A Happy Hiding Place

Do you take comfort in the fact that God protects you and watches over you? Do you take joy in the fact that God cares about you? Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in the troubles of life and forget that we have God to take refuge in.

David says in Psalms 5:11, "Let all who take refuge in you be glad and ever sing for joy." In the protection of God is just a great place to be. It doesn't mean that the good times are going to roll non-stop, or that you'll always have everything you want, but you'll know that God is watching over you. That's more comfort than any thing or other person could provide.

Psalms 5:12 continues with "Surely you bless the righteous and surround them with your favor like a shield." God's favor is a pretty tough shield. There's not anything you could do that could protect you more. God loves you and He'll protect you. What an awesome reassurance we have!

Gentle Joy and Peace

Does you have joy in everything you do? Think back to the last time you did something you know you shouldn't have; did that bring true joy to you, or did it drag you down? How long did it take you to get back up, or are you still struggling? Philippians 4:4-5 tells us God is near, and we should rejoice in Him always. Can you rejoice in the Lord while doing something that drags you down spiritually?

Then, after you realize that you've sinned yet again, you wring your hands and worry; you worry about getting caught, worry about whether or not God will forgive you yet again, worry that it won't be the last time. But Philippians 4:6-7 tells us not to worry about anything, but to talk to God about everything and His peace will guard our hearts and minds. His peace will be our shield if we'll stop worrying and just turn our problems over to God.

The last two verses of this section, Philippians 4:8-9, then gives us the most simplified version of everything that the entire Bible contains and teaches. If we all practiced just these two verses, and truly lived by them, we would have nothing to worry about. I love the last sentence there, "And the God of peace will be with you." Not "He might be" or "He'll occasionally be", but "He will be".

If you're having problems, struggling with addiction, or you've got worries weighing you down, I would encourage you to write down these verses somewhere where you'll always see them or commit them to memory. When Satan comes to try to drag you back into sin, into worry, or take away your joy, repeat them to yourself. It's a promise in the Word of God, and you can count on it in your life.

Assumptions

We all make them from time to time, and oddly enough, no matter how often they're wrong, we continue to make them. This is a problem that has been repeating itself from the time of Adam, when God said, "If you eat of this tree you will die." Eve assumed God was wrong on the word of the serpent, Adam assumed God was wrong on the word of Eve, and the pattern with man has continued every since.

We find in Genesis 20 the story of Abraham, and another clear example of a wrong assumption. Genesis 20:1-2 reveals to us the plot of the story: Abraham says Sarah is his sister, and the king takes her for his wife. Genesis 20:3-9 continues the story, how God came to the king and the king calls Abraham to him. Genesis 20:10-11 brings us to the point where Abraham is faced with the truth of his assumption.

The king asks Abraham, "Why did you do this?", and Abraham honestly replies, "I thought that there was no fear of God here." We saw in Genesis 20:5-6 that Abimelech had not intended any wrong in taking another man's wife, and God had protected him from any sin in his ignorance. We have no indicator as to why Abraham might have thought the place might be ungodly, but Abraham's assumption brought a king to the brink of destruction.

How often do we just make an assumption and act on it without any second thought, prayer, or questioning? We can see what a dangerous thing it is to make assumptions; how that not only ourselves, but many others as well can be affected by our assumptions. So, let's look at what we're doing and examine our thoughts closely before we act outside the will of God.

Dwelling with God

What are the advantages to living close to God? Too often, we "serve" God from habit, or we only serve God when we can clearly see that it's beneficial to us. However, serving God is always beneficial to us. In Psalms 5:4-6 we find that no evil person can be close to God.

David says in Psalms 5:7 how we are to approach God. First, David recognizes God's complete control. It is only by God's mercy that we are allowed to approach Him. Second, David shows humility in bowing down. Bowing down is an outward way to show servitude to another. This is how we should always approach God: recognizing His supreme authority and showing our humility in service to Him.

Then, after showing the manner in which he has approached God, David makes his request in Psalms 5:8. David asks for only one thing: guidance. He asks God to lead him. He doesn't try to tell God where he wants to go. He doesn't ask God to lead him to a particular place. He just asks God to lead him and leaves the destination up to God.

These are two of the greatest advantages of serving God: protection and guidance. By living close to God at all times, we know that we are protected from evil; we're protected by God because in His presence no evil can dwell. By living close to God at all times, we are able to follow Him where He leads us. There is nothing more important in our lives than following God's will.

Treasure Hunting

I've seen many times on the beach men walking along with metal detectors for hours up and down the beach. I've never seen one of them find anything of value, yet they persistently walk in unique patterns trying to cover every square inch of the ground. On occasion, the detector will give a beep, and the treasure hunter will excitedly drop to his knees and dig up some small metal object from the sand. Disappointedly, they reveal a pop tab or some other refuse left on the beach by some person too lazy to take it to the trash bin.

Proverbs 2:1-5 gives us a spiritual parallel to this search for treasure: a search for wisdom. Proverbs 2:4-5 says that if we look for it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, we will be rewarded with finding the true treasure of understanding and knowledge. What greater thing could we seek? What other thing could we search for with a guarantee that we will find what we're looking for and not be disappointed.

Proverbs 2:6-9 says that God gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He grants those who seek Him victory and protection. Let us all seek the wisdom that comes from God. Let us all look for His wisdom in the same manner that those treasure hunters on the beach look for their earthly treasure: with enthusiasm and resolve. We know that we will find what we're looking for, unlike the beach treasure hunter, we should have even more enthusiasm than they do!

Running and Singing

Merry Christmas to all the readers who find themselves faithful in the study of God's word! Let's remember the reason we celebrate this season: God our Heavenly Father sent His Son down to earth to teach us and ultimately become our final sacrifice for sin. Let us give thanks this Christmas that we can have salvation because of the birth that we now celebrate.

In Psalms 3:1-2 we see that David is being pursued by Absalom, his rebellious son. During this troubling time, we see that David is writing a song of prayer to the Lord. He doesn't start out with a complaint; he doesn't start out with a praise. He starts out by just telling God what's going on in his life. He doesn't make any bones about it, he just states the facts -- "God, I've got a lot of enemies here, and they're saying you won't deliver me."

Once David has told God what's going on, he makes a statement in submission and worship of God. Psalms 3:3-6 shows David's trust in God, and makes a massive statement about his past experiences with God's grace -- "You protect me, comfort me, and when I talk to you, you answer. I can sleep easy knowing I'm in your hands. I won't be afraid no matter how many people come after me." David doesn't say "you give me everything I ask for." He just puts his trust in God's protection and comfort, knowing that God is listening, and that God will answer.

Now that David has told God what's going on in his life, and he's let God know that he recognizes that his life is totally in His hands, Psalms 3:7-8 outlines David's request to God -- "Deliver me from my enemies, because only you can. Bless your people." Even in David's request to the Lord, the attitude of submission remains. When we pray, is this the attitude we bring to the altar with us? Do we submit ourselves to God completely? I know often I find myself demanding things from God, and I have to humble myself and say "not my will, but yours".

As we celebrate the birth and life of Christ today and throughout the new year, let's keep a humble spirit. We are the temple of the Lord. You wouldn't go to your friend's house and demand that he do something for you. You are God's house; be reverent to Him, you're just a guest in your body. Let's all pray with the spirit of David -- "God, I'd like your help and deliverance, but I'm in your hands."

The Later Glory of the Victory

How often do we go about complaining because of the hard time our family is having? How often do we blame God or question His will because some thing has come up that seems like it's just too hard to bear? 1 Samuel 23 gives us an example where the Lord used the enemies of David attacking the Israelites in order to save David's life. The chapter starts with the Philistines attacking a town called Keilah, and David asks God if he should go and fight them, and God instructs him to save Keilah. So, David follows the instruction of the Lord, and he wins a great victory (1 Samuel 23:1-5).

Saul, the current king, has been trying to kill David, and he sees this as an opportunity, since the city apparently was walled and gated (1 Samuel 23:7). However, the Lord had anointed David to be king, and David was in the will of God in saving the city of Keilah. So Saul here is not fighting a battle against David, but really he's fighting against God. David prays again, and God instructs him to leave the city (1 Samuel 23:10-12). Now remember, the king should have been protecting his people, but instead, he was more worried about killing God's anointed; God's anointed was protecting the people.

So we see toward the end of the chapter that Saul finally almost catches up to David, but God steps in and brings the Philistines back into the picture when a messenger comes to Saul in urgency that they are "raiding the land". Apparently, the part of the land that they were raiding was important enough to Saul for him to turn back to go fight them this time, and David was able to escape. So God used the very thing that David had won the victory over to cause Saul to stumble in his pursuit of David. If we are in the will of God, He can deliver us from one enemy using another one we've already beaten. We need to be sure to get the victory over our enemies when God leads us, so that He can use that for His glory on down the road.