All About God

“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” (Psalm 91:1-2 [HCS])

So often, when we read the Psalms we think something like this, “David was such a faithful man of God.” Or, “David wrote all those psalms, but my life isn’t like that. Real life isn’t like that.” As I read Psalm 91 yesterday, it came to me like it hadn’t in a while, David didn’t write about himself; he wrote about God and how He manifested Himself in his life. When we understand this (the Bible is really all about God), then we can read each psalm looking for how God revealed Himself in that particular situation.

Consider Psalm 91. The first two verses of this psalm are the crux of the psalm. The last three are God’s response to David’s “ah ha.” What did David say about God in verses one and two? He said God is Protector, Most High, Almighty, Refuge, Fortress, and trustworthy. Did you get that? God had revealed Himself to David over his life in these ways and David reminded himself he could trust God because He is the Most High over all things and He is Almighty. Nothing can go against God and defeat Him.

One thing stands out that so often people miss. I’ll admit I missed it until last night. Consider the prepositional phrases of verse one-“under the protection of the Most High,” and “in the shadow of the Almighty”. Consider, too, the subject of the verse. The “one” in this psalm is the child of God. How do we know this? Because God protects him or her. But there is more to the relationship of the child and Father, just as there is in human relationships. God isn’t just Protector. We must, if we truly are children of God, activate the faith we profess (put our faith into action) and be the child of God. Being the child of God means living in relationship with Him. Being in a relationship means being close, not wandering off, not going before or lagging behind because of fear. Living in a relationship is a closeness in location, spirit, emotion, and mind. Does that ring a bell? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is what Moses taught in the Old Testament and Jesus re-iterated in the New Testament.

What does this have to do with Psalm 91, you ask? Everything. Yes, God is Protector, Almighty, and Most High. But, if we are not near Him, if we do not let Him lead us, then we cannot be in His shadow (under His protective watch). Consider shadows in our physical world. If the bird is above the tree, the tree cannot provide a shadow or shade for the bird. If the bird is not near the tree as the sun moves, the sun will not cast the tree’s shadow on the bird to protect it from the heat of the day. Similarly, if we choose not to put our faith into action and be near God in relationship, (location, heart, mind, and spirit), then God’s shadow cannot be our dwelling place, our protection. We can’t live in God’s shadow if we try to live without Him, above Him, or around Him. He must be in His rightful place, above us. “He must increase and I must decrease,” as the disciple, John, said in John 3:30. So this verse says of the “one” who is a child of God, he or she will be “under the protection of the Most High” and “in the shadow of the Almighty” because he or she is in a close, vibrant relationship with God.

Many times in our life, we forget Who is almighty and all-knowing. We forget Who has all-wisdom and is available to be near us if we will draw near to Him. At those times, we drift away from God and His shadow (protection). Not that  God can’t protect us anywhere we are, but when we walk away from God, He doesn’t always chase us to make us return to Him. He calls to us, but His perfect love gives us free will and so He waits for us to return to Him. Does it hurt Him when we get hurt because we walked away from Him? Of course. But any wise parent knows that sometimes a child must learn from experience and God allows experiences to help us grow. He’s always there waiting for us to call to Him, to return to Him. He’s ready to stretch out His wings for us to take refuge. God wants to protect His children from terrors, plagues, pestilence, wickedness, and evil. He won’t force Himself on us. We must want to be in a vibrant relationship with Him and “dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.”

When we “dwell in the shelter of the Almighty,” we will see the hunter’s net fail, the plague slip by, the wicked punished, and God’s angels protect us in all our ways so we receive support, and don’t strike our foot on a stone, and we will defeat lions and snakes. Most importantly, when we choose to live in the shadow of the Most High God, we will devote ourselves to Him and know His name, and He will deliver and protect us. God will answer us when we call to Him. He will be our Protector and Savior, satisfying us with long life with Him.

David learned from God’s response to his own faithfulness to Him that God loves him and would be his Protector. God would provide shelter for David to dwell in His shadow as he lived with Him in a close relationship. He learned God takes care of His children and blesses them, as God stated in verses fourteen through sixteen. This psalm is about God, and it’s about being in a close, faithful relationship with Him. When I ask people if they go to church or know Jesus, I often get the response, “Oh I took care of that a long time ago. God’s got my back.” The problem with this statement is that we do just that. We show God our backs and leave Him behind us. When we leave God behind, we make God irrelevant for us and walk away from a close relationship with Him. We no longer dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. We leave Him back there somewhere.

Do you say “God’s got my back?” Or, is God a very real and vibrant part of your life? Is He as close to you as your next breath? Can you say with David that you “dwell in the shadow of the Almighty?”

“Oh Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name: for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat.” (Isaiah 25:1, 4a [NASB])

Oh Lord, God, You haven’t given up on me. Though I have wandered and walked away sometimes not realizing I left You, You have not given up on me. You wait faithfully for my return. Lord, Your love and grace have upheld me in the past, but I still tend to walk and not realize I’ve left You. Please forgive me for neglecting our relationship. Forgive me for wandering on my own paths. Lord, my life You’ve given to bring You glory and I have failed You many times. Thank you for Your love and forgiveness. Grow me closer to You and to be more like You. Make my life be a testimony about You so that my life is like the Bible, all about You and You alone. Amen.

In Their Words: Jospain's Story

What was life like in your home country?

When I left the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), socio-economic instability and many obstacles affected it. The leaders and government would not allow young people to make use of their potential skills. First, the big issue in my country is the corrupt government. There is no justice or respect of human rights conditions in all the sectors of society. The potential wealth for the country does not trickle down to profit the communities. There are many, many people still living in great poverty. Two mining companies surround some small cities. None of the wealth goes to the local people, but instead to politicians who live the good life. People of the DRC remain poor and affected by diseases caused by air pollution. Towns centers have no good infrastructure at all. Wars and poverty propel people to migrate, searching for a better life. When I left the DRC only the eastern part of the country was experiencing war, but now rebel groups hostile to the government affect all the provinces.

What made you decide to leave your country?   

After I completed grade 12 in school, while in my first year at a university, I requested to join military training. In my country, military service is not compulsory. It’s a job with the poorest wage; even a security guard here has a better life than a soldier in the DRC. A soldier in the DRC can’t survive from his. Sometimes soldiers attack their own people at night to get something from poor people. The government knows of this, but it doesn’t act on it. Since the country was unstable because of rebel groups, the government needed young people to join the army. Before, in my area, young people went for military training voluntarily believing good could come with a high grade in the military as promised by the government. Those young people never returned home, and no one knows their whereabouts. The people heard the young men and women who went were not going through training, but the government sent them straight to the battlefield with no training. After we heard that, the government forced young people to join the military for training with fake promise. The government realized the young people of the country didn’t trust them. These young people were being kidnapped at night or being arrested for wrong reasons to bring them to the battle field in the eastern part of the country. My brother-in-law was working as a secret agent in the government. He advised me to leave the country, so I decided to cross the border to Zambia looking to get to South Africa.

What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

I arrived in South Africa after leaving the DRC. The urban settings are intriguing and very different from my home country. Unlike the government of the DRC, the South African government works, but being a refugee here is a big problem. They make you feel like you are the problem. South Africa has great potential to emerge in the international world. Still, they make it very hard for foreign people, particularly refugees and asylum-seekers, to get access documents (Green ID book, work permit, and residence document). The people who work in the government offices make the process of getting the required documents much longer and more involved. Often, the workers deny you access to the proper channels and documents. In general, South Africans are hostile to foreigners. That makes me feel like the hell in my home country is still with me. Part of that hell stays within me even away from my home country. Still I feel the hell that was at home. Part of that hell stays within you away from home. The xenophobia attacks in 2008, 2012, and 2015 make that hell feel much more real.

In Their Words: Claudine and Mado's Stories

As in the other stories from refugees, Claudine and Mado recall traumatic days. Though their lives and those of their families have been difficult since fleeing their home country of the Democratic Republic if the Congo, they still find hope and joy. Is it possible for each of us to learn something from the lives of refugees about expecting and experiencing God’s hand of protection and provision? Read below and hear the voices of these two women.

Claudine

Question 1: What was life like in your home country?

Life in my country was good until I lost my parents. I had no one to support my studies for a computer degree. I didn’t finish the degree because there was a huge misunderstanding between my parents and their families before they died. Afterward, I was chased from my parent’s house with my young brothers and sisters by our uncles. Fortunately for us, the church that I attended decided to take care of us by arranging for a shelter and our other needs.

Question 2: What made you decide to leave your country?

The reason I left my home country was I was wanted by the government because of the strikes and protests organized by the youth commissions against the war, crime, rape, and killing of the people of the country’s provinces. Some of the organizers were shot and killed by my country’s soldiers. Others escaped to different countries. I was among those who escaped to South Africa. That happened in 2009. My husband followed me to South Africa.

Question 3: What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

Life in South Africa is difficult since I gave birth to my 3 children. My husband works as a car guard in a parking lot and he does not earn much money. I work in the community at the grocery store as a counter hand at the bakery. The pay is very little for surviving, especially since pay day is only at month end. I must think about rent, electricity, water, food, children’s transportation and school fees, and other needs. My husband and I are just working for rent, water, and electricity. Sometimes we struggle for food, but we always survive by the grace of God.

Mado

Question 1: What was life like in your home country?

When we lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the army and prejudiced people would come to my husband and threaten to kill him because his mother was from the Tutsi tribe of Rwanda. They fled Rwanda during the war when he was a child. He grew up in DRC, but still they wanted to kill him. Sometimes when they came to our home to threaten to kill him, they would rape me. I still can’t talk about those times.

Question 2: What made you decide to leave your country?

We came to South Africa because of fear for my husband’s life, fear that I would be raped again, and fear for our six children’s futures. I was a teacher in the DRC. One day we ran for our lives and I did not think to bring my teaching certificates.

Question 3: What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

Now in South Africa, I have 8 children. My children go to a Catholic school and I pay some of the tuition fees by being a volunteer teacher. I also have a tent covering a table from which I sell food in small bags that my countrymen like to eat. I sell this food outside one of the city’s busy train stations. It does not give enough money for us to eat more than one meal a day and to rent one room in an apartment for my whole family of ten people.

Four years ago, a missionary surprised us when she brought food for my whole family to last for a month. On that morning, my children fought over the last tablespoon of porridge. My husband asked, “What are we going to do?” I said, “God will provide.” God provided that very day when the missionary came to our room. She brought a month’s supply of food for all ten of us to eat three times a day.

Conclusion

Mado and Claudine faced atrocities most of us will only ever hear about, but not experience. Their lives are not easier regarding employment and paying for rent, food, and utilities. Claudine and Mado and their families face prejudice and discrimination from the nationals in their adopted countries. Yet, they expect God to intervene for them. These ladies know who the Provider is. Mado and Claudine, too, help their fellow countrymen and woman who are in desperate need by sharing their supplies, too. All the while, they give God glory when He provides in ways each of us take for granted.

In Their Words

What colors and sounds come to mind when you think of fleeing your country in fear and desperation? Are brilliant yellows and glorious greens in your mind’s eye showing you sunny days and prosperity? Do lilting laughter and babbling birds tickle your mind’s ear? Perhaps your mind sees black, gray, and brown making you think of destruction, despair, and decay? Possibly crying and wailing resound like a percussive peal of bells in your mind’s ear from death by starvation or gun fire.

The latter are not the sounds or colors most people hear daily. They are unfathomable to millions of people. People of the world cannot imagine living through these daily cries of horror, pain, and desolation. They cannot comprehend this myriad of mental and physical assaults each day. Still, 20+ million people daily experience this life.

The life of refugees and asylum-seekers occurs because of conflict and environmental disaster. Conflict most often is politically based. It arises from prejudice, greed, selfishness, hatred, and fear. Environmental disasters such as earthquakes, droughts, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and fires cause people to leave their homes and countries, too. For people who exist in these situations, no end to despair seems to exist. With nothing to lose, they flee within moments, days, or weeks of the conflict or natural disaster. Often, they leave with only the clothes they wear, thinking primarily of saving their lives.

These stories do not arise only from one region of the world. They come from around the globe. The media in first-world countries portray most refugees coming from war-torn areas in the Middle-East and in north Africa where religious or political strife causes fear, persecution, and death. Refugees and asylum-seekers come from around the world. After the hurricane in Puerto Rico, the floods in Bangladesh, the tsunami in Indonesia, and other places where catastrophes occurred, people left destitute and un-aided sought rest and help in other countries. They hoped one day to go home.

The stories below form the first of several articles in this series that will reveal to us daily experiences of refugees and asylum-seekers. Refugees wrote their stories in answer to three questions. The names used are pseudonyms to protect the refugees. This interviewer only made grammatical changes to their written answers. The refugees in this article are from central African nations. Three questions were asked of each refugee and asylum-seeker. They were as follows.

1.      What was life like in your home country?

2.      What made you decide to leave your country?

3.      What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

Interviews

Jean Baptiste

Question 1: What was life like in your home country?

Life in Burundi was good before 1993, but after that became worse because of the war.

Question 2: What made you decide to leave your country?

In 2004, I started university studying electrical engineering. By the time I was into my second year there, the rebels came to my school and were forcing everyone to follow them and join the army. I left Burundi and went to Tanzania where I lived in the bush without spare clothes and food. By God’s grace, I managed to communicate with a Tanzanian person and explained to him where and how I was suffering in the bush. He helped me a lot to escape the army by hiding me in his and friends’ houses. They told me someone could take me to Malawi where I could get a small job.

I left Tanzania with no government papers. They helped me cross the border. It was not easy for me in Malawi. Communication was difficult. I sold water and peanuts for food. By God’s mercy, I managed to get a small amount of money. I was living on the street. I met some guys who were going to Mozambique, and I decided to follow them. Mozambique was worse for me because of the Portuguese language.

Question 3: What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

In 2007, I moved to South Africa. I was sleeping under the bridge for three months in the cold. To survive, I begged on the trains. I managed to get a job as a car guard and I was happy to get a small bit of money. [A car guard is an informal guard that sometimes receives tips from the car owners while they shop.] From there I started to communicate with my parents via letters. In their minds, they thought I was no longer on this earth. I did an electrical course and got married. God blessed me with 3 kids. I have a family and friends. I have spiritual parents who are local Baptist missionaries. I am a servant of God as a pastor for other people from Burundi at a Methodist church. I don’t have a job that pays and life has been hard physically and spiritually. I struggle to get government papers from home affairs, first refugee status then work permit. That is the thing that makes me worry most in South Africa. Without papers, I cannot work a regular job.

Alleyah

Question 1: What was life like in your home country?

In my country of Burundi, my life was wonderful. I was a student at university majoring in economics, but after that the war started and everything was ruined.

Question 2: What made you decide to leave your country?

I decided to leave my country because there was no peace. People killed each other because of insecurity. After my brother was killed, I decided to leave my country.

 

Question 3: What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

Oooh, my life here in South Africa is very, very difficult. I have no job. To get a job is a very difficult thing. Sometimes if you get a job, they pay you a small amount because you are a foreigner. Some companies don’t want to hire foreigners so that makes it difficult to get money for rent and food. It is difficult to get the government documents so we can stay here legally and work. Because of these things, we have so many problems here in South Africa.

Pierre

Question 1: What was life like in your home country?

Life is difficult in my home country. Something which makes life very difficult in my home country is poverty. It is not easy to get a job because there are not enough companies where many people can get a job. Even when you get a job, the money you get per day is not enough for all you need. Per day, they pay $1. Imagine if you have a family, how you will be able to feed your family with $1 a day.

Another thing that makes life very difficult is insecurity. Since 1993, there has been no peace in our country because of war. All presidents want to reign many years. That makes the political opposers (rebels) fight to chase away a president who doesn’t want to share the power with others.

The country's economic problems come down to these problems-poverty, insecurity, and war. It's why so many people flee from our country to South Africa where they think life might be very good.

Question 2: What made you decide to leave your country?

In 1994, I left my home country to go to Tanzania, my neighbor country, where I spent fifteen years as a refugee because of war. I started studying in primary school and finished secondary school where I got my degree.

Life was not good because I could have no job in the refugee camp. We were not even allowed to go out of camp to search for something to eat. Although the situation was not good in my home country, I decided to go back home with my brother.

When I returned home in 2009, I got a job in the government because UNHCR (United Nations High Council on Refugees) helped the refugees who repatriated to their country. To get a job in my home country, you have to be a member of the political party that is in power. They forced me to support them but I refused because I remembered what happened in the 1993 war when ten people in my family died because they were in a political party.

After four years back there, I was teaching and they (the president’s supporters) told me to join in their political party in order to make all people love and support their party. It was the president's second round. I refused again to join their party. What happened? They sent five policemen in the night to catch me at me home and they hid me for seven days in an unknown place. My family weren’t happy and went out to search for me, but they didn't find me. The policemen hit me and did anything they wanted.

After seven days, they took me to court and accused me of having five guns in my house. They said I trained people to fight against the government. Immediately, they took me to jail where I stayed imprisoned for seven months. When they called me to court three times, I explained what happened to me and how they did violence to me. The judges listened to me and decided to release me from jail. The government allowed me to continue my daily job with no problem. I continued my job as well as I did before.

Unfortunately, I received three letters warning me to stop teaching otherwise they would cut my head off. I didn't stop teaching. After that, I heard men knock on the door during the night. They wanted to kill me so I opened my back window silently and ran away. I walked all night climbing up the highland to save my life. I passed through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. That’s why I am now in South Africa.

Question 3: What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

My life was not good in my adopted/host country. One year ago, I spent six months without a job. I was not able to pay rent or get money to buy food. I was asking help from everybody, especially Christians in the church, so I could survive.

Another problem I was I was not able to speak English. That means my communication with the citizens of this country was not good. Because of what happened to me in my home country-the violence done to me, I am not able to do hard, physical jobs because my health is not good. I work temporary, part-time to keep my life/health good. Even when I get a job, I only get enough money to pay rent. Sometimes I don’t have money to pay rent and buy food because I am not permanently employed. I am worried about my future!

Conclusion

These refugee stories come from people who fled two countries. They come from at least two different faith backgrounds. Persecution does not occur against only one faith system. Prejudice abounds. In these three stories, each of the people-men and woman-stated war, political corruption, greed, and fear were the motivators for leaving their home countries. They loved their home nations. Each of these refugees/asylum-seekers was in a university or planned to attend one. They were intelligent, contributing members of society, yet they were persecuted.

Race, religion, and intelligence did not define who would experience persecution in these people’s circumstances. Fear by one political group of another caused persecution in these three lives and the lives of their families. Jean Baptiste, Alleyah, and Pierre want to return to their home countries, but for now they cannot. Fear of persecution and death by the reigning political party cautions their decision-making.

How should we respond to these three people and others like them who fled their countries to protect their lives? How do many people respond to them? We must remember, refugees and asylum-seekers are not a “them.” They are “us”, humans seeking safety for them and their families, hope for the future, peace, and a chance to contribute positively in the world. Refugees, generally, are not a threat, but a people needing help because of horrific circumstances before and appalling situations afterwards. What we do when they seek to preserve their lives determines what most defines us. Will we be compassionate or merciless while striving for our own self-interests? Our self-interests should be united with our care of all people. When we do not care, we withhold and suppress one of the greatest parts of who we are, a part of what makes us human and not an animal. Compassion, care, mercy, and love comprise the greatest part of our human-ness.

When a person or people group faces mass conflict that seeks to destroy lives for personal gain, prejudice, or power, people should respond by giving assistance and relief. When natural disasters cause people to face starvation, thirst, disease, and exposure to severe weather elements, humanity should respond with compassion, mercy, and love in tangible ways. Instead of these catastrophic experiences dividing humanity into “us” and “them,” it should cause a greater bond to occur and create a “we” who unite for our brothers and sisters. Whether you are Christian or follow another faith system, we each understand these words written by Paul. What he said is written in our beings; we each seek love and relationship. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, & 13 [NASB],

Love is patient.

Love is kind and is not jealous.

Love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly.

It does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is love.

Conspire, Contempt, or Confidence: A Psalm 2 Devotional

“How blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” Psalm 2:12b

From the Bible’s beginning in Genesis 1 and 2, we hear of God’s plan for a Savior of humankind. David was familiar with this. He advanced God’s plan for a Messiah - a King and the Son of God, in Psalm 2. For David, the Messiah, presented in first and second person, is the bringer of judgment and refuge. He exemplifies the other side of God’s righteousness – justice.

David experienced non-Hebrew nations’ rulers and kings’ conspiring to usurp God’s decrees. These rulers felt His decrees were bondage and chains and they stood against Him. God, from His throne, with this prophecy, declared through David His contempt for them with laughter and scoffing. He told of His anger and consuming fury terrifying the rebellious people.

God told David’s hearers and readers a greater King than earthly kings reigns. He installed His King on Zion, then Jerusalem and His heavenly home, the New Jerusalem upon Christ’s return. God gave as His King’s possession the nations to the very ends of the earth. His anointed King has dominion over earthly leaders. This King shall break with His strength the rebellious nations. He will shatter them until they become dispersed among all the peoples of the earth and have no nation to which to be a citizen. Just as the Father, Son, and Spirit created humanity from the earth, the anointed King of God can smash and shatter the earthenware, humanity made from earth.

David spoke to the rebellious kings and judges and to every person of all time. He commanded:

·         Show discernment. (to the kings) – have insight into who you are and Who God is and be prudent.

·         Take warning. (to the judges) – receive this instruction and chastening from God.

·         Worship the Lord with reverence. (all people) Reverence is mental and heart action. It comes from fear and respect of God due to His great might and knowledge – Who He is – and because of His love of all people.

·         Rejoice with trembling. (all people) Trembling is a physical reaction. It comes from fear and awe of God – Who He is, what He’s done, and what He can do.

·         Do homage. (all people) Homage is an intentional public physical action. It is bowing or kneeling before God. Homage gives special honor and respect publicly.

Much better than these commands, David reveals the covenant God has with His people who worship, praise, and honor Him. He cried out, “How blessed (happy) are all who take refuge in Him!” The Messiah redeems the souls of these people and saves them from condemnation – eternal separation from God (Psalm 34:22).

What David proclaimed about God’s anger against the kings, rulers, and judges who schemed to rebel against God, applies to each of us today. Whenever we rebel against God and His truths, we become like those rebellious leaders. God laughs in contempt at us for daring to think we could overrule and overpower Him and His decrees. We are just earthen vessels, whereas He is the Creator. God condemns rebels with His burning fury and wrath. He destroys them. The LORD's provision of His Son as the sacrifice for our sins means we will not receive eternal punishment and separation from Him.  God made Him our refuge from eternal punishment, and from temptation and sin. We can worship God with reverence and rejoice with trembling when we have a relationship with Him that recognizes His greatness and love and our finiteness and sin. When we come before the Lord with this kind of relationship – as our Refuge, Savior, and King – then we understand and gladly show homage to Him.

To which do you relate -

conspiring against God, 

contempt of God, or 

the confidence of God as His child?

I Will Arise

"Now I will arise, says the Lord, because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy. I will set him in safety and the salvation for which he pants." - Psalm 12:5 (AMP)

"Unless the Lord had been my help, I would soon have dwelt in the land of silence. When I said, 'My foot is slipping' Your mercy and lovingkindness, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my anxious thoughts, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul." -Psalm 94:17-19 (AMP)

In the midst of my anxious thoughts, O Lord, remind me of who You've been and who You've promised to be for Your children. You will arise and be victorious.

Because of this, I do not need to be afraid or anxious. When I'm afraid, I can trust in You. Help me trust, remember, and have faith in You as I recall Your words from Phillipian 4:6, "Do not fret or be anxious about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants and needs known to God."

Lord, take the pain of my anxiousness and turn it to thanksgiving and joy because I know You are in control and You are the Protector, Refuge, and Strong Tower of Your children. Thank you for what You are going to do.

Blessed with Forgiveness and Victory: A Psalm 32 Devotional

[David speaks to hearers and himself]

¹How blessed is he whose wrongdoing and rebellion against God is forgiven, whose sin is covered!

²How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not count offense and guilt, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!

³When I kept silent about my sin, my body wore out through my distress crying all day long.

[David speaks to God]

⁴For day and night, Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the drought of summer. <Selah>

⁵I confessed my sin to You and my offense and guilt I did not hide. I said, “I will confess my wrongdoing to the Lord,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. <Selah>

[David’s lesson to hearers and himself]

⁶Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found (before the end times, while God still offers grace and forgiveness to humankind); surely in a flood of great waters [great troubles and dangers] they will not reach him.

[David speaks to God]

⁷You are my hiding place;

You preserve (watch over and keep) me from trouble;

You surround me with songs of deliverance. <Selah>

[God speaks to hearers]

⁸I will instruct you to understand wisely and direct/point you in the way in which you should go. I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

⁹Do not be as the horse or mule, which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near you.

[David speaks to hearers and himself]

¹⁰Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the LORD [for his strength and safety from temptation and sin], lovingkindness shall surround him.

¹¹Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you blameless ones, and shout for joy all you who are upright in heart.

(My interpretation from the Hebrew)

In these verses, David stated God blesses a person when He forgives his or her wrongdoing and rebellion against Him. Have you ever considered God’s forgiveness a blessing?

In today’s world, many people do not acknowledge God and, thus, do not ask forgiveness from their Creator. Sin is rebellion against the Creator and His laws. Since God created all people, sin against the Creator affects the one who sins. Sinning creates dissonance in relationships and within one’s self. A rift occurs and disharmony happens. David said it well in verse three when he said, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wore out through my distress-crying all day long.” David said his distress - his guilt - about his sin wore him out and exhausted him.

Because sin affects all parts of our lives, God’s forgiveness is very important. God’s forgiveness gives relief and creates anew the person’s relationship with God, other people, nature and him or herself. His forgiveness removes guilt. Forgiveness from God is a blessing.

After David experienced God’s forgiveness and release from guilt, he encouraged every person to seek God while they still had time before God’s kingdom reigned. After the time of the Messiah’s return, it would be too late for anyone to seek and receive God’s forgiveness. That would be the time of judgment. David spoke of his sin, confession, and release from guilt with God’s forgiveness. He encouraged people to seek God, experience release from sin and guilt, and gain new vitality in life by confessing and receiving God’s forgiveness.

·         David spoke to God and praised Him because of His forgiveness. He explained to people that they could have God’s

Ø  presence,

Ø  power, and

Ø  strength

before they sinned and experienced the guilt from sin.

·         David said God was his hiding place.

Ø  He could run to Him and

Ø  hide from the temptations that could trip him.

·         David said God was his guard who kept His heart from trouble.

Ø  He could count on God to keep temptation away so he would not sin.

·         David’s final thought was that he could remember how God protected and saved him from temptation and sin in the past and

Ø  choose to be strong and rely on the LORD again to keep away from temptation and sin in the present time.

Each of these things required David’s will to join with God’s will.

Ø  David had to choose and rely on God to be his guard.

Ø  He had to choose to run to God to hide against temptation.

Ø  David had to intentionally recall and rely upon what God did for him in the past and knew He would do for him at that time, too.

Should that not be enough, God responded to David. He told him He would

Ø  instruct him,

Ø  make him wise to understand, and

Ø  direct him.

God’s instruction was the preemptive side of avoiding temptation and sin. Making David wise came from instruction and living. Making wise is part preemptive and part practical learning applied from the past. The other, letting God direct David, was a present tense action of the will. David had to choose intentionally to follow God’s direction. He was not to be like the mule and horse that required a bridle all the time. Instead, David was to learn from experience and God’s teaching to know God’s will so He would not have to bridle him physically with closed doors and windows.

God expects His children to listen, learn, and obey His will and His best choices for them. He expects them to rely upon His strength and security for them. God expects His people to remember who He has been for them so they can stand strong against temptation to sin in the present. Each of these come from instruction, wisdom, and guidance in the past and present to be used in the present and future.

David said those who trust in the LORD for His strength and security, will have His lovingkindness surround them. God will envelope them in His love, mercy, and forgiveness. The wicked will grieve, but the one who trusts in the LORD will rejoice, just as the one whom God forgives rejoices at the blessing of receiving God’s forgiveness.

David exhorted the people of God not to be too late to receive God’s forgiveness, not to wait until the time of judgment. Instead, he encouraged them to confess and receive God’s forgiveness now, to bask in His love and mercy. Better yet, David taught the people how to avoid the pitfalls of temptation and sin.

Ø  Learn from, grow wise, and follow God.

Ø  Intentionally accept what He has to teach and instruct you.

Ø   Actively apply the learning and wisdom by following God’s leading and direction.

When you do this, you will not fall prey to temptation and sin.

This lesson is not just for Old Testament people. God gives His children a Helper now who also teaches, gives wisdom, and helps people to remember all Jesus said and what God has done (John 14:26). This message of David’s is for each of God’s children throughout time.

As Christians today, we can have access to God’s power and strength to be our hiding place and guard against temptation. We also have our remembrances of God working to defend us to keep us strong against temptation. These are defensive weapons. Besides these, God said He will give us wisdom and teaching to empower us against temptation. He said He would give us direction on how to use them and overcome temptation. These are offensive weapons. These offensive and defensive weapons against temptation and sin come through Christ’s Holy Spirit.

When we fall to temptation, God blesses us with forgiveness, love, and mercy when we confess and seek Him. He has a plan because He gave humankind free will to choose whom to follow – Him or themselves. God knows our weaknesses and provides mercy and love through forgiveness for those who confess their sins. Non-Christians can receive God’s blessing of forgiveness, too. When they call on the Lord as Savior, they can have God’s teaching, wisdom, and direction to fight temptation and sin, too.

Notice either way, whether with or without sin, if we go humbly before the LORD God, He will show His love and mercy to us. God will bless us with defensive and offensive weapons. At any time, then, we can do as David instructed. We can be glad in the LORD, and rejoice and shout for joy because God is greater than temptation, sin, and Satan. He wins in the end and we can have His power to overcome in our lives now.

Are you a non-believer who wants to receive forgiveness for your wrongdoing and rebellion against God? Come to Him confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Savior and God will bless you with forgiveness. He will teach you and give you wisdom. God will give you direction and lead you as you fight temptation and sin.

Are you a Christian who has fallen to temptation and sinned? God waits to bless you with forgiveness. He wants to share His love, kindness, and mercy with you. God wants to prepare you to fight this battle. He wants to provide a refuge and keep you safe. God wants you to remember He is for you and loves you. He will provide victory over temptation now and over death.

Whether you are a new believer, a Christian working in a secular job, or a full time Christian service worker, God wants you to be glad, rejoice, and shout for joy because you have beaten temptation and sin with His power and strength, and knowledge and wisdom. He wants to bless you with forgiveness.

How long has it been since you sought God’s forgiveness?

How long as it been since you have let God empower you and fight your battles?

Maybe it is time for you to hear this message from David.