We are living in a dangerous
territory. Are we not? Dangers are lurking in our midst. Storms, hurricanes,
tornadoes, earthquakes, volcano explosions, tsunamis, wild fires, winds, floods
are hurting the land and human lives in a greater scale. Murder, kidnapping,
human trafficking, robbery, cheating, stealing, rape, all sorts of abuse,
discrimination, misdemeanor are breaking apart families, neighbors, and
communities. Jealousy, hatred, revenge, sexual immorality, orgies, drunkenness,
drug additions, factions, divisions are driving humans into despair,
loneliness, brokenness, emptiness, sorrow, pain, and even many death.
Accidents, all kinds of diseases, broken relationships shock and tremor humans
to be so vulnerable and inappropriate. Failure, impotence, inability,
inappropriateness are choking and swallowing our lives—vitality, excitements,
and expectations. To where should we run in order to find shelter and rest? Is
there such a thing or place to rush for? It is not the world, which always gives
birth to disappointment and discontent though it seems promising much to
deliver something. Money, success, achievement, promotion, and even
entertainment are always failing to meet the ever demanding desires, resulting
in wanting more and more. Those things cannot keep up with our urges and
longings for we are not supposed to settle for less. The answer is God and his
Son Jesus Christ. God is our Father who is willing and wanting to give whatever
we ask. The Psalmist has found the answer in God and confessed, “He is my
refuge and my fortress, my God.” In the midst of all troubles and heartaches,
we may say in the morning and in the evening, “The Lord is my refuge and my
fortress, my God.”
“Whoever
dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will
rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge
and my fortress,
my
God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you
from
the fowler’s snare
and
from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers,
and
under his wings you will find refuge;
his
faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of
night,
nor
the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor
the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side,
ten
thousand at your right hand,
but
it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes
and
see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The LORD is my refuge,’
and
you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you,
no
disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning
you
to
guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands,
so
that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion
and the cobra;
you
will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the
LORD, ‘I will rescue him;
I
will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will
answer him;
I
will be with him in trouble,
I
will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.’” (Psalm
91:1-16)
We cry out at the incident just
happened in a small town in the south where many have been fallen down by
gunshots during the church service in the Sunday morning. Where was God? Why
did he not stop this tragedy? This is not a new question but old one. Human
beings have long been perplexed and bewildered by the evil activities which
often involve mass killings and ruins of innocent lives. It is a honest plea
and cry of humanity. Where can we find all the answers? Our God is the answer
and he is willing to explain what we need to know. The Psalmist says, “Whoever
dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I
trust.’” How could he come to this point of peace and rest? It is through the
understanding of God who he is and what he is and what he is doing in our
midst. A proverb says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search
out a matter is the glory of kings.” (Proverb 25:2)
First and foremost of all, we shall
not forget that we are under God’s protection and his unchanging love. We will
not be surviving even a second without his faithful loving care and protection
from the evil one. What does cause humans to suffer in misery and unceasing
sorrow? It is the wrath of God. No one can escape from the fierce wrath of the
Lord. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the
godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their
wickedness.” (Romans 1:18) It is invisibly manifested and yet visibly observed
and seen in our midst. In the heavenly places, there is a rebel who resists and
disobeys the Lord of hosts. He is the devil who is a liar and the father of lie
and murderer. He is like a lion roaring and roaming around, looking for a prey
to devour. He is an accuser of humanity, demoralizing and dispiriting his
victims to the maximum degree. The Psalmist knows how much we humans are
vulnerable and helpless in defending ourselves from the liar and accuser. The
fowler’s snare, the deadly pestilence, the terror of night, and the arrow are
the weapons of the evil one. The attack is coming from all side anytime and
anywhere for the devil is invisible and cunning. We are really under the
devil’s ongoing assault. No one would survive if not protected by God the
Almighty who is restraining the evil in his hands. “For the secret power of
lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue
to do so till he is taken out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7) So, what the
Psalmist says is true. “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your
right hand, but it will not come near you.” (Psalm 91:7)
That much and beyond our imagination
and language, we are under the devil’s relentless attack. If not protected and
defended by the Lord, we would have been already destroyed and no more. The Lord
is our shield and rampart, refuge and fortress. The Lord is our God. He is our
side. “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly
pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will
find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not
fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence
that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” (Psalm
91:4-6) We do not see yet the wicked one punished and condemned but will be
sooner and quicker than we think. As a matter of fact, the devil has been
already condemned and cursed by the Almighty God. “So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have
done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will
crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”’” (Genesis
3:14-15) The moment of winning he thinks is that of utter failure as
demonstrated in the cross of Calvary where our Lord Jesus Christ died and rose
again from the dead on the third day according to the words of truth. No power
and authority and dominion in heaven and on earth are equal to that of the Lord
God who raised the Son Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day as promised.
In him, we are secure and safe for he is our refuge and shelter forever.
“You
will only observe with your eyes
and
see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The LORD is my refuge,’
and
you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you,
no
disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning
you
to
guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands,
so
that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion
and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and
the serpent.” (Psalm 91:8-13)
Why is our Lord loving us so much so
that he cannot but protecting and defending us from the evil one? Because he is
love. “‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect
him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I
will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I
will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’” (Psalm 91:14-16) While we were
still enemies, God demonstrated his love by sending his Son just as the Law and
the Prophets prophesied and promised. “For God so loved the world that he gave
his Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16) God never stops loving man who has been made in his image and in
his likeness. He still loves the fallen race who have been deceived and blinded
by the dark forces of evil. He loves mankind in a way that we may see and hear
the light and the truth in the Savior Jesus Christ. The Son is the image of God
manifested in our midst, speaking the truth and embracing the weak and the poor
and the blind in his eternal love and care.
“The Son is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers
or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians
1:15-17)
God loves man because he knows that
they are the victim of the invisible forces of evil. He is merciful and
compassionate that he cares and protects his children with the fatherly loving
heart. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for
you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) Our
enemy is not neighbors and foreigners but the prince of this world, the devil.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) The devil is
cunning and crafty and as strong as Leviathan and Behemoth. No human can
compete with the creature who has rebelled against God. He is the father of all
lies and a murderer. He is invisible and lurking in the darkness, constantly
accusing man like us out of nowhere and shooting the flaming arrows callously
and ruthlessly. But the devil is yet under the rule and authority of the Lord
God. We shall never forget the fact that the devil is a creature made by God,
so he cannot work on his own but only in the boundary and limit set by the
Lord. He is not rivaling or matching with the Lord. He shudders at the Lord
(James 2:19).
God knows how to protect and defend us
from the evil one. What God doesn’t do is to block the devil in entirety.
Rather, God allows him to work around with his wits in our lives. Only under
the precise prescriptions and terms though. There is a limit and boundary that
the devil cannot pass because he is under the authority of the Lord like
manifested in the case of Job. In fact, God allows for us to learn the very
important lesson that through which we may learn and see what we really are
before the invisible Creator God. The most difficult lesson for man to learn is
to know what we are and how much we have been fallen from God. It is difficult
to accept that we have nothing to be credited for righteousness. Our God is gradually
teaching and leading us to break into our stubborn hearts and see the unbelievable
thing in us, the wicked and sinful nature, even pride. The Scripture calls it
the flesh. We can’t help with this monster but always succumb to it, even the
believers. “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my
sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out. For I do not do the good I want to
do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19) We
cannot but crying out as Paul does, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue
me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24) This is the point
our God wants us to be, where we stand before the Creator God and the Lord of
all with complete bankruptcy. So, allowing the devil in our midst to work
around with his best wits is from God’s love and faithfulness. When we reach
the spot or moment in our lives, there is a mighty help available, the
resurrection power of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. “Thanks be to God, who
delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25a) Our Lord never fail
to deliver us from evil even when we are tempted and offer a way out, Jesus
Christ through whom we believe in God. He is our refuge and shelter now and
forevermore. Amen.
“No temptation has overtaken you
except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also
provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
2017. 11. 12.
©
2011-2017 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment