Although it is unlikely that you will ever have a “hit” taken out on your life, chances are there will be people in your life from time to time who will try to assassinate your character and ruin your reputation. When that happens, you can reach back to David’s experience in Psalm 59 and, if nothing else, remember this one thing: Though people can kill your body, assassinate your character, and ruin your reputation, they can never steal your song. At the end of the day, evil people will be no more, but your integrity will keep you in favored standing with the only One who has the power of eternal life and death.
From the category archives:
Psalms
President Abraham Lincoln was once asked during the Civil War if he believed that God was on his side. His response was one that we would all do well to think about, since it represents the only true guarantee of Divine help and victory. Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” If we’re on God’s side, we cannot fail. If we’re on God’s side then God will be on our side, and our victory is guaranteed.
The psalmist thought the place of Israel’s worship, Jerusalem and the tabernacle, was a pretty special place. God thought so, too. But since the tabernacle no longer exists, does God care about a physical place of worship? I think so. The church is still a wonderful place to come and meditate on God’s unfailing love, just as the tabernacle was to the psalmist thousands of years ago. In light of that, I would encourage you to add a new dimension to your regular routine of worship—as if worship should ever be routine! Not only should you actively fellowship with God’s saints in the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), but make it your practice to slip into your church’s prayer room or sanctuary often for a time of simple solitude and quiet meditation. It can be with other people present, or just go in when you are alone and give it try it. Just sit and soak in the presence of God, and quietly reflect on who he is and what he had done. Do it often, and see if you don’t grow in your appreciation for the house of God, and more importantly, for the unfailing love of the Lord of the church.
Recent surveys indicate fewer Americans are claiming the Christian faith as their own. However, the bigger concern is that more and more people who claim faith are actually choosing to live their lives as if there were no God. How sad! What that means is they have no true and unchanging source of Authority to live by. There is no Creator who exercises loving control over their existence. They have no daily Source of guidance beyond the prevailing but fickle winds of current culture. They have no Redeemer to rescue them from their sin nature. They cannot turn to a Provider to meet their needs for daily sustenance, comfort for sorrow, protection from the devourer, and significance for an otherwise brief and meaningless existence. And maybe most dreadful of all, they have no sense of security for what happens after this life is through.
From your current view of the world, there may not be much to sing about. The global economy is in shambles and no one seems to know what to do. The prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East seems next to impossible, and no one seems to know how to fix it. Terrorism threatens to encircle the planet, and no one seems to know how to stop it. People are scared, confused and directionless, and no one has an answer. And the things you had counted on for stability, security and satisfaction in your own life may seem, at best, tenuous. So why not sing! I mean, God is still the King! He still rules over the nations. Nothing that is going on in our world, or in your life, for that matter, has unseated him from his holy throne. The upheaval we’re facing on earth hasn’t caused worry, fear, and instability in heaven. Things are going according to plan—so why not sing!
