I’m thankful for the wonderful time we had yesterday afternoon, visiting with my parents. We haven’t seen them in a while, so it was very nice to have a leisurely lunch, and sit and visit for a few hours. Accentuating the pleasure was the Rangers’ victory over the Oakland Athletics to clinch the AL West division.
Psalm 118:5-9
5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
These are very encouraging verses. The psalmist decides definitively that it is better to trust in the Lord than in people. He even goes beyond that to say that it is better to trust in the Lord than the highest of people. God is trustworthy. Even royalty cannot be trusted. In our day, we might replace “princes” with “authorities and experts.”
We’ve all made mistakes over the years. I know I have. Many of them. Some with more severe consequences than others. Would I want you trusting in me? It’s nice to be trusted, sure. My boss’s boss told me a couple of weeks ago that he trusted me. That meant a lot to me. But that was simply involving a work task. I would much rather you trust in the Lord if you have a life-affecting decision to make. I’ll give you advice if you ask, but it’s flawed at best. You can trust in “secular philosophy, humanistic psychology, and modern science and technology.” You can trust the “scholars and experts of human opinion.” Or you can place your trust in the Lord, who is all-seeing and all-knowing. “When I choose the Lord, He erases past error and teaches me to sing again!”
(From A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen)
Proverbs 7:6-9
6 For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.
“Here is an affecting example of the danger of youthful lusts. It is a history or a parable of the most instructive kind. Will any one dare to venture on temptations that lead to impurity, after Solomon has set before his eyes in so lively and plain a manner, the danger of even going near them? Then he is as the man who would dance on the edge of a lofty rock, when he has just seen another fall headlong from the same place. … Do nothing till you have well considered the end of it.”
I have often said that any man who would consider having an affair should watch “Fatal Attraction” first. It also be well to keep reading in the passage quoted above, for verses 22 and 23 tell this tale: All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.
I have been guilty in the past of not considering the end of a course of action before setting out on it. It is not a pleasant experience. Solomon’s teachings here are worthy of our consideration.
(From Matthew Henry Daily Readings)
Father, I have known the dangers of temptation and sin, but I have also known firsthand the beauty and wonder of your mercy, grace, and forgiveness! And you have, indeed, taught me to sing again! Many times over. My life has consisted of many ups and downs as I have walked on this road with you. There have been many times where I lost the road, but you always brought me back to it. You never left my side. And you would never let me stray so far off the path that I could not find my way back. Your power in keeping us is infinite. You, Lord, are trustworthy, infinitely more than any man, more than any “expert,” teacher, or authority. You are even infinitely more trustworthy than any preacher of the gospel, for they are mere men, as well. And I’m sure that any preacher who is truly connected with you would agree.
Keep teaching me to trust you, Lord, for I am not through learning. I will not be through learning until I reach your presence for eternity. When I see you face to face, I will be through learning. I so look forward to that day, because, on the day when I am through learning, I will also be through sinning. Hallelujah!!
Lord, I pray for Christi this morning. Give her some relief from her pain (head and facial pain this time, due to some kind of cold or allergy). I pray that she can rest today. I also pray again for Rachel. Keep her mind alert and active for her big test today. Calm her nerves, because she is certainly anxious about this. I pray again that you will provide her with access to whatever graduate school program that is best for her.
Bless your name, O Lord.
Consider who you trust today. Trust in the Lord, for he is infinitely trustworthy.
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 