“O Israel, hope in the lord from this time forth and forevermore” (v. 3). We can’t hope unless we come to terms with two truths. When it comes to our pride, we need a subdued and humbled heart. When it comes to God’s providence, we need a calmed and quieted soul. When these are in place, hope anchors our soul even when we pass through the deep waters of affliction. Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold their wings of strife? When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, will your anchor drift or firm remain? We have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast and sure while the billows roll, Fastened to […]
Worldview
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Calming and Quieting the Soul (v.2) “But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Why does David’s soul need calming and quieting? Perhaps he struggles with inordinate longing (overvaluing something he wants), obstinate clinging (overvaluing something he has), distrustful worrying (undervaluing God’s power), or ungrateful murmuring (undervaluing God’s goodness). Whatever the case, he claims to have “calmed and quieted [his] soul, like a weaned child with its mother.” What’s David’s point? “The weaned infant,” explains Thomas Manton, “challenges nothing, expects nothing, but what his mother will give him.” A weaned child is cut off from his mother’s milk, implying he no longer receives what […]
Subduing and Humbling the Heart (v.1) “O lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” In this verse, David makes three claims— each revealing something about the nature of pride. David’s claim that his “heart is not lifted up” reveals that pride is innate; it resides in the heart. David’s claim that his “eyes are not raised too high” reveals that pride usually leads to ambition— craving for acceptance, admiration, and adulation. And David’s claim that he does not concern himself “with things too great and too marvelous” reveals that pride usually leads to presumption— aspiring after “great” things and […]
Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, wrote of his years imprisoned in the horrors of Auschwitz and Dachau, describing cold, fear, pain, vermin, starvation, and exhaustion, but said he survived because he never lost hope. He also wrote of what would happen when a prisoner did lose hope: he would refuse to get out of bed, refuse to dress or wash, turning a deaf ear to his friends’ pleading and his captors’ threatening. He would simply lie in his bed until he died, having surrendered all hope. Hope is absolutely crucial to Christians. When it weakens, the result is always the same: spiritual inertia. It’s imperative, therefore, to remember that we’re on a journey—still a long way from home—and […]
Unless the lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. These are perhaps the two causes of greatest concern in life: provision […]
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The lord is your keeper; the lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. God keeps us in all places, all conditions, and all seasons. As Peter […]
Renewing Our Minds In Matthew 6, Jesus prescribes the remedy for anxiety. Having diagnosed the underlying problem of unbelief, Jesus proceeds to write a prescription for the worried mind. He fundamentally seeks to renew the disciples’ minds by grounding them in the truth about God and his relationship to them. We get anxious when we allow our minds to dwell on things that are not God-centered or Christ-exalting. We worry when our minds are divided between faith and unbelief, between today and tomorrow. Moving toward a mind settled upon truth requires two steps. Reassess Your Value System First, Jesus prescribes a reassessment. He asks, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6: 25). And […]
There is an important distinction we need to make when thinking about worry. Living without worry does not mean being reckless. There are matters that ought to concern us, things that deserve our immediate attention and action. Being carefree is not the same as being careless. We should, therefore, sometimes express intense care and concern for the advancement of the Lord’s work and the welfare of his people. There is such a thing as good worry and appropriate anxiety. We should be concerned about the welfare of our nation, the state of our own souls, the health of the church, the peril of the lost, the future of our children, and the care of our aged parents. The Christian is […]
There is a popular definition of insanity that is attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and others. It goes like this: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Every January 1st, most of the world celebrates insanity. Times Square is filled with people who watch a crystal ball descend as midnight approaches. Millions more watch on television. When the ball ends its journey a massive celebration erupts. People are excited about the promise of a new year. They hope the disappointments of the previous year will be replaced by better times in the new year. They believe that their new resolutions will work better than last year’s. But the jubilant celebrations too often […]
Time as we know it is not eternal, it is created. Before there was time there was God. After time ends there will be God. This is one reason God refers to himself as I Am. God is infinite, he cannot be measured by time. He simply and profoundly is. Time is temporal, having to do with what is temporary. As Paul says, don’t focus on what is temporary, but focus on eternity. Faith has to do with eternity. This means that faith is rooted not in time but in the person and character of God! For example, when we say, “I have faith everything will work out,” our understanding of faith is misplaced. Faith is not primarily about everything […]