Psalm 56: 3-4
"3 But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.4 I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?"
Psalm 56: 9-11
"9 My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!10 I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised.11 I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?"
Trust, faith, and praise; with these key ingredients it seems mere mortals can do nothing to me! I was caught when reading these verses today in Psalm, David is admitting that he gets afraid; but when he does, he puts his trust in God. He immediately praises God for what He's promised to him and proclaims his trust in the Most High. David concludes that he has no reason to fear after all of that!
What a beautiful thought process. David takes himself from despair and fear all the way to to trust in just a few seconds! I need to learn a lesson or two from King David! I've been talking a lot about fear, mostly because fear has taken on a new meaning with this pregnancy (23 days for those counting...mostly me and my family!) and the ensuing child that will result from said pregnancy. I'm no longer just responsible for my own life, I now have a baby to be thinking about; and that scares me! It has caused me to search the scriptures to look for verses to help me handle this fear and hand it over to God where it belongs. It IS working too, it's just that I want to keep that process handy and keep learning that lesson. When I saw these verses I realized that I am not the only one to fear things, nor am I the only one to turn to God to help with that fear. King David, a man after God's own heart, feared as well. David had a weapon though, I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" The confidence that sentence pours out in God is amazing to me. It says, HEY, my God is awesome, and I have nothing to fear because of it!
I kept reading, knowing I was going to write this blog; when just a few verses later, David REPEATS what he'd said! Have you ever noticed when you are in an important lecture or class, or when listening to a sermon; the speaker will repeat the points they want you to be sure and catch. They stress the important parts of whatever we are listening too by telling us more then once. Well, David has done that very thing in this chapter of Psalm! It worked too! It caught my attention that he believed the statement enough that he said it twice. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that a man having been perused by other people wouldn't waste time saying something twice if it wasn't something he fully believed in and wanted the reader to believe in as well. If David believed in such a statement enough to repeat it, it stands that the reader (reader being ME) should look into that statement as well.
I never noticed how many times the Bible mentions fear and how we are good to go if we will just trust in God before, but seeing it repeated so many times now in my readings this last several months lets me know that God does want us to trust in Him and not fear the world, because HE is in charge and He's also on our side! Thank you God for showing me, repeatedly, that you are on my side and I have nothing to fear with You there!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
BRING IT!
Psalm 46: 1-3
"1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!"
This week has been a stressful week for me, I've reported often through this pregnancy that I am having troubles with fear; with trusting God and my faith. I saw this set of verses today and I decided that I was going to make them a mantra of sorts for myself. I have just over a month left and then the rest of our lives with our baby; the LAST thing I need is to let my fears get in the way! Verse one says it all folks: "1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble" He is always ready to help in times of trouble, or worry, or whatever it is that we need help with at that time. This verse says, to me, that we can go to him and he will protect us because He is our strength. He is the foundation in our lives that keeps us strong and anchored.
The second part of these verses, "2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" is the mantra part for me. The part that says, BRING IT ON DEVIL, I've got my Lord and Savior on MY side! What more do I need? This mantra of mine is even more timely right now because my state has been experiencing earthquakes a lot lately and we aren't known for them, or for feeling them for that matter! So for the Bible to say we will NOT fear when the earthquakes come, helps me remember even more that my God is in control and He has got this!
I think the point of a mantra in my own life is that I repeat it; a lot! I repeat it enough times that I believe it with all my heart and soul, I repeat it enough times that when I DO fear; it will be the first thing to pop into my mind. I think it's something I'd like to teach my daughter so that she has a verse that pops into her mind when she fears something as well. My mom did this for me when I was a kid; she taught us to sing praise songs when we were scared and to this day; if I'm overly frightened one of those songs in particular will jump right out my head/mouth and I will calm down.
All in all, I think God is trying to work on my fears and my lack of faith in Him through showing me these verses, and just in time too; my whole life is about to change and change daily! Dear Lord, keep my eyes focused on You and help me to remember that You are my protector and strength! Amen!
"1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!"
This week has been a stressful week for me, I've reported often through this pregnancy that I am having troubles with fear; with trusting God and my faith. I saw this set of verses today and I decided that I was going to make them a mantra of sorts for myself. I have just over a month left and then the rest of our lives with our baby; the LAST thing I need is to let my fears get in the way! Verse one says it all folks: "1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble" He is always ready to help in times of trouble, or worry, or whatever it is that we need help with at that time. This verse says, to me, that we can go to him and he will protect us because He is our strength. He is the foundation in our lives that keeps us strong and anchored.
The second part of these verses, "2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" is the mantra part for me. The part that says, BRING IT ON DEVIL, I've got my Lord and Savior on MY side! What more do I need? This mantra of mine is even more timely right now because my state has been experiencing earthquakes a lot lately and we aren't known for them, or for feeling them for that matter! So for the Bible to say we will NOT fear when the earthquakes come, helps me remember even more that my God is in control and He has got this!
I think the point of a mantra in my own life is that I repeat it; a lot! I repeat it enough times that I believe it with all my heart and soul, I repeat it enough times that when I DO fear; it will be the first thing to pop into my mind. I think it's something I'd like to teach my daughter so that she has a verse that pops into her mind when she fears something as well. My mom did this for me when I was a kid; she taught us to sing praise songs when we were scared and to this day; if I'm overly frightened one of those songs in particular will jump right out my head/mouth and I will calm down.
All in all, I think God is trying to work on my fears and my lack of faith in Him through showing me these verses, and just in time too; my whole life is about to change and change daily! Dear Lord, keep my eyes focused on You and help me to remember that You are my protector and strength! Amen!
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