FROM ABOVE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord is my fortress!

Don’t say to me, “Escape like a bird to the mountains!”

You tell me, “Watch out! Those evil people have put their arrows on their bows, and they are standing
in the shadows, aiming at good people. What can an honest person do when everything crumbles?”

The Lord is sitting in his sacred temple on his throne in heaven. He knows everything we do because He sees us all. The Lord tests honest people, but despises those who are cruel and love violence. He will send fiery coals and flaming sulfur down on the wicked, and they will drink nothing but a scorching wind.

The Lord always does right and wants justice done. Everyone who does right will see his face.

Psalm 11 (CEV)

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been in a situation where it seemed the odds were stacked against you and when you sought advice you were told to run from your problems?

It happens a lot and many people follow this advice. Maybe this is because they don’t have a relationship with the God Most High.

For as we see in the words of David in the 11th Psalm, a person who has a heart for the Lord is rewarded with a confidence and strength that can stand firm in the face of adversity. They need not look for their help here on earth for they know that there only help, a very present help in times of trouble, comes from above – it comes from the Almighty Lord of us all.

Indeed, as we consider the One who loves us, cares for us, and protects us from above, we should remember this psalm and the persona of the Lord shared by David.

First, the Lord reigns justly from above. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. No one is over Him. No nation, no leader, no person. God rules and reigns over all creation and He does so justly. Thus evil will face His wrath. This leads to the second point: He sends judgment on the wicked who He despises.

God hates sin and thus hates sinful behavior. David reminds us that the Lord who reigns justly from above will send judgment on those who fail to walk in His required righteousness. God can demand it because He is in charge. We are to submit to His authority in obedience. To not do so would challenge the Lord and the scriptures have shown that this wouldn’t be a wise choice.

David alludes to one example as he speaks of the wrath God will show on the wickedness He despises. Look at the passage as to what penalty would await the wicked. He says God would send fiery coals and flaming sulfur down from above, a destruction that you’ll recall fell on a sinful Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord did it once and He certainly could do it again at any time. And we shouldn’t ever think we’ll commit any sin that will go undetected. We know because of the third point David makes about God.

For from His vantage point from above, the Lord knows everything we do because He sees us all. No one and nothing is hidden from His sight.

No one has a view like this because no one is God. And we should never lose sight that we are always under surveillance, being observed and evaluated by the Lord Most High. He sees all and He will judge all.

He will also reward those who do right. The scriptures tell us that everyone who does right – those who consistently and persistently pursue righteousness by receiving Jesus as Savior and then following His way – will see the Lord’s face one day through the salvation gained through Christ. In other words, there will be a day when we will rise up and be with the Lord above. And that is worth enduring through a temporal worldly life that brings blessings and challenges to us.

In the end, no matter what life throws at us, we need to proclaim as David did – that the Lord who rules and reigns justly from above is our Fortress, a great Protector and Shield who will judge the wicked and bless the righteous.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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