Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
Broken hearts come in many forms. Some are caused by sixth-grade breakups, others by a spouse walking out after twenty-five years. Some come from the rejection of a dear friend, others by reckless words that pierce like a sword. Broken hearts also come from job loss, illness, loneliness, the death of loved ones, or the death of a dream.
When uncertainty comes, and it will, this psalm gives us three truths that we can drive like stakes into the ground to keep us steady. Let’s consider each truth-stake.
In the English language, “hope” is kind of a fuzzy word. It describes a wish or desire that something will happen or turn out a certain way. We might hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, but tomorrow brings a downpour. In our language, hope has no guarantees.
God is in complete control of all things. His sovereignty is not delegated or shared. He is intimately involved in the day-to-day affairs of my life. My future is in his hands.
Ever feel like you don’t measure up? Ever feel like life’s assignment is beyond your skill level? Convinced that you don’t have what it takes? Don’t feel alone. The line of people feeling inadequate stretches around the block. But you don’t have to stand stuck in that long line.
The fear of uncertainty causes us to run … fast. We run to places we think will bring comfort. We run to places where the pain can be dulled temporarily. Fear causes us to run to unhealthy places that deliver short-lived satisfaction and false hope.
God finds me in the darkness, the place where fear of the unknown resides, but he doesn’t leave me there. He is my personal light, revealing the sin of my heart, showing my desperate need, and illuminating the right path to take.
Fear and friendship. Those words normally don’t go together. How can the Lord be a friend “to those who fear him”? Doesn’t fear cause us to run away? Isn’t friendship for those who stay close?
Some people like to trust in tangible stuff. Things they can see and touch, such as a strong showing of the Dow, a large and equipped military, a secure retirement, or their party running the government.
We are most unsettled when we have settled into disobedience. When our will has its back turned on God, chaos reigns within. When we’ve decided that our way is best, anxiety is amped up. On any road trip away from God, fear rides shotgun.
The prophet Samuel traveled to Bethlehem and anointed David as the new king of Israel. However, Saul, the reigning and now rejected king, wasn’t a fan of God’s decision. Saul was obsessed with killing the competition. Surrounded by his elite soldiers, Saul chased David around the countryside. After a close call, David wrote the words in today’s passage thanking God for delivering him.
Do you ever have nights when you can’t go to sleep? You toss and turn, and your mind begins to race. Then fear shows up. Anxiety is close behind. For those of you going through times of illness, nights can be the worst. While others sleep, nights are lonely times that invite your mind to entertain all the “what ifs,” and “what ifs” never bring comfort.