Psalm 56:3-4 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do to me.
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ, can we also truthfully claim the sentiments that Bruh David expresses in Today’s Bit? I sure hope so, cause we ought to have that capacity. And if we can’t, then something’s wrong with our belief system, something’s gone awry with our faith. It seems Bruh David penned this psalm, a confident prayer for help, when he was running for his life from Saul and his other enemies. Now he must have had much manly parts, or simply nowhere else to run in his own land for he ended up in Gath, seeking succour in the Philistines land, his mortal enemies, especially since he killed their champion Goliath, and the two nations were never far from war. But unfortunately the king’s servants recognized him and asked; ‘Is this not this David the king of the land? did not they sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’ (1 Sam.21:11) That scared Bruh David so much that when they brought him before Achish, the king, he pretended to be mad. ‘And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.’ (1 Sam.21:13) Ah Friends, I guess that’s one of the reasons the Lord called him a man after his own heart, cause in whatever negative situation he fell into, he always seemed able to extricate himself; with the Lord’s help of course. Like our God, he was a man for all times and seasons. With that crazy behaviour, the king obviously wanted no part of him and berated his servants for bringing a crazy man into his presence. That suited Bruh David just fine, for he then escaped to a cave in the Adullam area. But that’s only one aspect of Bruh David’s genius, for lack of a better word. Here’s another side: Now he’s sitting somewhere in Gath, alone and lonely, innocent of any crimes, bone weary and tired of running for his life. While sitting there, he sadly contemplates his troubled life that had held such wonderful promise in his younger days. Then he sorrowfully lifts his head, eyes, hands and heart heavenward and pleads: ‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.56: 1-2) That’s another reason why I guess the Lord favoured Bruh David, because he was never afraid to pour out his heart and soul to Him, to bare his innermost feelings, whether they were of joy or sorrow. He never pretended to be anything more than a sinful, mortal man. But while recognizing his sinful nature, he still held and also publicly displayed an infinite trust and faith in the Lord God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We can clearly see this from the Bit, where, after pleading for mercy, he staunchly declares; ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.’ Yes my people, that’s an attitude, a state of mind and heart we all need to cultivate. And though it flows logically from our Christian belief, where we consider the Lord our Creator, Father, Strength, Caretaker and Provider, I know it’s still a difficult hurdle for many of us to overcome. But it’s the only way we’ll ever mature in the faith. Note, even Jesus was fearful before His crucifixion, but His automatic, unquestioned reaction was to pray to His Heavenly Father. To be true followers of Jesus, my Friends, it’s essential that we turn to Him in times of fear, of anxiety, of trouble. Remember, He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us, promises we can definitely hold on to. That’s something Bruh David probably learned early in life, while out in the dangerous, unpredictable wilderness with his sheep. He was forced to, as there was no one else out there to cry to for help when the predators attacked his flock. Then he says; ‘In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust.’ Ah Friends, we also need to build and display such absolute trust in our God. Bruh David didn’t mince words. He stated it as a done deal, as a fait accompli; he would praise the Word of his God, in whom he’d already placed his entire trust. Oh my people, that’s the kind of faith we need today to be successful in living for Jesus in this wicked world. We need a factual feeling of total surrender, of no doubt, of sincere trust that governs all aspects of our lives. Our faith should be so strong that we’re not afraid to stand on any platform, in any part of the world, and declare; ‘I will not fear what flesh can do to me.’ I know it’s all easier said than done my people, but that’s the surety we should all be aiming for and genuinely working towards. The Christian walk is no bed of roses, but when it truly encompasses our entire being, then we’re filled with the wherewithal to make statements like Isaiah did. ‘Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen (helped) shall fall down, and they all shall fail together (perish)’ (Isa.31:3) Yes my Friends, once we give our lives fully to Christ, that’s the kind of assurance and strength we’ll develop. Remember our faith is based on things not seen, yet believed, and that’s always difficult, but with proper training, meditation on the Word and fellowship with other believers, we can all attain that higher state which Jesus desires. Now here’s some strong, encouraging words form Jesus Himself: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Mat.10:28) And with those meaningful words of our Saviour in mind Friends, let’s all sincerely try to boost our faith to higher levels, so that we can stand strong for Jesus and do the work He requires of us. Much LOVE!…strong belief breeds trust…trust encourages full surrender…full surrender leads to true faith in action…
Oh my wonderful Friends in Christ, can we also truthfully claim the sentiments that Bruh David expresses in Today’s Bit? I sure hope so, cause we ought to have that capacity. And if we can’t, then something’s wrong with our belief system, something’s gone awry with our faith. It seems Bruh David penned this psalm, a confident prayer for help, when he was running for his life from Saul and his other enemies. Now he must have had much manly parts, or simply nowhere else to run in his own land for he ended up in Gath, seeking succour in the Philistines land, his mortal enemies, especially since he killed their champion Goliath, and the two nations were never far from war. But unfortunately the king’s servants recognized him and asked; ‘Is this not this David the king of the land? did not they sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’ (1 Sam.21:11) That scared Bruh David so much that when they brought him before Achish, the king, he pretended to be mad. ‘And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.’ (1 Sam.21:13) Ah Friends, I guess that’s one of the reasons the Lord called him a man after his own heart, cause in whatever negative situation he fell into, he always seemed able to extricate himself; with the Lord’s help of course. Like our God, he was a man for all times and seasons. With that crazy behaviour, the king obviously wanted no part of him and berated his servants for bringing a crazy man into his presence. That suited Bruh David just fine, for he then escaped to a cave in the Adullam area. But that’s only one aspect of Bruh David’s genius, for lack of a better word. Here’s another side: Now he’s sitting somewhere in Gath, alone and lonely, innocent of any crimes, bone weary and tired of running for his life. While sitting there, he sadly contemplates his troubled life that had held such wonderful promise in his younger days. Then he sorrowfully lifts his head, eyes, hands and heart heavenward and pleads: ‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.56: 1-2) That’s another reason why I guess the Lord favoured Bruh David, because he was never afraid to pour out his heart and soul to Him, to bare his innermost feelings, whether they were of joy or sorrow. He never pretended to be anything more than a sinful, mortal man. But while recognizing his sinful nature, he still held and also publicly displayed an infinite trust and faith in the Lord God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We can clearly see this from the Bit, where, after pleading for mercy, he staunchly declares; ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.’ Yes my people, that’s an attitude, a state of mind and heart we all need to cultivate. And though it flows logically from our Christian belief, where we consider the Lord our Creator, Father, Strength, Caretaker and Provider, I know it’s still a difficult hurdle for many of us to overcome. But it’s the only way we’ll ever mature in the faith. Note, even Jesus was fearful before His crucifixion, but His automatic, unquestioned reaction was to pray to His Heavenly Father. To be true followers of Jesus, my Friends, it’s essential that we turn to Him in times of fear, of anxiety, of trouble. Remember, He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us, promises we can definitely hold on to. That’s something Bruh David probably learned early in life, while out in the dangerous, unpredictable wilderness with his sheep. He was forced to, as there was no one else out there to cry to for help when the predators attacked his flock. Then he says; ‘In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust.’ Ah Friends, we also need to build and display such absolute trust in our God. Bruh David didn’t mince words. He stated it as a done deal, as a fait accompli; he would praise the Word of his God, in whom he’d already placed his entire trust. Oh my people, that’s the kind of faith we need today to be successful in living for Jesus in this wicked world. We need a factual feeling of total surrender, of no doubt, of sincere trust that governs all aspects of our lives. Our faith should be so strong that we’re not afraid to stand on any platform, in any part of the world, and declare; ‘I will not fear what flesh can do to me.’ I know it’s all easier said than done my people, but that’s the surety we should all be aiming for and genuinely working towards. The Christian walk is no bed of roses, but when it truly encompasses our entire being, then we’re filled with the wherewithal to make statements like Isaiah did. ‘Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen (helped) shall fall down, and they all shall fail together (perish)’ (Isa.31:3) Yes my Friends, once we give our lives fully to Christ, that’s the kind of assurance and strength we’ll develop. Remember our faith is based on things not seen, yet believed, and that’s always difficult, but with proper training, meditation on the Word and fellowship with other believers, we can all attain that higher state which Jesus desires. Now here’s some strong, encouraging words form Jesus Himself: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Mat.10:28) And with those meaningful words of our Saviour in mind Friends, let’s all sincerely try to boost our faith to higher levels, so that we can stand strong for Jesus and do the work He requires of us. Much LOVE!…strong belief breeds trust…trust encourages full surrender…full surrender leads to true faith in action…
SCRIP-BITS 