Saturday, May 31, 2014

EARTHLY WISDOM VS. GOD'S WISDOM

A SHIPWRECK MOTIVATES SUCCESS
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)

In 1845 Royal Navy Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin and 138 specially chosen officers and men left England to find the Northwest Passage. They sailed in two three-masted ships with the daunting names the Erebus (the dark place, according to Greek mythology, through which souls pass on their way to Hades) and the Terror. Each ship was equipped with an auxiliary steam engine and a twelve-day supply of coal, should steam power be needed sometime during the anticipated two- to three-year voyage. But instead of loading additional coal, each ship made room for a 1,200-volume library, an organ, and full, elegant place settings for all--china, cut-glass goblets, and sterling flatware. The officers' sterling was of especially grand Victorian design, with the individual officers' family crests and initials engraved on the heavy handles. "The technology of the Franklin expedition," says Annie Dillard, "... was adapted only to the conditions in the Royal Navy officers' clubs in England. The Franklin expedition stood on its dignity."

(Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk, Chapter 1, “An Expedition to the Pole” (New York: Harper & Row, 1988), p. 24).

The only clothing which these proud Englishmen took on the expedition were the uniforms and greatcoats of Her Majesty’s Navy. The ships sailed off amidst imperial pomp and glory. Two months later a British whaler met the two ships in the Lancaster Sound, and reports were carried back to England of the expedition’s high spirits. He was the last European to see them alive.

Search parties funded by Lady Jane Franklin began to piece together a tragic history from information gathered from Inuit. Some had seen men pushing a wooden boat across the ice. Others had found a boat, perhaps the same boat, and the remains of thirty-five men at a place now named Starvation Cove. Another thirty bodies were found in a tent at Terror Bay. Simpson Strait had yielded an eerie sight--three wooden masts of a ship protruding through the ice.

For the next twenty years, search parties recovered skeletons from the frozen waste. Twelve years later, it was learned that Admiral Franklin had died aboard ship. The remaining officers and crew had decided to walk for help. Accompanying one clump of bodies were place settings of sterling silver flatware bearing the officers’ initials and family crests. The officers’ remains were still dressed in their fine, buttoned blue uniforms, some with silk scarves in place.

The Franklin Expedition was a monumental failure by all estimations. It was foolishly conceived, planned, equipped, and carried out. The expedition itself accomplished absolutely nothing. Yet it is universally agreed that it was the turning point in Arctic exploration.

The mystery of the expedition’s disappearance and its fate attracted so much attention in Europe and the United States that no less than thirty ships made extended journeys in search of the answer. In doing so, they mapped the Arctic for the first time, discovered the Northwest Passage, and developed a technology suitable to Arctic rigor. It was upon the shipwreck of Rear Admiral Franklin’s “wisdom” that Amundsen would one day stand victorious at the South Pole and Perry and Henson at the North. Similarly, the shipwreck of worldly wisdom ought to motivate us to seek wisdom from above, so we can wisely navigate through life.

[Day Otis Kellogg, ed., The Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 9, Ninth Edition (New York: The Werner Company, 1898), pp. 719–722.]

Friday, May 30, 2014

HOW TO HAVE VICTORY OVER YOUR MIND

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8 ESV)

Our mind and its imaginations get us into alot of trouble.  This is the place where much sin abides.  It is the place of which we need to gain control. It is a war zone of many lies and must be brought under the dominion and power of The Lord Jesus Christ.

Instead of true, honorable, just, pure and lovely thougths - we have just the opposite.

Here's what the Bible teaches that we need to do about our thought life -

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ESV)

It is so important to God that we use our power of imagination rightly.

What Does The Bible Say About Imaginations?

1. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 ESV)

The result?  God destroyed the world with a flood.  Man's corrupted imagination caused the face of the entire earth to be changed.

2. GEN 8:21 ... Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart {is} evil from his youth;... (NKJ)

3. The next tragedy to strike the human race was the confusion of the spoken language.  Men were building the Tower of Babel, and God spoke...

    "...now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. (7) "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language...." (Genesis 11:6-7 NKJ)

4. PRO 6:16 These six {things} the Lord hates, yes, seven {are} an abomination to Him: ... an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations.

5.   JER 23:17 They continually say to those who despise Me, `The Lord has said, "You shall have peace"'; and to everyone who walks according to the imagination of his own heart, `No evil shall come upon you.'" (NKJ)

God's answer - JER 23:24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?" says the Lord; "do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the Lord. (NKJ)

ROM 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in {their} knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; (NKJ)

God Wants To Abide Within Our Thoughts...

The following are a few of the scriptures which make it clear that Christians are responsible for thoughts that come to their minds for any length of time:

1. PSA 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; (NKJ)

2. MAT 9:4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? (NKJ)

3. ROM 8:6 For to be carnally minded {is} death, but to be spiritually minded {is} life and peace. (NKJ)

4. PHIl 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (NKJ)

5. TITUS 1:15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. (NKJ)

6. EZEK11:5 ...for I know the things that come into your mind. (NKJ)

GOD HAS GIVEN US AUTHORITY OVER OUR THOUGHT LIFE... WE MUST EXERCISE IT.

ROM 14:12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (NKJ)

Our Problem...

ROM 8:7 Because the carnal mind {is} enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. (NKJ)

2 THESS 2:2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. (NKJ)

Three Challenges Peter Gives Concerning Our Minds - 1 Peter 1:13

1 PET 1:13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest {your} hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (NKJ)

NASB - Therefore gird up your minds for action...

To this point Peter has been talking about the greatness and the glory which the Christians can look forward to: but we cannot live just in the dreams of the future.  We must be ever ready for this present battle.

1. He tells them to “gird up the loins of their minds" 

Or as the NASB puts it "to gird up their minds for action."

This is a vivid phrase.  In the east, men wore long flowing robes which hindered fast progress or strenuous action.  Around their waist they wore a broad belt or girdle; and when strenuous action was necessary, they shortened the long robe by pulling it up within the belt in order to give them freedom of movement.

Peter is telling his people that they must be ready for the most strenuous mental endeavors.  They must never be content with a flabby and unexamined mind. They must set to think things out and think them through.

It may be that we will have to discard some things.  It may be that we will make mistakes.  But as we strive to have the "mind of Christ," (Philippians 2:5), our hearts and minds will be "guarded" through the power of Jesus Himself (Philippians 4:7)

"gird up: gr. "be prepared" (prepare yourself)

"loins of your MIND" - gr. faculty of your understanding, feelings and desires.

This same Greek word is used in:

MAT 22:37 Jesus said to him, " `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your MIND.' (NKJ)

EPH 1:18 the eyes of you UNDERSTANDING being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (NKJ)

PHI 2:5 Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (NKJ)

II. He tells them to be sober.

The Greek has two meanings like the English.
1- refrain from drunkenness
2- be steady in your minds

As we  must not be intoxicated with intoxicating liquor, we must not have intoxicating thoughts.  We must keep a balance in our thought life.

"sober" - gr. used 6x's in the NT - "calm, collected in spirit.

Barnes - sober - "A man who follows sound reason, not under the control of passions.  The idea is that he should have his desires and passions well regulated.  he should be prudent."

III. He tells them to completely fix their hope on the grace to be brought to them at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It is a great characteristic of the Christian that He lives in hope; and because He lives in hope he can endure struggle and hardship... if he is certain that it is leading somewhere.

Notice These Scriptures In Closing...

ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what {is} that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJ)

EPH 4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (NKJ)

1 COR 2:16 For "Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (NKJ)

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

DEALING WITH STRIFE AND CONTENTION

The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. (Proverbs 17:14 ESV)

It is inevitable in life - you will have strife with someone at sometime or another.  Whether it be a family member or a fellow employee or your neighbor - you will have times and seasons of disagreement that will sometimes escalate in some way or another.

The Hebrew word translated "strife" or "contention" occurs some fifteen times in the book of Proverbs and describes the kind of person who is apt to cause an argument or a conflict, one who is predisposed to quarreling or dispute. In short, it describes a person who is disagreeable, who has not learned to disagree without being disagreeable.

Proverbs 17:14 reads, "The beginning of strife is like letting out water..." Strife, then, is similar to a tiny hole in a dam releasing only a small trickle of water that gets bigger and bigger. The nature of contention is to move from "trickles to torrents!" 

[Three things can be said of a trickle that becomes a torrent: It lets out more water than is possible to predict, it lets out more water than is possible to control, and it lets out more water than is ever possible to retrieve.]

What then, should we do when a quarrel arises? The second half of Proverbs 17:14 gives a terse answer, " ... quit the quarrel before it breaks out." 

So, how do we deal with strife and quarreling?

First, We Can Banish The Contender.

Proverbs 22:10 teaches that if the troublemaker is removed, the trouble also leaves. 

Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. (Proverbs 22:10 ESV)

Second, We Can starve a Quarrel to Death.

Proverbs 26:20-21 teaches us that strife ceases when people stop talking controversy. 

For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. (Proverbs 26:20, 21 ESV)

When does strife cease? When people stop talking. Just like fire can't burn where there is no wood, so strife can't continue where there are no talebearers. When gossip comes to you, refuse to listen. If gossip found no listeners it would disappear and die.

To extinguish a fire, you must remove one of the essential elements needed for combustion (fuel, oxygen and spark). For example, eliminating what is fueling the blaze is a method often employed in fighting a forest fire. A controlled backfire is started from a cleared line ahead of the advancing flames. When the two fires meet, no timber is left to burn.

The Bible tells us that for lack of wood "the fire goes out" (Prov. 26:20). This refers to extinguishing something much more devastating than the combustion of physical elements. It's the fire of an irresponsible tongue and the resentment and pain that burn in the hearts of those who have been seared by its heat. What deep and lasting wounds the tongue can inflict on others! Families and friendships have been disrupted and individuals hurt for life because of the effects of backbiting and slander.

How necessary it is for God's people to eliminate from their conversation all contentious words! This would prevent many of the fires that ruin relationships. You can do this by letting the Holy Spirit set your heart on fire for Jesus. This will burn off all the fuel Satan wants to use and put it to good use.
By yielding our tongue to the Lord Jesus, who alone can control it, we can put out the harmful fires of slander and gossip that stir up strife.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

ARE YOU A WORRY WART?

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. (Proverbs 12:25 ESV)

One of the issues I have had to deal with in life is anxiousness of heart. In other words - worry. I've worried about just about everything a person can worry about and worried about it some more. I've had to learn how to overcome this area of my life and have to discipline my mind to not got down certain trails of thought. Thankfully, God has helped me and has given me the victory and I would like to pass some of that knowledge down to you today.

A young boy was driving a hayrack down the road when the wagon fell over in front of a farmer’s house. The farmer came out, saw the young boy crying and said, "Son, don’t worry about this, we can fix it. Right now dinner’s ready. Why don’t you come in and eat with us and then I’ll help you put the hay back on the rack." The boy said, "No, I can’t. My father is going to be very angry with me." The farmer said, "Now don’t worry, just come in and have some lunch and you’ll feel better." The boy said, "I’m just afraid my father is going to be very angry with me." The farmer and the young boy went inside and had dinner. Afterwards, as they walked outside to the hayrack, the farmer said, "Now, son, don’t you feel better after that great meal?" The boy said, "Yes but I just know that my father will be very angry with me." The farmer said, "Nonsense. Where is your father anyway?" The boy said, "He’s under that wagon."

Anxiety can readily cause a mild depression. This burden or heaviness in the heart strains and drains life. This is true not only figuratively but literally because we know that many heart problems are directly related to stress. It is well known today in the fields of medicine and psychology, anxiety can weigh a man down (Lit. "causes a man to bow down" or depresses him). An empathetic kind word, though, can give an anxious, depressed person support and can cheer him up.

In Philippians 1:10 Paul says we are to approve things that are excellent and everyone has within him at least one quality to approve. Therefore, giving a good word not only brightens the heart of the hearer, but fulfills reason for speaking. Such inner refreshing is healing to both hearts.

Some have said that worry is the interest you pay on trouble that seldom comes. Psychologists have said that 90% of what people worry about never comes to pass.
Somebody has stated, “ Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.”

We need to remember that God is able to deliver us from worry. I like what Jeremiah says...

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7, 8 ESV)

I've always enjoyed the FOOTPRINTS story and I think it is worry of restating here...

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that at many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that is happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. "LORD... you said that once I decided to follow You, You’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I do not understand why You’d leave me when I needed You the most." The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child, I love and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
- Mary Stevenson

Psychologists Minnereth and Meier state, ‘God doesn’t want us to suffer anxiety. In fact, he commands us to “be anxious for nothing” This not a suggestion or a request. It is an order from God. In Matthew 6:25-34, Christ used the word worry six times, and half of those times he used it as part of an order. Do not worry about food, about clothes, about tomorrow, about your life. He told His disciples. To overcome anxiety and eliminate guilt we need to obey God in two important ways. First, we need to call a halt to the internal tug of war that exists between our conscience and our flesh. Tension is eliminated when we make the right choice. Second, we need to make a conscious decision to follow God’s explicit order not to worry. To continue to fret is a direct denial of a commandment from God."

So today we need to make the decision to eliminate worry and anxiety from our lives as much as possible. When we do this we will become more joyful and life will be worth living and practicing the presence of God is a good place to start. How many would like to become more aware of the Lord in your life?

Friday, May 23, 2014

STRAIGHT TALK FROM GOD ABOUT SEX AND MARRIAGE

Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray. (Proverbs 5:20-23 ESV)

My devotional reading this am landed me in this passage of Proverbs that is a "Straight Talk From God About Sex And Marriage." People can handle this passage in two different ways - 1) They can seriously take heed to its words or 2) They can ignore its warning and decide to do what they want to do in the regards to sex.

Much of my life has dealt with the brokenness of the later which has caused brokenness in personal lives and has even destroyed many families. Yes, God restores and heals and forgives the past but the scars of past sins are very difficult to ignore and push away.

This eye opening chapter deals with a delicate subject daringly and with great directness. It is this: Physical intimacy was created by God for marriage and is a spiritual act and experience. Lust on the other hand is only physical and is a perversion of God's great gift of love.

In contrast to much of what we read, see, and hear today, this passage urges couples to look to each other for lifelong satisfaction and companionship. Many temptations entice husbands and wives to desert each other for excitement and pleasures found elsewhere when marriage becomes dull. But God designed marriage and sanctified it, and only within this covenant relationship can we find real love and fulfillment. Don't let God's best for you be wasted on the illusion of greener pastures somewhere else. Instead, rejoice with your spouse as you give yourselves first to God, then to each other.

Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. (Proverbs 5:15 ESV)

"Drink water from your own cistern is a picture of faithfulness in marriage. It means to enjoy the spouse God has given you. In desert lands, water is precious, and a well is a family's most important possession (where rainfall is scarce and deep drilling techniques unknown). The cistern collected rain water and could store any over flow of a well fed by a spring. 

In Old Testament times, it was considered a crime to steal water from someone else's well, just as it was a crime to have intercourse with another man's wife. The reason is because the offender is endangering the health and security of family.

Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? (Proverbs 5:16 ESV)

Solomon compares enjoying married love to drinking pure water from a fresh well, but committing sexual sin is like drinking polluted water from the gutter or sewer. Sex within marriage is a beautiful river that brings life and refreshment, but sex outside marriage is a sewer that defiles everything it touches. To commit sexual sin is to pour this beautiful river of strength and goodness into the streets and the public squares. What waste! If you "drink deep" of the wrong kind of love (7: 18) it will contaminate and destroy your energies and life.

The commitment of marriage is like the banks of the river that keep the river from be waters within the banks, and this produces power and depth. Extra marital and premarital affairs don't satisfy because they're shallow, and it doesn't take much to stir up shallow water. A man and woman pledged to each other in marriage can experience the growing satisfaction that comes with love, commitment, depth, and purity.

Verse 17 emphasizes fidelity. Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. (Proverbs 5:17 ESV)

Husbands and wives need to fulfill the deepest needs of each other. When this is done the reasons for looking to fulfill those needs outside of marriage is drastically lessened.

Willard Harley is his book His Needs, Her Needs, lists man and woman's five most basic needs.

The man's five most basic needs in marriage tend to be:
1. Sexual fulfillment
2. Recreational companionship
3. An attractive spouse
4. Domestic support
5. Admiration

The woman's five most basic needs in marriage tend to be:
1. Affection
2. Conversation
3. Honesty and openness
4. Financial support
5. Family commitment

Verse 18 teaches the blessings and joys that life-long fidelity will bring. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, (Proverbs 5:18 ESV)

Don't just provide food and clothing and refrain from injuring your wife by word or deed. This does not discharge a man's responsibility nor satisfy her heart. Communicate your love and reassurances verbally, with behavior and endearing remembrances. Express to her caring, protection, love, loyalty, commitment and faithfulness. Affirm her personality and beauty specifically. Most of all forget about fulfilling yourself in marriage and concentrate on fulfilling her. As you lose your life on behalf of your partner the miraculous biblical promise comes true that you receive new life as you give up life (Mt. 10:39).

We are to have an ardent, joyful love for our wife. If you will skillfully draw out from the cistern God has given you by fulfilling her needs you will be letting your fountain be blessed and find great rejoicing.

Two women were talking one day. Said the one, "does your husband believe in life after death?" The woman shook her head sadly and responded, "My husband doesn't even believe in life after supper."
How long has it been since you did something to put a little spark in your marriage? How long has it been since you did something together that was just fun?

Solomon says "rejoice in the wife of your youth." Just being faithful is not enough. You also need to be fun.

Peter Marshall is reported to have said that a happy marriage represents the highest halls of human happiness. Is it not wonderful that a human institution that can cause so much joy is commanded by God?

A well-known celebrity, whose marriage has withstood the stresses of fame, was asked, "Have you ever been tempted to commit adultery?"Without hesitation he replied, "Why would I want to go out for hamburger when I have steak at home?"

Rejoicing in marriage means finding pleasure in making one's spouse happy. It means giving positive support so that he or she has a greater opportunity to enjoy the abundant life that Jesus promised. 

Rejoicing in marriage means finding enjoyment. Rejoicing in marriage is practicing an attitude that develops ever-increasing pride and delight and joy in one's marriage partner.

As you read through v. 19 you will see the exhilaration of marital faithfulness and the blessing that come with it.

V.20 talks to the issue of Adultery - (sex outside of marriage).

Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? (Proverbs 5:20 ESV)

Lust is like drinking water from a sewer and will always bring sickness to your soul.

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray. (Proverbs 5:21-23 ESV)

Whether you are married or not - God has set boundaries for all our lives. He knows what is good for us and what isn't. Our lives are always before Him and looks at the paths that we follow in our life. Remember this... "we will die for lack of discipline." Those are strong words that all of us must heed to and give attention to. May God help all of us in this regards to walk in the disciplines God has set before us always and that our lives (married or not) would always bring glory to God in all areas of our life.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

HOW DO I KNOW GOD'S WILL FOR MY LIFE?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5, 6 ESV)

The ago old question that many before us and many after us will ask is this - "What is God's Will for my life?" It has been a personal struggle of mine throughout the years and it doesn't necessarily have any easy answers for us today.

However, the Bible does give us some clues when it comes to discovering and knowing God's will in your life that I would like to share with you today.

THREE THOUGHTS TO UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WILL


1. God wants you to know His will for your life or particular circumstance.

God is not playing a game of “Hide and Go Seek.” 

Listen to Ephesians 5:17, “Wherefore be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” 

In Colossians 1:19, Paul prayed for the Colossians, “Be filled (controlled) with the knowledge of His will.” 

God will not command us to do something that is impossible or frustrating.

2. God’s will is not a bitter dose of medicine.

The Psalmist was able to say, “I will delight to do your will” (Psalm 40:8).

Sometimes believers think if I surrender to God’s will He will send me to China or Afghanistan, or I will have to be single all my life. Whatever God’s will, if we love God, it will be a delight.

3. God’s will is not specifically spelled out in the Bible.

God doesn’t name the person we are to marry. He doesn’t tell us whether we should to college or not or which college we should attend. God doesn’t email us: “I want you to be a preacher or missionary, or mechanic or nurse or housewife.” Sometimes life is complex with these decisions. 

In Psalm 32:8, God does promise, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will guide you with mine eye.” Today God’s instructs and teaches us His will through His Word.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, are two of the most compacted verses on God’s will. There are three steps to knowing God’s will in these verses. 

The book of Proverbs contains God’s wisdom for godly living as 1:1-7, the introduction makes clear. In Proverbs chapters 1-9, Solomon is giving his “My Son” talks. It is as if Solomon has his arm around his son, giving him godly, fatherly advice.

In Proverbs 2 and 3, Solomon is giving a series of “If…then” verses or conditions and consequences. “If” we meet certain conditions, “then” certain consequences will follow. In Proverbs 2, Solomon states in verse 1 “If” and verse 3 “If” and verse 4 “If” you meet the conditions in these four verses, “then” in verses 5-8 and “then” in verses 9-22 these consequences will follow. This series continues into chapter three. 

In Proverbs 3:5-6, if you meet three conditions then God will consequently “direct your path” into His will.

Therefore, you must meet God’s conditions in order to know His will for your life!

THREE CONDITIONS TO KNOWING GOD'S WILL

The First Condition, You Must “Trust in the Lord.”

Basically - If you're not a Christian - the first step in knowing God's will is to become a Christian and TRUST IN THE LORD with all your heart. You cannot attempt to know God's will until this issue is settled in your heart.

The Second Condition, You Must “Trust in the Lord, with all your heart.”

First, we must be saved and next we must be surrendered to know His will. Paul says a similar thing in Romans 12:1-2. The question is, “Is it possible to be saved and not surrendered?”

Have you come to this point in your Christian life where you can honestly say, “Not my will but thy will be done.” Why would God reveal His will to someone who is unwilling to do it? 

The Third Condition, You must “Trust in the Lord, with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him.”

In addition to being saved and surrendered, we must be saturated with God’s Word to know God’s will. The better we know God’s Word, the better we will know God’s will. 

The word “Acknowledge” comes from the Hebrew word (yada) which means “Know.” In Genesis 4:25 “Adam knew (yada) his wife, and she bare a son.” If we know God intimately and experientially through His Word we can better know His will.

There are some things in God's will that are specific and to the point from God's Word - like "don't commit adultery" or "don't fornicate" but there are some areas that you will need to Trust The Lord with to make clear in your understanding.

But when I'm fulfilling the above conditions - God states that "He shall direct your path."

The word “direct” comes from the Hebrew word yashar which means to make straight or smooth. It is used in Isaiah 40:3 to describe the future ministry of John the Baptist who would ‘make straight’ [Hebrew yashar] in the desert a highway for our God.” In Isaiah’s time, the way one country rolled out the red carpet for a visiting king was to send road workers to fill in potholes “every valley shall be exalted” and shave down the big bumps “every mountain and hill shall be made low” and also straighten the bends in the road “the crooked shall be made straight.” John prepared the people spiritually by preaching repentance and straightening them out as much as possible in preparation for King Jesus.

If you know and do the will of God, it will make your life smoother in contrast to rebelling against God’s will. Proverbs 13:15 states the opposite of 3:6: “The way (or road or life) of transgressors is hard.” I have some friends right now, who would give anything to go back and undo major sins and get back into God’s perfect will.

THREE WAYS GOD DIRECTS OUR PATHS

1. The first is through our God given desires. 

Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and he shall give you the desires of your heart.” 

If we are delighting in the Lord, then most likely what we desire is God’s will. If your desires are wrong - God can change those.

I remember having the desire to play the trumpet professionally but God changed those desires somewhere along the way to that of being a pastor.

2. God also directs into His will by open doors

On Paul’s second missionary journey, in Acts 16:6 God closed the door to go south to Ephesus because God knew Paul would go to Ephesus on his third missionary journey and accomplish his greatest work. In Acts 16:7, God closed the door to go north to Bithynia, because Peter would minister there (1 Peter 1:1). God opened the door for Paul to go west into Europe for which we are grateful because that is why the gospel came to us in the west. What doors or opportunities is God opening for you? This may indicate God’s will.

3. God can direct your path into His will through Godly counsel. 

Twice in Proverbs it is advised, “In the multitude of counselors there is safety” (11:14; 24:6). 

Someone has called this the “Fourth and One” principle. In football, when it is fourth down with one yard to go for a first down, the quarterback will call a time out and go to the sidelines and get advice from the coach.

Sometimes people who are not directly involved in our situation can give objective wisdom. For example, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, clearly saw that Moses needed to delegate his work load to others. Moses was so caught up in his ministry that he lost sight of his unwise work load (Exodus 18:19-27).

There are times when we need to go to godly counselors for wisdom. When I am counseling a couple about marriage, I always ask if their parents are in favor of the marriage, especially if the couple has godly parents.

An old Model T Ford was pulled off to the side of the road with its hood up, and a young man was trying desperately to get it running. He had been working at it for a long time without any success when a beautiful, chauffeur-driven limousine stopped behind him, and a well-dressed man got out. He watched the fellow working for awhile and finally suggested that he make a minor adjustment in one part. The young man was skeptical, but nothing else had worked, so he did what he was told. “Now,” said the man, “your car will run. Crank it up.” So the young man cranked it once, and, sure enough, the engine started running as if it were brand-new. The young man was amazed that this kind of man knew so much about cars; so he asked him, “How did you know exactly what to do?” “Well,” the other man said, “I’m Henry Ford. I made the car, so I know all about how it work” (Gary Inrig, Hearts of Fire, Feet of Clay, page 111). No one knows us better than our Creator and Savior and no one can better fix us to do His will. He has given us the manual to know and do His will.

Gleaned from a sermon by Tim White

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE WISH - WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” (2 Chronicles 1:10-12 ESV)

If you could have one wish granted to you today - what would it be? Would it be money, power, success, or even better looking? The list could go on and on.

To begin, there is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. The dictionary defines "wisdom" as the ability to discern what is true or right. So our English word "wisdom" has both moral implications--discerning what’s right--and intellectual implications--discerning what’s true.

Wisdom is the God-given ability to perceive the true nature of a matter and to implement the will of God in that matter. Dr. Larry Lea

Wisdom is what is true and right combined with good judgment. Bill Hybels

It is true that just because a person can have a mind full of facts, he/she can still lack authentic wisdom

Let me give you the final requirement for acquiring wisdom: To live wisely, we need to build a life plan that is consistent with God’s plan.

Look at Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails."

A wise person aligns his or her life to God’s purpose. To do otherwise would be foolish since he or she knows that God’s purpose would prevail and would be what is meaningful in the end.

To live wisely, we need to redefine what we mean by success. We need to abandon our quest for self-fulfillment, and abandon ourselves to Christ fulfillment. We need to find out how God has uniquely wired us and how this uniqueness can be used by God to help other people. We need to break out of our consumer mentality that we bring to church with us, and begin viewing ourselves as followers of Jesus, men and women who passionately pursue Jesus and God’s purposes in our lives.

We need to build a life plan that’s consistent with God’s plan.

Today God is inviting us to pursue wisdom. We begin this pursuit by entering a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Once that relationship is established, it’s a journey that calls you to passionately pursue wisdom, to embrace an accurate moral code and to build a life plan consistent with God’s plan.


Perhaps you have had your heart set on many things in life.  My prayer for you today that you would ask God for one thing - that your life would be filled with the wisdom of God that you might be everything that God want you to be.

Monday, May 19, 2014

WHY TROUBLES ARE A GIFT FROM GOD

FAST FACTS ABOUT PSALM 119: Before I comment on these verses I would like to give you some facts about Psalm 119.  It is the longest chapter in the Bible and there are 176 verses in in this chapter that is divided by the Hebrew Alphabet in groups of 8 verses each.  In each of these groupings every verse starts with that corresponding alphabet letter.  It is also interesting that every verse has some reference to the Word Of God.  Hebrew children learned their alphabet by learning about Psalm 119.

Now... Why Troubles Are A Gift From God

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. (Psalm 119:67, 71, 75 ESV)

These three verses all use the verb “afflicted,” which comes from the noun “affliction,” an old word that means any difficult or painful circumstance. Afflictions come in all shapes and sizes. An affliction can be as small as an aggravating head cold or as large as a major illness, the loss of a job, public persecution, or rumors spread by your enemies. Or an affliction could be the sort of cosmic suffering Job experienced. 

It is true - we don’t need to seek affliction because sooner or later, it will seek us. I’m sure that’s true. Sometimes our troubles come because we are just plain stupid. And we may have big trouble when we are repeatedly stupid. Other times we suffer because we live in a fallen world where disease spreads, babies get sick, and earthquakes shake our present world. Sometimes we suffer not because we do wrong but because we do right and someone else doesn’t like it. So being good isn’t a guarantee that you won’t have problems.

Here’s a verse to consider as we begin this study: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). 

Most of us probably like that second part about deliverance, but I want us to look at the first part, the many afflictions the righteous suffer. If you want a big idea before we begin, here it is: It’s not what happens to us that matters, it how we respond that makes the difference. 

The writer of Psalm 119 had a lot to say about trouble. Evidently he had suffered so much that he had become a sort of expert in the field. The three verses of our text remind us forcefully that God is intimately involved in our troubles. Nothing happens—no matter how bad it may seem—by accident.

Here is a simple outline to help our flow of thought today from Dr. Ray Pritchard:

I. Before My Troubles: Straying

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67).

The psalmist means that before his troubles came, he was on top of the world, tooling down the highway of life with the top down and the music blaring. He was “the most from coast to coast,” his life was on cruise control, things were good, his wife was happy, his kids were doing great, his career was on the upswing, and little by little he was reaching his goals. Life wasn’t perfect but it sure was good. He prayed, but not much. He read his Bible, but not with much conviction. He went through the motions, but in his heart he felt pretty good about how things were going. His prosperity had caused him to push God to the edge of life.

But now that has all changed. God had other plans for him. I wonder how often we consider how thin the line is between joy and sorrow. Just one phone call and your life could be shattered forever. That’s all it takes. Just one phone call and things will never be the same. Of course we live as if that call will never come. But it could come at any moment. And when it does, our house of cards comes tumbling down. When people ask me, “Do you think God can speak to us today?” I always tell them, “He’s got your number and he can ring your phone any time he wants.” God can speak to us through our troubles and he can stop us in our tracks.

C. S. Lewis remarked that God whispers in our pleasure but he shouts in our pain. Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a sleeping world. That’s what the psalmist meant in verse 67. His afflictions have led him back to the Lord. Where once he lived for himself, now he obeys God’s Word.

II. During My Troubles: Learning
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71).

Most of us would have a hard time saying, “It was good for me to be afflicted.” By definition, affliction is painful to endure. How could we ever call it good? Yet that is exactly what the psalmist said about his own suffering. 

If your God is only a “God of the good times” or a “God of the mountaintops,” then your God is not the God of the Bible. The true God is often best seen in the darkness and his presence most powerfully felt in times of deepest sorrow.

One of the purposes of affliction is to teach us things we would not otherwise know. Until hard times come, our knowledge of God and his Word tends to be rather theoretical, like the man who reads three books on car repair and then opens an auto repair shop. When my car breaks down, I want a man with some grease under his fingernails. If he’s too clean, I worry that maybe he doesn’t have enough experience. Give me a man who knows by experience the difference between a fuel pump and a water pump.

The psalmist declares that passing through the valley of sorrow was good for him because through it all he learned the Word of God. Martin Luther commented that he never learned the Word until he was afflicted. His sufferings then became his best schoolmasters. This is a hard reality for many Christians to face because we don’t like our circumstances. We would prefer that our marriage be different or our career to move in a different direction or our finances to improve or our health to change for the better. No doubt most of us would change certain things about our own situation if we were in charge of the universe. But can we be certain that our choices would be better than God’s? Just because you don’t like your situation doesn’t mean you don’t need to be there. Your personal satisfaction with life is not necessarily a good gauge of where you need to be right now.

When we factor God into the equation, things look very different. It’s not that the affliction itself is less painful or that something sad has been made happy or that evil has somehow become good. And it doesn’t mean that you would not change things if you could. When we bring God into the equation, we look back and see how it was good for us to go through hard times because we learned things about God and about ourselves that we would never have known otherwise. About God, we learn that his ways are far beyond our ways, that he is holy and righteous and full of mercy and always faithful to his children. About ourselves, we learn that we aren’t as strong or as wise or as powerful or as clever as we thought we were. In the end, we are exposed as helpless children desperately in need of our Heavenly Father.

So many times our prayers in times of difficulty boil down to three words: “Change my circumstances.” While praying like that isn’t wrong, it can lead us in a wrong direction. If we take Psalm 119 seriously, we ought instead to pray, “Lord, teach me your Word.” We say, “Lord, change my marriage or get me out of it.” “Change my boss so she will appreciate me.” “Change my health so I will feel better.” “Change my financial condition so I can pay my bills.” Who among us hasn’t prayed along those lines? But consider this. Perhaps God has not changed your circumstances because he first wants to change you.

III. After My Troubles: Knowing

”I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (Psalm 119:75).

The phrase “I know” speaks of settled knowledge, the kind that comes only by looking back over the years and seeing again and again how God has helped you in times of heartache and trouble. 

Most of us know that little poem called “Footprints” about the two sets of footprints in the sand, one for you and one for the Lord who walked with you. But in the darkest moments, there was only one set of prints. Why? “My child, when you couldn’t walk, I carried you in my arms,” says the Lord. As we look back, we can see times that were so difficult that we know deep in our souls that if God had not carried us, we would not have made it through. That’s the sort of tested knowledge he’s talking about in verse 75.

The psalmist declares that he now knows three things as a result of his afflictions:

a) Everything God says is right.

b) God is faithful even in our troubles.

c) He is involved in everything that happens to us.

When times are tough, it’s easy to conclude, “Lord, this must be a mistake.” But consider how the psalmist puts it: “In faithfulness you have afflicted me.” Somehow he sees beyond his current misery, past the pain of difficult circumstances, and through the fog of many unanswered questions to apprehend the hand of a loving and faithful God who is working in, with and through his troubles to accomplish his divine purposes. What a high view of sovereignty this is. Even the attacks of his enemies cannot happen apart from God’s gracious permission. Not even Satan himself can touch him unless God wills it so. No weapon formed against him can prosper, and any evil weapon that touches him must be allowed to do so, not in spite of God’s faithfulness but because of it.

Five Simple Suggestions

In light of all of this, how should we respond to the trials, troubles and afflictions of life? Here are five simple suggestions:

a) Thank God for your troubles.

b) Look for God’s fingerprints in your life.

c) Immerse yourself in God’s Word.

d) Have faith in God.

e) When your learning becomes knowing, share what you’ve learned about God with someone else.

Friday, May 16, 2014

HAITI AND THE CHILDREN OF THE WOLRD

Orphanage In Haiti
Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; (Psalm 41:1 ESV)

As many of you know I just returned from a quick trip to Haiti.  I joined 9 other pastors from across the United States who are all banding together in the effort to eradicate hunger around the world.  As Mother Theresa says, "I might not be able to feed 100 but I can at least feed 1."

I heard a story sometime ago about a little boy walking along the beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When he came to each starfish, he would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched him with amusement.

He had been doing this for some time when a man approached him and said, “Little boy, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The boy seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, he bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then he looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the boy inquisitively and thought about what he had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little boy in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.

It might be true that we will never completely eradicate being poor and being hungry but if I can try and reach at least one - that is a huge start.  May we never get so consumed with just our own needs that we forget to consider the needs of others.

The organization that I work with is Convoyofhope.org.  They feed 59,000 children a day in Haiti alone and have a waiting list of over 100,000 children. If you are a donor to them - 100% of all your donations go to the children. (Other expenses and administrative fees come through private donors).  With the "Feed One" initiative your $10.00 per month goes right to one child insuring them that they get at least 2 scoops of rice and or beans at least once a day for a month.  If you were to buy that much rice in the stores it would be probably be around $50.00 - $75.00 per month.


As I sit her this morning in my office - I feel like a "blessed man" - I have so much and want to be a blessing to others around me. If you are not or have become part of a giving program to help the children of the world - please contact me and let me help you to begin to bless some child who would not otherwise get the help that they need.  The rewards are so great.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

A CALMED HEART

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:1, 2 ESV)

For a couple of days now I have been pondering this statement "but I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother..." I have been asking myself what this really looks like and what does it mean.

Apparently, the usual age for weaning a child during the period in which David lived was about the age of four or five. We can imagine how difficult it would be for the child, and the parent, when that happened. The child would regard it as a crisis, but once it was over, he would enjoy the new level at which he was living. Similarly, David has been through a crisis in which he was prevented from attaining a position. Yet, although he had been denied this place, he had gained something far more important which was quiet confidence in the One who had denied him the place. David realized that it was the Lord who had prevented him from achieving a particular role at that time. It was a crisis, perhaps with disappointment initially, but the comfort he received from God made up for what he had not been given. And he had developed in humility.

It is God's intention that every one of us increase in humility. Over and over the Bible draws us to the need for humility in our lives. God used things like "Paul’s thorn in the flesh." He asked that it be taken away, and God said no. The thorn was given to Paul to keep him from being exalted above measure, in other words to keep him humble. It was a crisis, but Paul accepted the denial. Instead of rebelling against God, Paul gives a cry of a weaned soul when he says, ‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me’ (2 Cor. 12:9).

Paul wrote many astounding statements in his letters. One of the most amazing is a statement he wrote in his final letter, after he had been a Christian for over three decades. In writing to Timothy, Paul describes himself as ‘the chief of sinners’. But he writes this humble description from the position of a ‘weaned child’ who has realized that ‘the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim. 1:14).

The obvious benefit of such experiences is Christlikeness. The humility of Jesus is a prominent feature of his beautiful character. It becomes ours as we spend time with him and he weans us from our previous stage in the spiritual life. ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light’ (Matt. 11:28-20). At times, these periods of learning come after we have been denied something by God.

When a person is developing in the spiritual life, one sign of it is that he thinks less of his own needs and more of the needs of Christ’s church. This is what David expresses in verse 3: ‘O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.’ He says to them, ‘I have discovered that the Lord guides my life, sometimes giving me this and at other times denying me that; yet he himself comes and comforts me when I trust in him, when I lie by faith in his arms, strengthened in his grace even although he has denied me in the meantime something that I expected.’ This understanding only comes by experience. David, having tasted the faithfulness and the consolations of God, exhorts others to also hope in the Lord. When we find such sentiments in our hearts, we can conclude that we are being weaned.

C. H. Spurgeon said of this psalm: ‘It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn. It speaks of a young child, but it contains the experience of a man in Christ. Lowliness and humility are here seen in connection with a sanctified heart, a will subdued to the mind of God, and a hope looking to the Lord alone happy is the man who can without falsehood use these words as his own; for he wears about him the likeness of his Lord, who said, “I am meek and lowly in heart.”’

 Some thoughts gleaned from Scotish Pastor Malcom Maclean

Friday, May 9, 2014

DON'T QUIT NOW

Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5 ESV)

David, who is the author of this psalm, had his fair share of weeping nights and joyful mornings. He went through weeping nights when King Saul was seeking to take his life, but joyful mornings came when King Saul was killed in battle, and David occupied the throne as King. He went through weeping nights when his adultery with Bathsheba was hidden, but experienced joyful mornings once he confessed his sins to God. David experienced weeping nights when his own son Absalom chased him from his throne, but experienced joyful mornings when he returned to Jerusalem. Because of David’s joyful mornings, he was able to write this psalm of thanksgiving, and celebration of God’s deliverance.

We’re not quite sure from which experiences in life David wrote this psalm, but we do know that David had a reason to praise God. We know that David had endured some weeping nights, and because God brought him out, he was able to praise God for the joyful mornings. 

What are you weeping about today?  What is it that causes you distress and grief? What brings you mental aguish and pain? What is it that keeps you from getting a good night’s sleep?  Is it your job?  Is it a relationship?  Are you struggling in some way?  Whatever is causing you to weep, God knows all about it. 

Here's the thing: the longer we dwell on the night, the farther we remain from the joyful morning. Do you know that you may be the reason why you’re still in weeping nights? If you’re trying to fix a situation that you have no control over, then as long as you do so you will remain in your weeping night. Maybe you haven’t completely turned your problems over to God, if you haven’t you will remain in your weeping night. When we allow God to have control in our weeping nights, then we will be able to clearly see the joyful morning approaching. But to better understand the night season and to clearly see the morning approaching, we have to know what our weep is.

When the sun sets and darkness takes over the sky, 8 to 9 hours later, the sun starts to rise again. The sunshine erases the darkness from the sky. David uses the night to show us that our weeping is temporary, the night isn’t going to last. In this passage - the Word of God promises that our weeping doesn’t last forever. 

We don’t know how long our nights will last, but if we just trust God and know that all things will work together for our good, it really doesn’t matter how short or long the night is. God will be right there with us throughout the entire night, so that we can rest in weeping nights. 

David praised God for delivering him from all his troubles and pain, and he encourages us in this psalm to hold on and hold out, because although you’re weeping right now, joy will come in the morning. 

But thank God for joy in the morning. When joy comes, God will turn winter nights into a summer days, sighing into singing, grief into gladness, mourning into music, bitter into sweet, and our wilderness into a paradise. What are you waiting for, praise God right now, because we have the promise that weeping is temporary and joy will come in the morning. In contemporary language, what David was trying to say is that troubles don’t last always.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

WORSHIP FROM A CAVE

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! (Psalm 57:7 ESV)

I underlined this scripture today with the idea that I might journal upon it today about the steadfast heart. As I started to dig deeper I begin to discover the deep treasures that are hidden throughout the whole chapter of Psalm 57. I think that you will be greatly blessed as you sit down and meditate along with me this morning about the wonderful words found here today.

As we come to Psalm 57, we’re given some helpful background information at the very beginning. David is on the run again, though the setting is before he became ruler, when King Saul is chasing him: “For the director of music. [To the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When he fled from Saul into the cave.” David penned this poem while he was hiding out in a cave. The word, “miktam” means that these words are like a “golden ornament” to those of us who are overwhelmed with questions.

David could have questioned God, but instead he went on a quest to find God. Instead of wondering, He chose to worship. We can do the same thing as we follow the progression of his faith, from deep inside the cave, to the entrance, and then to the world. 

The Book of 1 Samuel gives us some background to Psalm 57 - David is filled with questions. He’s slain the giant Goliath. He’s been anointed to be the next king. He’s been promoted to a high rank in King Saul’s army. But there’s a problem. Saul has become extremely jealous as a result of hearing people sing this song, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Saul couldn’t take the fact that God’s hand of blessing was on David and so he was determined to wipe him out. Listen to 1 Samuel 18:8-9: “Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. ‘They have credited David with tens of thousands,’ he thought, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?’ And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.”

In 1 Samuel 24, Saul comes after David with 3,000 troops. As they searched among the ravines and rocks, they also explored the many caves that dotted the landscape. David is hiding deep inside a cavern with a few faithful followers, when he hears some noise at the mouth of the cave. As David makes his way through the shadows of the stalagmites, he spots Saul, who had come into the cave to relieve himself (yes, that’s actually in the Bible!).

Notice what David now does...

1. David Prayed For God's Mercy - Psalm 57:1-3

David could have questioned God, but instead he went on a quest to find God. Instead of wondering, He chose to worship. We can do the same thing as we follow the progression of his faith, from deep inside the cave, to the entrance, and then to the world.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. (Psalm 57:1 ESV)

The last phrase of verse 1 is very comforting: “…until the storms of destruction pass by." David has confidence that this calamity will eventually blow over. He has to wait out the storm, and he can do so because he has sought refuge under the wings of God. Whatever you’re going through right now, run to God and take cover under His wings of protection. Hang on to Him and have confidence that the calamity will pass. David said a similar thing in Psalm 27:13: “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. (Psalm 57:2 ESV)

When we’re in a tough spot, we must cry out to Him. Notice that David refers to God as the “Most High,” indicating that He is way above any problem and He controls all things. God is supreme, not Saul. Because God is sovereign, He fulfills, which means that he “brings to an end, completes, and perfects” his purposes for us. If you’re in a cave right now, God is not thwarted. He is working everything together for His glory and your ultimate good.

He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! (Psalm 57:3 ESV)

David knows that his help comes from heaven in verse 3: God will show Himself true to all the promises He has made.

My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! (Psalm 57:4, 5 ESV)

Wow! In the midst of trial - literally "in the midst of lions" David breaks out into praise to God. No matter what he's going through, and what will happen to him, he puts his attention on exalting God - who is above all else.

2. David Praise's God For His Majesty (6-8)

They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! (Psalm 57:6-8 ESV)

Verse 5 sums up his prayer and helps David shift to praise. He’s now moving from the darkness of the cave to the light of the exit in verses 6-8. In verse 6 he describes what it felt like to be hunted: “They set a net for my steps; my was bowed down.  They dug a pit in my way…” Nets were used to trap birds and pits were dug along paths in order to trap large animals. David was threatened on every side and had no rest. He was “bowed down,” which meant that he was drooping and dragging. He didn’t know how much longer he could take it. Do you ever feel like that? You’re not sure you can handle one more problem and then two or three things happen and you feel piled.

The last part of verse 6 reveals how God made things right for David. Those who were chasing him down fell into the traps they had set for David. Saul had hunted David but David was able to sneak up on Saul. God often spoils the sinister plans of evil people. 

Because God came through for him, David is able to trust God and sing His praises. In verse 6 he is downcast and in verse 7 he is steadfast, which means to “stand erect.” Instead of being bowed down, David is now standing tall. He repeats it twice for emphasis: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast…” He’s experiencing the truth of Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” 

Because His heart and mind is steadfast, David experiences perfect peace and is now able to break out into praise. Look at the last part of verse 7: “…I will sing and make melody.” David praises God even when his problems are pervasive. 

Bottom line - When you are in the cave of difficulty - turn your attention and heart to God who wants our mouths more than our might. He wants us to praise Him. When we do, He’ll take care of the rest.