The Lord is With Me
“Who deserves our utmost trust – men and women with credentials behind their names, or the One who unconditionally loves us, protects us, and saves us from our own devices?”
Psalm 118:1-9 (ESV)
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
Reflection
“His steadfast love endures forever” (verse 2). What a powerful statement! The writer of this joyful psalm is praising and thanking God and encouraging all of Israel to do the same. Not only is God eternally faithful in His love for us, He is also by our side and helps us when we are in distress, when we are fearful, and when we are confronted by those who despise us. The psalm writer also stresses that we should “take refuge in the Lord” (verse 9) and trust Him over people.
Several years ago, while on vacation, my husband and I hired a sailboat captain to take us out for a few hours. The captain told us his boat engine was not working, so he would have to rely on wind power to get us back to the dock. Even though we didn’t know this man and his boat was without a working engine, we were willing to trust him with our lives, just because he advertised himself as a professional and we had read some good reviews about his services. But the truth is, every time we get on a city bus, take an ocean cruise, allow a surgeon to operate on us, or hire an Uber driver, we are trusting other people with our lives, with little or no proof of their qualifications or simply because of the credentials behind their names!
Yet, sometimes, even with His inconceivable and impeccable qualifications, God does not receive the unwavering trust He deserves from us. Why is that? I know there have been times in my life when I thought I had my situation under control because I knew better than anyone what was best for me. Looking back on some of the situations I have faced, I now realize I would have been much better off if I had turned my fate over to God and relied on His expertise to see me through my difficulty. I’m sure we have all felt this way at some point in our lives.
Who deserves our utmost trust – men and women with credentials behind their names, or the One who unconditionally loves us, protects us, and saves us from our own devices? Just like Moses, Rahab, Peter, and the other world changers who felt unqualified to be called by God, we need to trust that our Lord and Savior knows what He is doing when He calls us to action on His behalf.
Action Steps
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for You and for Your steadfast love that endures forever. Thank You for keeping me safe and for always being on my side. I want to take refuge in You, Lord, trusting You above anyone else. To You I give all the glory. Amen.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
Reflection
“His steadfast love endures forever” (verse 2). What a powerful statement! The writer of this joyful psalm is praising and thanking God and encouraging all of Israel to do the same. Not only is God eternally faithful in His love for us, He is also by our side and helps us when we are in distress, when we are fearful, and when we are confronted by those who despise us. The psalm writer also stresses that we should “take refuge in the Lord” (verse 9) and trust Him over people.
Several years ago, while on vacation, my husband and I hired a sailboat captain to take us out for a few hours. The captain told us his boat engine was not working, so he would have to rely on wind power to get us back to the dock. Even though we didn’t know this man and his boat was without a working engine, we were willing to trust him with our lives, just because he advertised himself as a professional and we had read some good reviews about his services. But the truth is, every time we get on a city bus, take an ocean cruise, allow a surgeon to operate on us, or hire an Uber driver, we are trusting other people with our lives, with little or no proof of their qualifications or simply because of the credentials behind their names!
Yet, sometimes, even with His inconceivable and impeccable qualifications, God does not receive the unwavering trust He deserves from us. Why is that? I know there have been times in my life when I thought I had my situation under control because I knew better than anyone what was best for me. Looking back on some of the situations I have faced, I now realize I would have been much better off if I had turned my fate over to God and relied on His expertise to see me through my difficulty. I’m sure we have all felt this way at some point in our lives.
Who deserves our utmost trust – men and women with credentials behind their names, or the One who unconditionally loves us, protects us, and saves us from our own devices? Just like Moses, Rahab, Peter, and the other world changers who felt unqualified to be called by God, we need to trust that our Lord and Savior knows what He is doing when He calls us to action on His behalf.
Action Steps
- Think about all the people you put your trust in. Then think about whether or not you put that same level of trust in God. If you notice you tend to trust man more than God, invite Him to start showing you ways you can grow your trust in Him.
- During your next prayer time, acknowledge the two proclamations from Psalm 118, verses 1 and 8, as affirming praise to our Father.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for You and for Your steadfast love that endures forever. Thank You for keeping me safe and for always being on my side. I want to take refuge in You, Lord, trusting You above anyone else. To You I give all the glory. Amen.
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