Beautiful View
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
-Psalm 18:1-3
Everyone loves a personal testimony. Here the psalmist begins by telling us what he has learned or been reassured of. In the next 16 verses he will describe why he knows this and how his life experience revealed this. "In my distress I called to the Lord, I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came before his ears." Where do we go when we are distressed? I often wallow in self-absorbed depression. It's easy for me to focus--no, dwell--upon all that is wrong with my world. But do we turn to God with it? And I mean more than mere lip service. I've been influenced by the Christian subculture in which I've grown up long enough that a quick prayer in times of trouble is almost automatic. But how often is it really heartfelt?
Over and over again in the scriptures God is called our rock. He is our foundation. He is that which orders all things around us. Psalm 27:5 says, "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." Here, as elsewhere, the rock is a rock on high. When we rest on the rock of the Lord we are put in a place of perspective. So often we find ourselves meandering in the woods and can't see the forest for the trees. But God leads us to Him--he leads us to a place where we can see everything in its proper perspective. Turning to God in times of distress is like climbing up on that rock where we can see things as they really are. And we when we see things from God's perspective, it is always a beautiful view.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
-Psalm 18:1-3
Everyone loves a personal testimony. Here the psalmist begins by telling us what he has learned or been reassured of. In the next 16 verses he will describe why he knows this and how his life experience revealed this. "In my distress I called to the Lord, I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came before his ears." Where do we go when we are distressed? I often wallow in self-absorbed depression. It's easy for me to focus--no, dwell--upon all that is wrong with my world. But do we turn to God with it? And I mean more than mere lip service. I've been influenced by the Christian subculture in which I've grown up long enough that a quick prayer in times of trouble is almost automatic. But how often is it really heartfelt?
Over and over again in the scriptures God is called our rock. He is our foundation. He is that which orders all things around us. Psalm 27:5 says, "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." Here, as elsewhere, the rock is a rock on high. When we rest on the rock of the Lord we are put in a place of perspective. So often we find ourselves meandering in the woods and can't see the forest for the trees. But God leads us to Him--he leads us to a place where we can see everything in its proper perspective. Turning to God in times of distress is like climbing up on that rock where we can see things as they really are. And we when we see things from God's perspective, it is always a beautiful view.
posted by Kevin Hanly at
4:39 AM
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