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grace

Counsel for the Heart: God is For Me (Psalm 56:9-11)

April 29, 2020 by Joe Kappel

I have a vivid memory of getting lost in the woods at summer camp. I was 9 years old at the time, and it’s undoubtedly fear that seared that event into my memories.

Times of fear heighten our emotions and sharpen our senses. I recall waking up in my bunkhouse in the dim light of late night needing to go the bathroom. I didn’t want to wake anyone up, and I was certain I could find my way to the bath house just a short hike through the woods. So, I got up quietly, set out to find the bathroom and promptly got lost!

I tried backtracking but that didn’t help. I ended up on some small footbridge that I hadn’t seen before and not far away from the cabin full of girls – an area that at that time in my life I had the firm intention of staying far away from! I remember looking all around me, at the woods rising high above, obscuring sky and stars, and feeling panicked. Not to mention that I still had to go to the bathroom!

So, I stopped and prayed. I asked God to help me, and I remembered a verse I’d learned either at church or at home:

Psalm 56:3 – When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (ESV)

As young as I was, I was learning to turn to God when overwhelmed with fear. And as I repeated that verse I continued to ask God to help me get to the bathroom and get back to my cabin. Not long after that I calmed down, and by looking around I could see that the bathroom was just a short distance away from the footbridge I was on. And from the bathroom another small path back to my cabin.

By remembering God, His nearness to me and His promised help, I triumphed over fear.

Psalm 56:8–11

[8] You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
[9] Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
[10] In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
[11] in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me? (ESV)

Getting to the Heart

David had his own times “lost in the woods.” In this Psalm David remembers the time when he first fled for his life from Saul and ran straight to Gath in Philistia. It was a foolish move motivated by fear. David was fleeing for his life, not thinking straight. When he arrived in Gath (with the sword of G0liath of Gath tucked in his belt!), the Philistines recognized David and seized him. How did David escape? He started acting insane, letting spit run down his beard and scratching the gate posts in Gath. It was the Lord’s mercy and protection that allowed this façade to work, and David gave God the full credit by writing Psalm 56.

“This I know,” David says in reflection on that occasion when he was gripped by enemies, “that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Ultimately believers feel afraid. We get in situations like I did that night on the footbridge, or like David did by running into enemy territory. Often those situations are the result of our fears, and we face real threats due to making fear-motivated choices. David did wrong in 1 Samuel 21. He should not have run to Gath, and he might have lost his life, if not for the truth that God was for him. David worshipped God in repentance in Psalm 56:1 “Be gracious to me, O God.” David was counting on the Lord’s character of absolute graciousness toward him, and the Lord was true to His character.

Are you in a mess due to fear-motivated choices? Turn to the living God. Seek His forgiveness for choices made by fear. Trust Him for His grace and deliverance as you re-orient your life to “walk before God in the light of life” (Psalm 56:13).

Let’s talk it over:

  • Have you ever gotten in trouble by running  scared like me in the woods or like David in Gath? What happened?
  • What truths about God from Psalm 56 can you find to pray to God and remember about God the next time you feel afraid?

Prayer:

O God, You are so gracious to us! We are prone to fear over things small and big. You know this about us, but You have promised to be for us as we follow You and live life according to Your Word. Sometimes we fail You and wander away from Your path because we feel afraid. Forgive us for those times and help us to worship You and trust You from Psalm 56 and other verses that remind us of Your graciousness and help in times of fear. We love You and thank You that You are our Helper! Amen.

Worship:

Great is Thy Faithfulness

“Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!”

Thomas Chalmers, 1923

Memory Passage for this Week:

Hebrews 13:5–6

[5] Keep your ___ free from ____ of ______, and be ______ with what you have, for he has said, “I will _____ _____ you nor ______ you.” [6] So we can ________ say,

“The Lord is my _______;
I will not _______;
what can man do to me?” (ESV)

Filed Under: Counsel for the Heart Tagged With: faithfulness, fear, God's character, God's promises, God's Word, grace

Daily Dose of Faith (April 2)

April 2, 2020 by Joe Kappel

God knows how much we need music.

He created it (Job 38:4,7)

He commands us to sing (Psalm 96:1-2, Psalm 47:6, Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16)

God Himself sings! (Zeph. 3:17)

One special feature of music is its ability to cheer, comfort and settle our troubled souls. On that particular note I want to recommend a few songs to add to your playlist in these troubled times that tend to trouble souls.

Lord, From Sorrows Deep I Call (Psalm 42)

This wonderful song from Matt Boswell and Matt Papa reckons with deep grief and sorrow during trials. Without minimizing those trials or the depth of grief in any way the song points us in the right direction with the chorus,

Oh, my soul, put your hope in God
My help, my Rock, I will praise Him
Sing, oh, sing through the raging storm
You’re still my God, my salvation

Come Weary Saints

This album produced by Sovereign Grace Ministries includes truth-filled songs like Hide Away in the Love of Jesus, Oh the Deep Deep Love, and It is Not Death to Die. These songs first released when I lived and worked in China. Far from home, often by myself, these songs comforted me and helped me focus my affection on things above (Col. 3:1).

 

CityAlight is one of Australia’s best kept Christian music secrets.

CityAlight is a music ministry based in St. Paul’s Church in Sydney Australia. This is what they say of their music:

We really see ourselves as a local church, first of all writing for our people, and also praying that God might take these songs out to any of His churches that might be helped by them.

Top song I’d recommend is Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me

 

But how could I recommend songs without including Hymns that have sustained us for generations? Here’s a list, by no means conclusive, that you should have handy in these days:

A Mighty Fortress

Be Still My Soul

Be Thou My Vision

Behold Our God

Blessed Assurance

How Firm a Foundation

It Is Well

Rock of Ages

Solid Rock

‘Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus

What a Friend We Have In Jesus 

My Anchor Holds

He Giveth More Grace – consider these relevant words:

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done;
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Amen and keep singing!

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: CityAlight, covid-19, grace, matt boswell, matt papa, music, songs, sovereign grace music, trials

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