November 22, 2024

Always and All the Time

September 4, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

In You, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in Your righteousness.
Turn Your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
Be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
Since You are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.
Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for You are my refuge.
Into Your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.
Psalms 31:1-5

  • Refuge

  • Deliverer

  • Rescuer

  • Fortress

  • Rock

  • Leader

  • Guide

  • Faithful

  • God

I can’t imagine what David was feeling when He was penning these words to God…I can’t imagine what his life’s struggles led him to think or to feel.  But I do know what these words make me feel.  I do know what it feels like to know these words for myself—and believe these words for myself.

Not only in times of strife and struggle have I called on God to be these things for me, but He has proven, in times of hurt and pain, that He always is here in all of these roles.  He is my Rock and my Fortress when I juggle the everyday mundane tasks.  When I wake to iron, make lunches, drive people to school and practice, He is my Strength.  When I interact with my family, friends, colleagues, He is my Leader and Guide.  When I am tired at the end of the day but still have things to finish, He is my Rock.  He is Faithful to help me when life gets crazier than it seems I can handle.

The beauty in David’s words is that God is not a sometimes God…He is an always God…He is always these things. Always and all the time.  Good times.  Not so good times.  We could be living in a palace at this place in our life, or we could be running through the wilderness.  Beautiful sisters, remember that He is constantly these things to me, and to the woman next to you in line at the store, to your friends and family…and to you.  He is always and He is all the time.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let’s Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes I forget that You are Here all the time, sometimes is easy to only reach out for You when times are bad, when I’m in the wilderness.  But David’s words remind me that You are an ‘always and all the time’ God.  And we need that reminder because life can get crazier than we can handle alone.  Lord, thank You for being a constant Refuge in the good and bad.  Thank You for being our Strength, our Rescuer, and our Rock.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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Help

September 3, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Lord, I seek refuge in You;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by Your righteousness.
Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
You lead and guide me
because of Your name.
You will free me from the net
that is secretly set for me,
for You are my refuge.
Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;
You redeem me, Lord, God of truth.
Psalms 31:1-5

In reading this passage I was captivated by David’s personal, confident prayer of faith.  Faith and prayer go together hand-in-glove.  Charles Spurgeon wrote:

“Faith is the foundation of prayer. Faith gives to men on earth the protection of heaven.”

David cries out for help.  He has great faith in God.  In Psalm 18:2 (AMP) he confidently asserts that God alone is His protection.

The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer;
my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge,
my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.

David was wise to recognize his weaknesses.  As Chuck Smith states: “Wisdom is knowing your weakness.” I would add that wisdom is also knowing where to turn for help.  In Proverbs 30:26 the hyraxes (or conies) are considered wise because they realize they are small and weak then seek shelter in the rocks.  In 2 Samuel 22:2, 7 (HCSB) David cried out to his Rock, his Fortress to be rescued.  He said:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
I called to the Lord in my distress; I called to my God.
From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.

I searched for definitions of “rock”:

  1. noun – shield, defense, fortress, refuge, stronghold
  2. adjective – immovable, impenetrable, secure

I want to be like David—

  • I want to recognize that I am weak and open to attacks from the enemy.
  • I cannot provide shelter or a refuge for myself.
  • I owe my safety entirely to God.
  • I want to take refuge behind the immovable, impenetrable shield of my Rock and my Redeemer.

He has sheltered me before…is defending me even now…and will continue to keep me securely in His grasp.  With faith-filled anticipation, we pray; and in faithfulness, He answers.

“Faith establishes a claim to have it’s anticipations made good”
– Pulpit Commentary

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Lord, we are so very thankful and grateful that we can seek refuge in You, our Rock and our Fortress, knowing we will be protected and secure as we stand behind the rock solid walls of Your promises.  Thank You for hearing our cries for help.  Let us always be mindful to seek shelter in Your stronghold and nowhere else.  In your Mighty and Holy name we pray, Amen – it is so!

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