Trusting in the God of David

Psalm 37: 39 - But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. 

David was a man who knew what it was like to be in trouble. From his youth he cared for his father's sheep. By his own testimony, he killed both a lion and a bear to protect his flock. Later on this experience served him well when he faced Goliath. He proclaimed that the same God who had delivered him from the mouth of the lion and the bear would deliver him from this Goliath who was defying his God. David trusted God for deliverance and the rest is history. Against all odds he killed Goliath with a sling and stone and led Israel into victory. Because of this victory King Saul became jealous of David and sought to kill him. David went from being a national hero to a hunted fugitive. Yet even while he was hiding in caves from Saul's army God was with him. More than once Saul's army came close to capturing him and he "barely" escaped. Once while Saul was sleeping David had the chance to rid himself of his enemy. The Bible tells us that God caused a deep sleep to come on Saul and his men (I Samuel 26:12.) David came upon them sleeping and knew he could kill Saul. Yet David feared to do anything to God's anointed. Instead he left the battle to God and God did not disappoint. Because David spared Saul's life, Saul left him alone and stopped pursuing him (at least for a while.) Eventually Saul died and David was made king.

Even after David's coronation, trouble continued to plague him. Absalom, his own son,  turned against him and tried to take his throne, leaving David to flee  for his life. After his throne was reestablished, he continued to fight bloody battles all his days to keep enemy armies out of his kingdom. And even as he was dying, his son Adonijah tried to take the kingdom from Solomon, David's choice to replace him as king. Yes, David knew what it was to be int trouble.

Yet if there was one thing David learned in all his years of trouble it was this: The Lord was his strength in times of trouble. It wasn't David's own strength that killed Goliath. It wasn't even David's strength that killed the lion and the bear. It certianly wasn't David's own strength that made him a king. His God did these things for him. The one time David forgot this was when he committed his sin with Bathsheba. We see how low this brought him. When David realized his error he quickly repented, acknowledging that it was only God who had prospered him so. Yes, David knew what it was to be in trouble. Yet he also knew what it was to trust in his God.

Is there any trouble in your life today? Do you have a problem you don't know how to handle? Remember the words of David. "The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He will be your strength in time of trouble" (Paraphrased). Whatever you need today you can find it in Jesus Christ; F He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, the God of David. He will most assuredly rescue you as he did David so long ago. Call on him today and see what he will do. Be encouraged! David's God is your God. He has never lost a battle and is not about to. You can depend on Him for he will never let you down! Not today, nor tomorrow! Never! His is your strength!

Trusting in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones 

The God of Jacob

There are many titles for God given throughout his word. Some of these are "The Lord of Armies", "The Lily of the Valley", and "Everlasting Father", to name a few. Of all these titles my favorite is when he is referred to as the "God of Jacob." That's right, the God of Jacob. Why is this so significant to me? Because I can identify with Jacob.

 I can understand God being called the God of Abraham and Isaac. They were pretty righteous men, for the most part. But Jacob was a conniving liar, thief, and flat out con artist. He had a lot of faults that most of us wouldn't want listed on a resume. I guess that is why I can identify with Jacob a little more than with his father and grandfather. We seem to have more in common. :) My life has been far less than perfect and I have done a few things I wish I could undo. Yes, I can identify with Jacob.

Yet Jacob, with all his faults, had something that God admired. He loved God and was always in pursuit of him. He loved the birthright that identified him as a Son of God as much as Esau despised it. This later moved God to say, "Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated" (Romans 9:13). God loved Jacob in spite of his faults. He loved Jacob because Jacob loved God. No, he wasn't perfect, but he never gave up trying.

Jacob had some of the most remarkable experiences with God in all the Bible. Jacob saw a vision of angels and had God appear to him and speak to him several times. The last was when he was afraid to go into Egypt after learning that Joseph was alive. God appeared to him, called him by name, and assured him that he would be with him and his seed in Egypt. He also promised to bring them out again. Yes, Jacob had a remarkable relationship with God.

The Psalmist David invoked the name of the God of Jacob in Psalm 20:1 with these words: "The name of the God of Jacob defend thee." The God of Jacob is to us the God of imperfect humanity. Do you feel like you have made too many mistakes to count? Wish you could erase something in your past? You are in good company. Jacob felt the same way when his brother Esau came after him for stealing his birthright. Be encouraged! The same God who helped Jacob make peace with his past can help you today with any situation you are facing. He is after all the God of Jacob!

Be Blessed,

Sullivan Jones 

Sweeter than Honey - A Labor Day Thought

Psalm 19: 7-10

The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul ...... The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 

I awoke this morning with the last words of this section of scripture running through my head. The psalmist is telling us that the law of God is sweeter than honey. Imagine that! When we think about laws we usually think about rules and regulations that keep us from doing things that we don't want to do. Rarely do we truly think about the protection of those laws or the chaotic confusion that would result from a society with no laws. All of us would agree that some laws are good but rarely do we think of them as sweet.

Let's take today for example: Labor Day. Most of us think of it as a last chance to get a few days off before the busyness of the fall is upon us. Traditionally it was the end of the summer vacation season and school started the next day. Very few of us really think about the origins of the holiday. To give the short version, the holiday is a commemoration of the struggles early Americans had in establishing fair labor laws and practices. Today, because of laws passed by Congress, we are no longer at the mercy of our employers whims. We can not be forced to work long hours without overtime. We have unemployment compensation if our position ends or we are dismissed unfairly. There are OSHA codes to ensure safety in the workplace. The list goes on. While there are some who would say the government unfairly imposes itself into our lives, I'm sure all of us are thankful for at least some of these regulations. They have done much good for American society.

We could make a parallel application of these labor laws to our spiritual lives. Many times we are tempted to see the word of God as unfair interference into our lives. When the preacher "steps on our toes" we can get disgruntled or even angry. Why is he picking on me? Why are there so many restrictions in the Christian life? Why can't I just live as I please! The truth is that we need regulations. Without guidelines all of us would wind up in the ditch. Our lives would become a shipwreck on the storms of life. Without some guidance, we would be left to go with our best guess. Often this is not good enough. We need something more concrete to give us direction in times of trouble. The word of God is that concrete direction. If we will heed it, it not only gives us dos and don'ts but offers us protections as well.

God's word gives us a promise that we are  blessed when we obey him and cursed when we do not. The reason is simple. His words, when obeyed, keep us from making mistakes that will bring curses into our lives. By default then, we are blessed. When His word is ignored, we are open to the enemy of our souls and whatever he wants to do in our lives. Like the labor laws that this holiday commemorates, God's word stands up for us and offers us protection when we do right. We can never go wrong by seeking the word of God for direction. His word is truly sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.

Blessings,

Sullivan Jones