Greetings in Christ,
“When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and majesty! Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet.”
What enters your mind when you read these words? What is the psalmist really trying to say in these words? Is he wondering why God did what He did, or does he have it figured out God has done it for a reason? I believe the psalmist does have a handle on the situation, but he is mindful of the limitations existing with mankind. The scriptures give us some insights to the psalmist’s understanding.
In Joshua, Joshua is dividing up the land amongst the tribes of Israel. In the scripture, he is giving a portion of the land to the tribe of Joseph. They are complaining their portion is too small. Joshua tells them to clear the cedars in the hill country to expand their territory. They complain the land is occupied by Canaanites who have chariots of iron and are very powerful. Joshua gives them no recourse but to follow his commands if they want more land.
The tribe of Joseph have already forgotten all the miracles God has performed, and they fallen back into their doubting, and feel they are not capable of accomplishing the things which have been dealt to them. They have witnessed the mighty hand of God in action, but yet they stood trembling over the Canaanites and their chariots of iron. They had forgotten in a short time they have been given this land by the hand of God, and He does care for them. They have forgotten the God they are supposed to serve, the power He has, and for them to call upon Him for their needs.
Paul writes to the Thessalonians calling for them to stand firm in their beliefs. “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”
The principles and understanding they have received must not be allowed to simply be just words, but words of action on a daily basis. They must apply the words of advice and understanding in their approach to life in their daily living. It would be a waste not to act on God’s plan of salvation, Jesus and His propitiation, and to not let His sacrifice be in vain. They must hold onto those words and traditions and remain unmovable in their approach.
Matthew records the words of Jesus, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.” Jesus is building on the premise everyone should be tenacious in their approach to the Father. There should have an understanding of the power available to them is in the asking and understanding it will be given to them.
It is easy to fall prey to doubt, and this is where the devil wants us. This is where he does his best work on us, and we must not let doubt get the best of us.
I am sure most of you have read the Bible and know the devil is thrown into the abyss in the end—right? We must not let doubt rule our hearts and minds. We must hold onto the traditions we know and follow the truth. We must never forget God is in control, and He will be victorious over all evil.
God is dependent on us to act on His word. We must trust and believe He is faithful, and He will live up to His promises. We must walk with our heads high, and put into action the words of truth we know.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” Psalms 24:1
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalms 84:11
“Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in holy array.” Psalms 29:1-2
Lord help us to not let fear and doubt rule our hearts or thoughts, but to solely lean on Your truth and put into action Your truth. Amen
Blessings,
Mark Johnson
Psalm 8, 24,29, 84; Joshua 17:14-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17; Matthew 7:7-14