Savoring the Scripture

Secure in the Everlasting Arms of God  Psalm 122 What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Psalm 122 continues the Psalms of Ascent. Written by David, this psalm focuses on the beloved city of Jerusalem. The singers have arrived in the city, the place where people from the twelve tribes would gather as one 3 times a year. It was the political and spiritual centre, and the place where justice was administered and upheld. The king resided there as well as God’s temple. In these verses, David calls the people to pray for the peace, security, and prosperity of Jerusalem. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!’” (Psalm 122:6-7) Peace and security may seem like an illusion in such an uncertain world. In the days of the Israelites, surrounded by nations larger and mightier than they, what peac...

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled  Psalm 112 The only cure for fear is for the eye to remain steadfastly fixed on the Lord. To be occupied with our circumstances and surroundings is fatal to our peace. A.W. Pink  Fear. None of us are immune to this emotion. We have all felt it at times in our lives, sometimes legitimately when we’ve been in danger. Other times, fear has proved to be a foolish waste of time. Some people seem to lack a fear over anything. Others are fearful most of the time. Most of us live somewhere in between, not completely consumed with fear but occupied too often with anxious thoughts. “While fear is a normal emotional response to life in a fallen world, when it grips our heart, we turn our gaze away from God and to the circumstances around us. We focus on the problem instead of the One who rules over all things. We place our trust not in God to help and rescue us but in things, methods, or even ourselves. This is idolatry” (Holy Fear, Cristina Fox). Psalm 112...

Holy Confidence Psalm 46 Happen what may, the Lord's people are happy and secure, this is the doctrine of the Psalm, and it might, to help our memories, be called THE SONG OF HOLY CONFIDENCE. C.H. Spurgeon  Confidence is a feeling of security and strength one feels when they can rely on someone or something dependable. It is a firm trust. Holy confidence then is firmly relying on God, feeling secure through His strength and His dependability. It is the ability to say, “Though _________ should happen, I will not fear.” It is not a complete absence of fear at all times, but it is the ability to meet our fear with the truth and have His peace settle our minds and quiet our distress. However, it is not flippant or glib. There is a solemnity and gravity to our confidence in God. It can handle the deepest afflictions and hardest woes. It can say, as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out ...

Psalm 27 Prayer for the Anxious and Fearful But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, “Courage, dear heart,” and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan’s… C.S.Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. (1)  Our imaginations wield the power to envision many scenarios which can lead to feelings of fear, anxiety, or worry. Charles Spurgeon said, “Doubtless the shadow of anticipated trouble is, to the timorous minds, a more prolific source of sorrow than the trouble itself.” In other words, we can cause ourselves more fear and anxiety when we spend our time and energy dreading what might come than walking through the actual experience we are dreading.  It is not always easy to battle fear, especially during certain seasons of our lives. But we have the same God on our side that said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and c...