Man, Take a Hint!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Life is not easy. That much is clear to most people. Nor is life fair. It has many circumstances that are not in our control that nevertheless have bearing on our lives. In any case, we have to deal and live with those circumstances of fate as best we can.

We need to be mentally strong. The waves that will batter us in life are not predictable and may come singly or in a long punishing spell. One cannot, must not, break. To break, to give in to the vagaries of fate is to squander one’s strength, will, and determination. Lose that and it’s a downhill spiral.

Man cannot live by himself alone. He needs his God, his family, his friends. In that order. When a man finds sanctuary in his God, then he takes on God’s power and might. You might physically destroy such a man, but you only deceive yourself. Such a Phyrric victory nothing against the greatness of God.

Man insists on living by himself. He eschews the company of God, spurns his family, and avoids friendships. He convinces himself this is proof of his strength. He takes great pride in it, much like a toddler wields a twig or a ball, filled with self-importance and accomplishment. He is proud of it until he loses it or it is taken away from him. And then he is dejected.

God would have man seek him. It was God’s plan that man should not go about this world stumbling about in ignorance. It was God’s good plan that man should come to the conclusion of his own inadequacy and the sufficiency…nay, the abundance, of God. Men who keep the counsel of God are those who accomplish the most in the life. The are the ones who are protected, guided, and rewarded with a full life. In contrast, those who seek their own way apart from the direction of God are those who eventually fail.

Psalm 91:1-2

1. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

     Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress

    My God, in Him I will trust.

The person who trusts in God and lives close to Him can dwell "in the secret place" or in the shadow of God within a secure fortress. Stop for a minute and think how comforting that "secret place" is.

Psalm 91:3-4

3. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

    And from the perilous pestilence,

4. He shall cover you with his feathers,

    And under His wings you shall take refuge;

    His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

An image of being saved from bird traps and various "perilous" diseases appears here. Stop and discover the feeling of complete protection that a baby chick feels when the mother hen tucks him under her protective wings. The shield and buckler indicates that God is the believers shield against all harm.

Psalm 91:5-6

5. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
God will protect us from all evil at all times of the day and night.

Psalm 91:7-8

7. A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8. Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

Psalm 91:9-10

9. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10. No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

Psalm 91:11-13

11. For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12. In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

Psalm 91:14-16

14. Because he has set his love upon Me,
Therefore I will deliver him:
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him,
16. With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation.

Time and again, God asks me to trust him. To walk with him, to keep his counsel, to depend on him. God is no beggar nor is God an opportunist. Man is doomed to fail if he acts only by himself. It is the man who walks with God who is the complete man. The complete man cannot fail for God empowers him, shields him, and answers for him. The complete man cannot fail for God cannot fail. The complete man may die in the service of his God, but such a death would ultimately be a victory for God is the ultimate destination of the complete man. Meanwhile, the incomplete man, he is lost.

I should listen. I should do. And keep on doing what God wants me to do. Walk with Him through life.