Psalm 62 verse 1

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him."

Wouldn't that be a great verse to display somewhere as a reminder? Maybe on the back of a visor in your car, or over the computer. I don't know about you, but I could definately do with being reminded of the truth in this verse.

Just a thought.

Psalm 62

"1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him."

How I read this:

I cannot earn my salvation. It is a gift from God, in whom I can trust. God is faithful and my soul can rest/ find peace, in this knowledge.

To me, this means that my most important concern- my eternal destination- is not a concern after all. One more thing that I can check off the list of things to worry about. (Of course if you have a worry list- as many do- see also my second posting, "Attention Christians".)

"2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

How I read this:

God alone is my foundation; the security I can trust in. Only God can save me. God is my protection. Because God surrounds me, I am safe. He keeps me strong.

To me this brings a peace in knowing that I am not alone in my struggles. It reminds me that God is watching over and protecting me, and that with Him as my foundation, I am strong.
Whenever the Bible speaks of God as our rock, I picture myself clinging to a rock in the middle of a raging sea. Though all else about me is tossed about, damaged, confused, or even destroyed, I will remain safe as long as I cling to that rock. Of course the rock symbolizes God's Word and clinging to the rock is a representation of trusting in God. Some days, when I feel that there is just too much on my plate, that there are not enough hours in the day, and that there is no way out of my current predicament, I remember this picture, return to His Word, and find comfort.

"3 How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down- this leaning wall, this tottering fence? 4 They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah"

Though this psalm is thought to have been written by David (and possibly during the time when Sau's family sought to dethrone him), for some reason these verses bring to mind the story of Joseph. He was but a small boy, thrown easily into a pit by his brothers, who then outwardly expressed sorrow before there father while inwardly delighting in what they thought to be Joseph's demise. Yet as I read these verses, it is not that part of the story which immediately comes to mind. Instead I am reminded of the scene which occurs when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers as the Pharaoh's right-hand-man. Loosely paraphrased, he basically says to his brothers, "What you intended for evil, God meant for good. You thought you were in control, but you forgot that God was in control." (Genesis 45:4-9)

Both the story of Joseph and these verses remind me that our lives are not dependant on our own strength! No matter how helpless we may be to change the course of our lives, we can take comfort that God is in control. Though we may go through the mire and the muck, we can trust that God has a purpose for our suffering and that He will not leave us to suffer alone, but will be our rock through the storm.

In taking a second look at these verses, the words "lies", "mouths", and "curse" jump out and remind me that those who would do us harm are not always honestly evil. Their intentions are not always immediately apparent, and so it is, also, with those who would lead us spiritually astray. I am reminded to stay on my guard and never take a Biblical teaching at face value, but always seek out the truth for myself, through careful study of God's own Word. For only God is perfect and never fails.

"5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken."

How I read this:

This is a repetition of the idea that only God is constant, only God is worthy of our trust, only God is a secure source of hope; and whoever trusts in Him finds peace and rest for their soul. Again we are reminded that in our trouble, God will protect us and make us strong.

**I find it important to point out that this psalm does not say that no trouble will come to those who trust in the Lord, but that God can be trusted in the midst of the trouble.**

"7 My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge."

How I read this:

My salvation depends on God (not me & not others). My honor depends on God (not me & not others). God is MIGHTY, strong, and lasting. God is my refuge.

"salvation" : I don't know about you, but I find relief in the knowledge that it is not up to me to earn my salvation. "honor" : I am reminded not to look to others for their evaluation of my worth/honor, but to conduct myself in a way that God would find honorable. I am also reminded that my only true honor/value comes from being a child of God- through the gift of salvation. "mighty" : God is not only the rock that I cling to in the storm, He is fully capable and strong enough to do any job. "refuge" : A refuge is the place that one seeks in their time of trouble. If a Christian experienced no trouble or suffering they would have no need for a refuge. In the midst of trouble, God is there to shelter and comfort you.

"8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah"

The first thing I must say:

How amazing that God's own Word urges us to pour out our hearts to him! This alone testifies to God's love for His people. Can you imagine, that the God who not only rules, but even created the world and everything in it, wants you to speak to Him in prayer?

Trust in Him at all times. Not just when things are going well. Not just when things are going as expected. Not just when things are going poorly. Not just when you understand. Trust in Him at all times. Sometimes, this command can be very difficult to follow- especially when you don't understand why something is happening, or when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, or even when you're being blessed while someone you esteem higher than yourself is suffering. Yet there is no qualifier here or anywhere else in the Bible. You must trust in God at all times. Period. In order to do that, you must first understand Who it is that you are putting your trust in. The only way to truly understand God (as best we can) is through the study of His Word. (Funny how it all seems to come back to that.)

Again the Psalm says that God is our refuge. Clearly this is an important point they want the reader/listener to remember. Perhaps the repetition will help us remember to turn to Him when trouble comes.

"9 Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath."

The unimportance of a man's social standing is clear here. More importantly, I think the author is pointing out how unimportant the threats of frail, misguided men are when compared to an almighty and trustworthy God.

"10 Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them."

I think two things can be taken from this verse. 1: do not rely on or take pride in your own devices to get what you want. 2: do not make wealth (or other things of this world) the desire of your heart. Tie in the rest of the psalm and you can see that you are to make God the desire of your heart instead, for He is your source of security and peace- not wealth or social standing.

"11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."

Here the psalmist expresses trust in God's truthfulness and faithfulness. Look at the two words he uses to describe God: strong and loving. God is capable of doing what He has promised and He cares about His people. Could you ask for more?

Here I leave off and ask for participation from those enjoying my blog.

I invite each of you to do some studying of your own and let me know what you think is meant by the last sentence of this Psalm: "Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."

I look forward to your responses. :)

Salvation & Your Obligation

Introduction Note: A friend of mine recently asked me some questions about hell. I was surprised and ashamed to admit that I had not done an indepth study on such a seemingly basic aspect of Christianity. In attempting to rectify my ignorance, I came across an incredibly helpful article. I found it's writings on hell to be both fascinating and biblically based. My favorite aspect is that the author gives references to each of the numerous scriptures as he uses them. The main portion of the article is simply too large to post here, so in a stray from my usual writing, I have copied a very small portion of this excellent study -ironically the portion least to do with hell- and pasted it here. I have chosen this portion for it's succinctness and for it's supreme importance.

For the full article, The Biblical Doctrine of Hell written by Pastor David Fairchild, I strongly urge you to visit: http://www.kaleo.us/hell.html

Salvation

God has revealed to you the terrifying nature of hell in order that you will turn to Jesus Christ. God’s wrath is great, but it is not greater than God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. God has provided only one way to escape eternal torment and obtain eternal life. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (Jn. 14:6).

If you believe in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished in His life, death and resurrection, then you will have eternal life. Only Christ’s blood has the power to wash away sin. Christ experienced the full brunt of God’s curse and wrath against sin on the cross in His own body so that those who believe in Him will not have to experience that wrath. Christ lived a sinless life to provide the perfect righteousness to enter heaven.

Jesus Christ’s mission on earth was twofold. First, He had to live a perfect, sinless life. You and I are both sinners; we have failed to obey God’s law. But Jesus Christ in His human nature was born without sin. He lived His whole life in perfect obedience to God’s law. If you believe in Jesus Christ, His perfect obedience is imputed or credited to you. You are a sinner and deserve to go to hell, but if you trust in Christ you will be clothed with His perfect righteousness. On the day of judgment, when God looks upon all those who believe in Jesus Christ, He will see perfect obedience, perfect righteousness. It is solely on account of Christ’s merits—His objective righteousness—that Christians gain entrance into heaven. Your supposed good deeds contribute nothing to your salvation.

Second, Jesus Christ had to die a bloody, sacrificial death for His people (the elect). Because of your sins you are guilty before God; the wrath of God rests upon you. You are an enemy of God and alienated from Him. You are in bondage to Satan, sin and death. But if you believe in Christ, your sin and guilt are placed upon Him on the cross. God’s righteous wrath and indignation against your sin are appeased and set aside, because Christ bore the full penalty for your sin in your stead. The enmity and alienation from God that you caused by your rebellion against Him are fully absolved by Christ’s death. If you believe in Jesus, you and God are no longer enemies but friends.

Christ restores our friendship and fellowship with God; He reconciles us to God. “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:7-10).

Only the incarnate Son of God could provide the sinless, sacrificial death needed for sin’s removal. And only the perfect, sinless life of Christ can provide the imputed righteousness needed so that God could be both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus Christ. God did not overlook sin; He dealt with it head-on in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ rose from the dead, victorious over sin, Satan and death. If you believe in Him, His victory becomes your victory. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.... Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed” (Rom. 10:9, 11).

Your Obligation

If you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ, as He is revealed in the Scriptures, then you are completely justified before God and clothed with Christ’s perfect righteousness. Although a person contributes nothing to his salvation, true believers show their love and gratitude toward Christ by obeying His revealed will. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15). True saving faith always issues forth unto a life of obedience (Mt. 7:16-20; Heb. 3:12-19; 4:2, 6; Jas. 2:14-20, 26; 1 Jn. 1:5-10); therefore, you should obey God by being baptized and becoming a member of Christ’s church. It is absolutely vital to your spiritual growth that you use the means of grace: prayer, the Word and the sacraments in the public worship of God. Attend a church that obeys the Bible as God’s inspired and infallible Word—Becoming a regular part of Christ’s church is mandatory for the believer: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). Remember, Jesus warned you of the wrath to come and the eternal punishment of hell so that you would turn to Him. Believe in Christ now, before it is too late. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).