It is His desire that we also walk in love.  With Jesus as our model, God’s Holy Word, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to divest ourselves of childish immaturity and self-centeredness.  In humbleness of spirit and with an obedient heart, we can walk in a manner that imitates God.  Then our lives, like Jesus’, will become a sweet smelling sacrifice that pleases our heavenly Father.

Good to the Last Byte…

One of the greatest revelations we can receive is an understanding of the enormity of God’s love.  His love is not a result of anything we deserve or can earn, but is evidence of inherent goodness.  Read  1 John 4:7-21 in your quiet time and ask the Lord to show His love for you in new ways.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Knowing God

Who Needs More?

“(I am) Asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him.” Ephesians 1:17, 19a (NLT)

I try to be authentic in my faith walk but often time find myself guilty of behavior that resembles the world.  Although I daily pray and meditate on His Word, I am often beset by the desire for “more’—specifically more of the spiritual things that I read about or hear about from other Christian believers.  So what’s my problem?  Jesus answered me but not in the way I expected.

I asked the Lord for more faith to believe what He had for me.  I failed to realize that more faith was not to come.  Jesus told His disciples that if they had “faith the size of a small mustard seed” they could move mountains (Matt. 17:20).  Jesus refused my request for more and replaced it with the directive to do more with what He had given me.  My assignment was to step out on the faith I currently had.   I was to focus on being a “faithful steward” (Luke 12:42) and increase His investment in building the Kingdom of God.

I asked the Lord for more spirit to accomplish the tasks He had given me.  I again failed to realize that, like faith, more spirit was not to come.  When I first received the Lord, He placed a full measure of His Spirit within me (Rom. 12:3).  It would be the Spirit of God that would remind me of my new identity in Christ including all the power and privileges that accompanied my new life.  This is the understanding that Paul desired for the church at Ephesus—“that they would be “strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Ep. 3:16).

Today I don’t need to ask God for “more”.  While I think it is God’s desire that I seek more of Him, the spiritual shortfall comes when I fail to recognize that what I desire is already mine.  I now prayer to quickly recognize the great and precious gifts He has entrusted to me (2 Pet. 1:4) and move boldly lay hold that which God has already revealed in His Word and through His Spirit.    I now know that “more” was given to me the moment I accepted Jesus as my Savior.  And that is more than enough.

 Good to the Last Byte…

The New Testament often uses the word “know” to describe how we understanding “spiritual things”—with our heart (experiential) or with our head (intellectual).  Both levels of knowledge are needful, but Jesus is calling us to experience Him through a personal relationship with Him.  It is here that we gain “more”—not in quantity but in the quality of intimacy.

Spiritual Maturity

The Power of Proclamation

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”  Colossians 2:6-7 (NKJ)

“And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Rev. 12:11a (NKJ)

As I was finishing my evening devotions, I asked the Lord why we, as believers, have such a difficult time receiving the power He has given us to live out His purpose.  As I finished my reading, this thought came to mind, “You cannot claim what you do not proclaim!”  In other words, there is an apparent disconnect between what we mentally believe and how we personally walk out that truth in our lives.   We fail to make a personal proclamation.

Our failure to boldly proclaim and claim God’s power in our life may be as a result of choosing to operate independently, outside of God’s direction.  We may opt to follow the path of “diys”—do it yourself.  This may be a good approach in doing home projects but not in the advancement of one’s spiritual maturity.  Failed efforts are reflective of our failure to accept our own human imperfection.  In reality, what seemed to be the “best way” results  in failure to proclaim God’s sufficiency and failure to claim His desired outcome for our lives.  “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”       (Ep. 2:10, NLT).

Lack of success in our personal proclamation often stems from a lack of understanding and acceptance of our identity in Christ.  “In Christ, in Him, of Him” was used most often by Paul in his letters to the Early Church.  It describes our special union with Christ and the benefits we can “proclaim and claim” as a result of that union.  We are one with Christ, therefore what Christ has we also possess.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ep. 1:3).

Satan desires that we remain “spiritually ambivalent.”  If he can silence our proclamation of the freedom and goodness to be found in Christ, he can continue his campaign of deception, disbelief, and disobedience in the believer’s life.  It is the proclamation of believers in Christ that will ultimately lead to Satan’s defeat (Rev. 12:11a).   In Christ, we have “redemption, righteousness and access”, just to name a few.  Once we better know who we are in Christ, we can boldly proclaim and claim His power and presence in our lives.

 Good to the Last Byte…

Using your Bible concordance, find scriptures that include “in Christ”.  Begin to see all the things we have and are becoming as a result of our special union with Christ.

Prayer

A Call to Authentic Prayer

Power in Prayer“Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:  So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”  Joel 2:1, 13 (NKJ)

On July 1st, Anne Graham Lotz launched a worldwide initiative entitled, “777:  An Urgent Call to Prayer.”   Followers of Jesus Christ are asked to “return to God, rend our hearts, repent of our sin, and cry out to God for mercy on behalf of our nation.”  Pray is the battle cry and weapon!   So during the 7th month (July) and on the first 7 days of July special prayers are lifted to God as we examine our hearts and the heart of this nation through the lens of prayer.

“Calling upon the Lord” in united prayer was frequently done in the Old Testament.  Israel’s kings often sought Jehovah’s favor when faced with threats from without and within (2 Chron. 14:11-12; 20:4-15).  Their prayers included fasting, confession of sin and immediate repentance.  Old Testament prophets not only spoke on behalf of God but also “cried out” (Daniel 9:1-19) on behalf of their countrymen.  Whether experiencing good times, threats of war, or even during times of exile, there was always someone who would pray for the restoration of God’s people.

It’s not unusual for the people of God to unite in prayer in response to national needs. Every year on the first Thursday in May, Christians join together for the National Day of Prayer.  In Kansas City, there are numerous ecumenical groups that lay aside their denominational differences to pray for the city (down to specific zip codes), the state, the nation, and the world.  These groups understand the power and purpose of prayer.  They “come boldly to the throne of God” consistently and expectantly (Heb. 11:6).  During both World Wars, leaders around the world would call upon their constituents to pray for the success of their military efforts.  America, during those times, gladly professed to be “one nation under God.”

Now, this July, believers are asked to respond to this “urgent call to prayer.”  There can be no greater calling!  My concern with Ms. Lotz’s initiative, however, is whether we, individually or collectively as a nation, will genuinely “return, rend, and repent”?  Will we rise from our knees truly repentant and committed to an obedient relationship with the Father or will we return to business as usual?  Are our prayers merely urgent but not authentic?

It is time for believers to undertake the gauntlet of prayer especially as we enter into these final days before the return of Christ (1 Thess. 5:17).  Prayer should not be seen as a last resort but instead the “indispensable necessity” for both spiritual transformation and social reformation.  As we enter into serious prayer we must prepare our hearts through true confession and earnest repentance “for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).   If we are to be fruitful in our prayer life, we must enter into it “soberly, humbly, and confidently” (1 John 5:14).   To begin this prayer journey, WordBytes invites you to join us as we focus this month’s teachings on the prayer-filled life.

Good to the Last Drop…

Learn more about 777:  An Urgent Call to Pray at the AnGel Ministries website.  It’s not too late to engage in the daily readings which will truly transform your thinking about prayer.

Spiritual Maturity

Redeeming the Time

 

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16 (NKJ)

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”  Colossians 4:5 (NKJ)

As a child, I remember going with my parents to shop for groceries.  Upon paying the bill, my mother would be given “redemption stamps” (equal to the grocery receipt) that could be later exchanged for household items, i.e., dishes, flatware, or cookware.  After saving enough stamps, we’d go to a local redemption center and trade in our stamps for our special selection.  My mother felt this was a great way to get the “most bang for her bucks”—groceries AND household items.  While stamp redemption worked well for my mother’s budget, there’s a different kind of redemption believers should pursue as they endeavor to accomplish God’s purpose for their life.  It’s redeeming the time.

The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible translates redeeming the time to mean “making the most of every opportunity.”  The meaning is further illuminated by Bible interpreters to mean “to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well-doing are as if it were the “purchase money” by which we make the time our own.”   (Thayer Lexicon)

In our Ephesians text, Paul reminded believers that they were no longer agents of darkness but were to redeem the time by being “light in the Lord” (Ep. 5:8).  Their new identity was to be evidenced by their fruit—goodness, righteousness and truth.  They were to walk “circumspectly, not as fools” (verse 15).  There is urgency in Paul’s message to the church at Ephesus because the “days were evil” meaning there was a general disregard for what was right while embracing that which was profoundly immoral, wicked, and depraved.  The days continued to be evil into the 21st century.

To the church at Colosse, Paul saw an opportunity for the Christian family to redeem the time.  Believers were advised to “walk in wisdom” (sophia).  This wisdom was very special in that it described a “skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth”.  It required “devout and prudence communication with men who were not disciples of Christ.”  The NIV rending of Colossians 4:5 states it more clearly, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”  In other words, Paul was speaking about “life witnessing” where the believer became the “living testimony” as to the life changing power available to individuals who enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Titus 3:4-6).

Today Paul’s use of “redeeming the time” draws attention to believer’s solemn responsibility to proclaim and practice Christ-centered principles in their home and in their community.  While society exchanges moral absolutes for what seems “right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6), believers must be “committed to God’s truth in every element of our lives as the separation between light and dark become apparent in the world and in our society.”  We are to redeem the time by renouncing world system standards and boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.  By redeeming the time, believers will become viable change agents” for Christ until He returns (2 Peter 3:11-12).

Our Faith Walk

A Trilogy of Faith

“Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Matthew 9:29 (NLT)

We live in a world of skepticism—doubt as to the truth of something.  Our skepticism is reflected in the phrases we often use to reflect our disbelief:  “If it seems too good to be true, it usually is”; “nothing is free—everything comes with price”; “if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!”

Skepticism is not unique to the twenty-first century.  During Jesus ministry, many refused to believe He was the Son of God and the promised Messiah.   Doubt about Jesus was expressed in a local colloquium of that day:  “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)   Although all His actions supported who He was, there were those with hardened hearts who refused to believe.   Skepticism operates on the theory that certain knowledge is impossible.  Let’s explore three (3) situations where faith and belief defied both skepticism and the impossible. 

Matthew 9:18-29 records the healing of three individuals by Jesus—the ruler Jairus’ daughter, the woman with the issue of blood, and two blind men.    Three separate stories—a dying daughter, a decade of disease, and life lived in darkness.  Three situations viewed from man’s vantage point as impossible, irreversible, and hopeless.  The ruler and the woman, entered into their encounter with Jesus believing He was able to solve their dire situation; the blind men simply requested “mercy”, dependent on the integrity of the promised Messiah—His genuineness (He was who He said He was), His veracity (He could do what He said He would), His faithfulness (He would do what He said)—to make their healing a reality.   And how did they make their requests known?  The father humbly yet confidently asked Jesus to come.   The blind men called out and followed Jesus into the house.  The woman, disregarding the risk of discovery by the crowd (death by stoning) simply “reached out and touched”.  Jesus’ reaction was predictable, for no one will He ever turn away (John 6:37).  In response to Jairus, “He arose and followed Him” (verse 19); later Jesus cautioned Jairus to, “Be not afraid, only believer” (Mark 5:36).  To the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus gently spoke, “Thy faith has made thee whole” (verse 22).  To the persistent blind men, Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it (your healing) will happen.”  And their eyes were opened (verses 29, 30).

As believers it is important that when we approach God we come with an expectation of belief that He is the solution for whatever our impossible situation.  He will never turn us away. “He who comes to Him must believe He is (God, the Great I AM) and is a rewarder of those who diligently (sincerely) seek Him “(Heb. 11:6b).  These desperate characters in Matthew’s trilogy of faith earnestly sought Jesus knowing He would reward their belief with healing.  

As believers let us enter every personal encounter with God believing He can do the impossible.  Because of the integrity of God, we need never doubt nor fear.   Because of the love of God—His benevolence, grace, mercy and persistence—our faith in Him will enable us to stand fast in the most difficult of circumstances.  The characters in Matthew’s trilogy of faith exchanged their impossible situation for the God of possible (Mark 10:27).  That exchange is available to each of us who believe.  For with God nothing shall be impossible Luke 1:37). 

Knowing God

Stone of Help

 

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.  1 Samuel 7:12 (NKJ)

Although I have never considered myself a history buff, I must admit as I listen to hymns, I often wonder what the writer was thinking as they pinned words of encouragement and resolve, which is often the nature of hymns.  One of my favorites in time of challenge is “Come Thou Font of Every Blessing” by Robert Robinson.  The challenge can be one externally generated or an internal struggle that I am facing.  Verse two is especially reassuring. 

“Here I raise my Ebenezer, Here there by Thy help I come

And I hope by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God

He to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.”

In our study text we find Samuel, exercising his priestly role by raising a particular stone—Ebenezer which means “stone of help”.  Since the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, Israel had been intimidated and cowed by Philistine might.  Typically they reacted with fear to the news of impending warfare (v. 7).  But instead of taking flight, they solicited the aid of Samuel.  Samuel prayerfully “offered up” a burnt offering as atonement for Israel’s sins (Ps. 66:18) and then “cried out unto the LORD for Israel; AND THE LORD HEARD HIM” (v. 9).   The result of God’s intercession was victory.  Samuel then set up a stone reminiscent of other commemorative markers erected by Israel (Gen. 35:14; Josh. 4:9; 24:26) to pay tribute to God, apart from whom victory would have been inconceivable.  Samuel knew that the LORD would be Israel’s source of protection and defense, regardless of the enemy. The expression, “Thus far the LORD has helped us” means that the Lord was the one responsible for getting Israel to this point.  Would God not continue to do so?  Is this not also true for our lives?  Has it not been God who has safely brought us to this place today?   Will God not continue to do so as we repent and cry out for His deliverance?

Raising our “stone of help” is critical as we face the challenges of the 21st century.  In times of trouble, we tend to focus on the enormity of the problem rather than the greatness of God; we forget our true identity in Christ and transfer our trust to the fleeting security of a world that is fading away (1 John 2:17). We, like Samuel, must remember not only the things which God has delivered us from but also celebrate the place God has transported us to.  That place represents “God’s grace” for our life in that moment of need—peace, love, joy or provision and protection. 

Raising our “stone of help” will result in renewed confidence in the worst of circumstance; our confidence lie not within ourselves but in God.  Our God is dedicated to our well-being because we are His beloved children (1 John 3:1) and are of great value to Him (Luke 12:6).    Let us continually lift praises to God, our Stone of help, for His unfailing love and protection.  Thank you Father God for it is “Here by Thy help I come.”

Spiritual Maturity

Confusing Maturity for Complacence

Is He continually calling you out of sin (elementary) or is He empowering you to remain pure and lead others ill to holiness (maturity)? Is He continually telling you to increase your faith (elementary) – or are you using the faith you have to step out in the area of miracles, signs and wonders (maturity)? Is He continually reminding you of the infilling of the Spirit of Jesus you received at your baptism (elementary) – or is the Spirit in you collaborating with Him to change the world (maturity)? Is He continually reminding you of His resurrection power (elementary) – or are you living in it every day (maturity)? Is He continually reminding you that there is a judgment that will be eternal (elementary) – or are you living your life open before the throne of God (maturity)?

We all have become content with far less than what God has for us. It is no wonder that so many people approach Christianity as an obligation or even as boredom. We have lost the excitement of exploration with God in His Kingdom. When did spiritual maturity begin to mean that you don’t dance and leap for joy in His presence? Or that you must not show any physical signs of surrender and delight in worship? Or that you must only whisper in church? Who made these rules? Surely not God! Instead, He encourages His people to praise with abandon, with extravagant worship, with shouts, singing, dancing, demonstrations of love and adoration.

When Michal, David’s wife, saw him worshiping God exuberantly, she scornfully criticized him, embarrassed by his lack of dignity. The last word the Bible says about Michal is that she was barren the rest of her life. Besides the fact that she bore no children, there is a spiritual principle here. Our scorn of exuberant worship causes something to die within ourselves. Each time we criticize, we put to death our child-like capacity to be fully present with the Lord, without self-consciousness and without fear of man.

Question Him in your quiet time today. Ask Him what more He has for you. Ask Him to show you open doors. Ask Him to give you that child-like heart to live in awe and wonder at what He is and what He does. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) Ask Him for the desires of your heart!

What did the Lord say to you today?

  1. Is God speaking to your heart?
  2. Are you inviting Him to change your life and make you whole?
  3. What new potential blessing has He been prompting you to taste spiritually?
  4. What opportunities to be in His presence have you neglected?

Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

Signa Bodishbaugh from Divine Conversations:  The Art Of Meaningful Dialogue with God

 

Spiritual Maturity

In God We Trust

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 

In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.

What can flesh do to me?”  Psalm 56:3, 4 (NKJ)

There is much to fear as we look around today.  The daily news is replete with things that cause us to be “fearful”.  We face “tribulation and distress, persecution and famine; nakedness, peril, and sword” (Rom. 8:35); not to mention “pestilence that walk in darkness” (Ps. 91:6).  How are we to respond?  I offer you an alternative to fear—put your trust in God. 

The background for today’s Psalm can be found in 1 Samuel 21:8-15, where we are told of David’s escape to Gath, the stronghold of the Philistines, arch enemies of Israel.   The Philistines were well acquainted with David for he had championed the killing of Goliath of Gath when he was only a young shepherd boy (1 Sam. 17).   Since then, he had been anointed by Samuel the prophet as the heir apparent to the throne of Israel receiving praises from the people for his many conquests (1 Sam. 18:7).  However, those praises had resulted in a death wish from King Saul who now sought David’s life.  Now this young man runs for fear of his life to a place of even greater peril and sure death.  He now stands captured by his worst enemy, the king of the Philistines. 

Psalm 56 is identified as a song for the distressed.  We would agree that David was in distress.  We sometimes describe it as being “between a rock and a hard place.”   Like David, we sometimes find ourselves wedged between many rocks and brutal hard places.  Sometimes this happens as a result of others, like Saul, and other times it is the result of our own disobedience and waywardness.  In those times of distress and fear, we are to call out like David—“In God, I have put my trust.” 

“I have put my trust” is translated in Hebrew, batach, which means “bold and confident”.  The description means to literally “throw oneself down, extended on the ground, upon his face.”    Can you imagine that picture?  David, literally throwing himself on the mercy of God, fully confident and bold; defiantly proclaiming, “What can flesh do to me?”  I wonder if his mind reflected back on God’s mighty hand of deliverance in his earlier battle with fear as he faced Goliath.  Did he recall the many times God intervened on his behalf as King Saul sought to capture and kill him?  His eye was not on the source of his fear but on the Deliverer of his soul. David’s spirit was humbled, cast down in full confidence and trust in Almighty God for his life—not the Philistine king.

As we face the many challenges of life that tend to shake the very foundation of our faith, let us “put our trust” in the one who is able to deliver us from all harm (Ps. 46:2). Remember those times that God stepped in to deliver you and bring you to a point of safety.   Exchange your fear for bold confidence (Ps. 20:7). Stretch out on “mature” faith, like David, and expect miracles, signs, and wonders.   Although we flippantly have inscribed on our coins, “In God we trust”, it’s now time to write upon our hearts the Psalmist’s words, “I have put my trust in God.”