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Trust

11/22/2014

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“Trust in the Lord…”  Psalm 37:3a 

 In David’s writings there are three salient ‘characteristics’ that appear over and over.  One is the sovereignty and rule of God.  David may have been anointed as a king but he was never confused about who God is and who he was.  David was a man under authority and knew the King of all kings!  He deferred to His authority consistently.  One of my favorite lines that appears often and shows this relationship to the sovereign Lord is, “And David inquired of the Lord,” or “David sought the Lord.”  As both a king and a man David sought the Lord and bowed his heart, soul, mind and strength to his King!

Another characteristic of his writings revolves around the praise and worship of the Lord God Almighty!  This we expect since David and his Psalms are synonymous with worship and praise.  The sweet psalmist dedicated much of his time and energy by magnifying who God is, was, and always will be! How many of us are grateful that David wrote his Psalms?  Many of us have lived in them during various seasons of our lives.

But the number one outstanding attribute in all his writings, that appears over and over, is trust.  David trusted God!  He trusted in God’s name, reputation, Word, ways, acts, goodness, faithfulness, unfailing love, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, and plans.  He trusted God in the midst of life-threatening circumstances.  He trusted God in the middle of his own mistakes and failings.  When he sinned he even trusted in God’s discipline.  In humility he said that God was right to discipline him, but he also trusted in God’s mercy to see him through it all the way to redemption.  He trusted in the Omnipotent rule of God in the midst of battle and trusted that God would fight for him.  Hence, “what can man do to me?”  David trusted God to the depths of his soul.

God is still looking for people who will trust Him like David did; people who will not lean on their own understanding but will trust in the One who made them and loves them with an everlasting love!  When it comes down to it, what is there not to trust?  God’s love, goodness, and kindness are manifested in the fact that He sent us His only Son Jesus Christ, as well as in all of life around us.  Take the time to look at the beauty of creation.  Then take time to recount the ways God’s love can be seen and has been seen in your personal life. David always recounted the goodness and faithfulness of God in his life, which encouraged him to continue in his trust as his life progressed. 

We belong to God who is mindful of all that is going on and He is mindful of us, too.  He is not shaken!  He has proven to be trustworthy throughout history as well as in our own lives.  “Our help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth,” David tells us.  He is the One who made it all so He is the One we can trust!  David gives us incredible insight into who God is.  It’s also obvious that God trusted David and gave him that incredible insight into who He is and how He functions.  Trust went both ways!

There is a wealth of wisdom in his writing but the one cry that comes to us loudly and clearly is to trust in the Lord.  Our brother David declared over and over because his View of God was trustworthy.  Do we have his God View?

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Enter Into The Joy Of Your Lord!

11/10/2014

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“…in Your Presence there is fullness of joy…”Psalm 16:11b  (ESV)

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)

These scriptures are very familiar in certain Christian circles.  We quote them to each other but do we actually know what they mean?  In God’s presence we find many things but David says in various Psalms that joy is one very distinguishing characteristic of His presence.  Then in Nehemiah we hear that His joy becomes strength for us.  It’s HIS joy – not ours.  So what is His joy?

According to the World English Dictionary, joy has to do, in part, with contentment and with God it is a condition of being and not a feeling , although God does feel and have feelings.  However, God is content with who He is, with all He has made and in all He has planned.   Joy carries with it a certain satisfaction.  Scripture tells us that He rejoices in all He has made, and He told us that from the very beginning in Genesis when He saw that it all was good! He was truly pleased and satisfied.

There is a second definition of joy that says joy is “a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight in something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.”  Who does God find more pleasing, delightful and valued than His dear Son?!  He is the Son in whom He is well pleased.  God spoke that prophetically in Psalm 2 as well as out loud at His baptism and transfiguration.  Peter also attested to it in 2 Peter 1:17.  (See Matthew 12:18 and John 12:28,29 for more insight).

When we love His Son it brings Him great joy and He then turns around and strengthens us!  It is His joy that gives us His strength.  Whatever pleases  God, whatever is a great joy to Him, whatever makes Him smile will be turned around and given back to us.  When we are in His presence adoring His Son, or His creation, or giving in the many, many ways that make Him smile, He then turns His joy upon us which in turn gives us strength.  What a concept!  Have you ever thought of it that way?

 He is not a selfish God who is in need of approbation but He is a Father who dearly loves His Son and one of His greatest joys is when we love His Son.  Now loving Jesus Christ is not just about being in God’s presence and saying how wonderful Jesus is, it’s a life that desires to reflect that One He loves and gave so freely to us all.  Following Christ, obeying Him and adoring Him in word, thought and action causes a response from God.  So when we are in His presence we will find a new strength imparted to us that we couldn’t produce by ourselves.  He is not a hoarder – God is a giver and He loves to give His strength. 

Some will say that God is always with us and His presence is near.  True, but there is a ‘presence’ that is to be sought and cultivated.  It’s being with Him where He is and not Him only being where we are.  It’s an intentional and deliberate act of participating in the relationship.  Being present with God has its perks and being strengthened is one of them.   So when we enjoy what He enjoys, love who and what He loves, we will always receive the strength that comes from His joy.  Someday, we will understand God’s View of joy when we hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your Lord.”  Until then, let us seek His presence to receive that strength which is only found in His joy!

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    Author

    Dawn Sandquist is co-founder of Global Worship Initiatives, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people learn how to serve the Lord in all spheres of life - from the practical to the spiritual.  She is a teacher, or a writer, a mother, grandmother, friend, and devoted to learning and sharing her views of the Lord.

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