Slideshow image

"O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give.”

“For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.”

In these verses, we see that David delights in his trust in the Lord, the Most High. Trust can be the antidote to worry. It can beget the eradication of fear. Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Today, we can each asks ourselves, “Do I trust my triune God?” When I am afraid, when I succumb to worry, whey I consider what eternity will look like, do I trust my Lord?

Trust has been the theme of wonderful songs over the years, like “Trust and Obey” by John Sammis or “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” by Louisa M.R. Stead. Strangely, it was even the subject of a Beatles song once. In lyrics, Paul McCarthy and John Lennon, (who had both been raised in religions that revered Mary, mother of Jesus,) described what brought them comfort in difficult situations. “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” And indeed this is what Mary said when she was befuddled about God asking her to be the virgin mother of his son. In Luke 1:38, she responds to God’s plan, a plan that seemed questionable to her, as follows: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” ESV). Mary trusted God.

In order to bring us delight, our trust in God often needs bolstering, (or at least mine does). Do you have scriptures and songs that come to you when you need them, either for the purposes of reassurance or praise? On good days, I have some. Our verses for today are in Psalm 21. Not far from those, we find Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want . . . “That is always a good one. Here are some words from the 4th verse of a hymn we don’t sing very often:

“Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend,

I trust him how, I’ll trust him when life’s fleeting days shall end:

Beautiful life with such a friend, beautiful life that has no end;

Eternal life, eternal joy, He’s my friend.” (Will and Elizabeth Thompson)

Dear Lord, help us to learn and follow these words from the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4: 4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (For me, these words bolster trust in God; I hope they will for you, too).

Juli Hampton

Ham10five@gmail.com

 

Prayer concern: For our eyes and hearts and hands to be open to any whose basic needs are not met this holiday season