"It is Friday! Sunday is Coming". Praise the Lord for each day and every day. Alice is busy harvesting from the garden, freezing beans and gathering cucumbers and squash. Often, during her summer vacation, she takes on a mission of painting a room or two in the parsonage. She has begun painting the downstairs rooms with a winsome and inviting color. Sunita, Andy, Gabe, Addie, and Asha are coming to be with us for two weeks. We are so excited and praying for their safe arrival this Sunday. We are thrilled to hang around some of the gorgeous and glorious outdoors of New York, the Empire State, and we are planning to pick lots of local blue berries. Some of our relatives from England on my wife's side are visiting Beautiful Czech Republic. They posted some pictures of luscious blue berries of Czech Republic. My first cousin, (from India) with whom I grew up, and her husband are visiting their first granddaughter in England. We are so blessed. Praise the Lord that we are surrounded with so many gifts and blessings and so many reasons to celebrate and give thanks.
I will be participating a service of death and Resurrection today in our church and getting ready for worship celebration this coming Sunday, the Lord's Day, at 11:00 AM.
The 2016 presidential campaign is well underway. Politicians are making promises and setting forth their plans and ideas. A critical lynchpin for each one is this: “Trust me.” Our experiences with some previous politicians, however, makes us skeptical. All people, at one time or another, falter in trustworthiness. God, however, wants us to trust Him implicitly and He is utterly trustworthy. Psalm 91 is one of my most favorite Psalms. In this selection we see a fascinating and powerful depiction of the Lord God, the Maker of Heaven and earth. He is Lord and Redeemer. He is the Most high God. He is above all and superior to all. He is the Eternal One, the creator of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19). We should bow before our God, the Almighty, shaddai (v. 91:1). He is powerful, awesome in His ability and of immeasurable strength He is our Lord. (91:2, 9) As Yahweh, He is the covenant-keeping, redeeming, eternal God. He never fails in His promises or presence. He is our is a shelter (v. 91:1). This word commonly carries the idea of a hiding place. God is our ultimate hiding place. In Him we are safe and secure.
The
Old Testament frequently uses the word shadow to refer to protection
from harm. David prayed, “Hide me in the shadow of Your wings” (Ps.
17:8). Beyond that, God is our refuge (vv. 91:2, 9).
Just as the high hills can be a refuge for goats, a place of safety and
security (Ps. 104:18), so God is the greatest Refuge for His
people. He is our fortress (v. 91:2). In
Him we find complete safety from all attacks.
God protects His people providentially (vv. 91:9-13), surrounding us with His angels, and their presence guarantees our total safety. However, troubles still come into our lives (v. 91:15). The reality is that life commonly brings us pain, illness and anxiety. Satan quoted this Scripture when tempting Christ to jump from the temple’s pinnacle (Matt. 4:6). Jesus responded, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (v. 4:7). God is our Refuge. His providential care is constantly present, regardless of the physical danger, as long as we abide in Him.
In climactic fashion, God speaks in verses 14-16 to assure us that He personally protects His people as we make Him our " Refuge and our Habitation' (v. 91:9), He rescues us. When we acknowledge His name and make Him the priority in our lives, He will protect us. When we call upon Him, He will be with us in trouble. These all confirm that believers have pain, illness and suffering in this life, yet, through it all, our Lord God in Jesus Christ, will satisfy us with His presence and protection and grant us His salvation. That salvation is deliverance through the troubles of life and ultimate presence with Him forever.
Because of who and what God is, and because of what God does, we can trust Him implicitly. He is above and beyond all others, yet He loves us with an eternal love. We are called to commit our lives to Him, dwell in His shelter, and abide in His shadow. We are called to make the Lord “my God, in whom I trust” (v. 91:2).
In Christ,
Brown
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