Psalm 3:5. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
Well, it looks like another wet and cloudy morning. But let’s hope that it eventually clears up nicely like it did yesterday. And even if it doesn’t, we are still going to enjoy this brand new day in God’s ever-moving and ever-LOVING universe, because we know that whatever happens, our great God is always in control and won’t allow anything untoward to happen to us, His most wonderful creation! That’s why we most sincerely declare: ‘All power and glory to the amazing God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who gave us this remarkable day to rejoice and be glad in it!’
Yeh friends, we might as well rejoice and be glad yes, because being sad and miserable won’t improve things any, and even in tough times, a sense of joy, safety and comfort always comes over us when we think on the greatness and wonder of our God. No wonder, Bruh David, though he was running from his rebellious son Absalom, could confidently declare: ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps. 3:5-6)
Now that’s what you call trust in the Lord! And in Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God, he ups the ante when he concludes: ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:7-8) And since we all know that Bruh David had a lot of enemies, including King Saul, and his son Absalom, and spent much time running from them, he must have found something real special in holding on with such trust to the God of his forefathers.
So why can’t we, who don’t go through half the problems he went through, find and exhibit that same trust and surrender in the same good and mighty and trustworthy God eh? Maybe it’s because we fall into this category: ‘For there is no faithfulness (uprightness) in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness (destruction); their throat is an open sepulchre (tomb); they flatter with their tongue.’ (Ps. 5:9)
That recalls a similar remark Jesus made to the church leaders of His day. ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones. Even so ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt. 23:27-28) Yes my brethren, if we compromise our beliefs and have evil and ungodliness seated in our hearts, then we will never find that sense of peace and joy in God that true believers find, despite their troubles.
Listen to how Bruh David ends Psalm 5 nuh. ‘Destroy thou them (pronounce them guilty), O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.’ (Ps. 5:10) And yuh know friends, I believe that’s exactly what the Lord is doing right now, allowing us to fall by our own counsel, for we have indeed rebelled against Him! The kind of negative stuff that’s happening all over our world could not just be pure happenstance or coincidence.
The Lord must have a hand or even a finger somewhere in there, for He will not allow us to continue forever in rebellion against Him. Yes, He is long-suffering, graceful, merciful, and all that, but every rope has an end, and I think He is finally coming to end of His rope, to the end of His patience with a most sinful and rebellious creation, who are trying to kick Him out of the universe He created and still controls. Just like the foolish archangel Lucifer, that’s Satan, tried to do, but unfortunately found himself kicked out of heaven, down to the raging fires of hell instead.
And all those who unwisely take up Satan’s fight will end up the same way; eternally separated from His Maker, to endure hell fire and damnation! However, as Bruh David pleads: ‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that LOVE thy name, be joyful in thee. For thou Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps. 5:11-12)
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow saints. The Lord will not allow His chosen ones, those who put their sincere trust in Him, to suffer unnecessarily. Anything He brings us to, or allows us to go through, always has a good purpose in His plan for our lives. Life can’t be always a bed of roses, sometimes we must feel the thorns, for it’s in those thorny times that we grow and mature in our faith.
Some believe that once they become Christians, life will always be sweet, wonderful and uncomplicated. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth, for working and living for Christ is no easy task in this evil and ungodly world, and Jesus promised that we will have problems along the way. ‘In this world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And as Job so wisely said to his wife while undergoing the torment of boils, the loss of his family and earthly wealth. ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10)
Ah mih people, we all like the easy life, but the easy life is only a figment of our imagination, for since the first man sinned, calamity has been a part of earthly life, and will continue to be such, until Jesus comes back to rule in the new earth and the new heaven. So, let’s stop believing all the foolishness, the lies, the deceit and disinformation that’s currently floating around our world nuh and instead put our sincere trust in the Word of God, that will have us smiling and joyful at the end, though we endure hardship and adversity during the journey.
And for those of us who have wisely decided to sincerely live for Christ, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as we said earlier, if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. But we have to stick it out! Much LOVE!
…sin’s joy lasts only for a fleeting moment…but the joy of righteousness in Christ lasts forever…
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