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In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Your righteousness. Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for You are my refuge. Into Your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends — those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
Psalm 31:1-14
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Pastor Steve Malone shared the following in an illustration on trust:
On Sept 16, 1620 2 ships set sail from Plymouth England, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell encountered much difficulty as they began their journey springing many leaks in the ship. So when the 2 ships went to Port in Plymouth England, the Speedwell decided to go no further and 42 passengers from the Speedwell joined the 60 passengers and 30 crew members aboard the Mayflower.
Of the 102 passengers on board the Mayflower the majority were devout Christians. They were coming to America to shake loose from the bonds of the Church of England so they could worship God as they believed scriptures taught.
And with great excitement and expectations that set sail for a new land... It wasn’t long before the trip became difficult for several reasons, as noted by William Bradford an historian on the Mayflower, who would later became Governor of the colony for 33 years. Many of the passengers became sea sick as huge waves would crash over the deck of the ship... The nights were cold, damp and dark... Remember there was no indoor plumbing or electricity. And to make matters worse one of the crew, a very large man would constantly curse and abuse those who were sick... saying he was going to throw them overboard and steal all of their possessions... Bradford records, "BUT IT PLEASED GOD BEFORE THEY CAME HALF SEAS OVER, TO SMITE THE YOUNG MAN WITH A GRIEVOUS DISEASE OF WHICH HE DIED IN A DESPERATE MANNER.. AND SO HE HIMSELF WAS THE FIRST THROWN OVERBOARD. THUS HIS CURSES LIGHT OWN HIS WON HEAD, AND IT WAS AN ASTONISHMENT TO ALL HIS FELLOWS FOR THEY NOTED IT TO BE THE JUST HAND OF GOD UPON HIM."
But their problems were far from over yet, they encountered many fierce storms which shook the ship with tremendous force. So fierce that many times they could not even keep the sail out and the force of the wind -- eventually cracked and bowed the main beams when they had just went over the half way point across the Atlantic. And although the passengers and crew wanted to turn back, Christopher Jones, the ships Master, assured all the vessel was "strong and firm under water." He ordered the beam to be secured. It was hoisted into place by a great iron screw that, fortunately, the Pilgrims brought out of Holland. AND Upon raising the beam, they "committed themselves to the will of God and resolved to proceed." These 100 people; cold, wet -- on wooden ship in the middle of the ocean -- put their hope, trust and lives into the hands of God. The battered ship finally came within sight of Cape Cod on November 19, 1620. Two had died at sea and two had given birth. The Pilgrims scanned the shoreline just to the west of them and described it as, "a goodly land wooded to the brink of the sea," William Bradford writes, "AFTER LONG BEATINGS AT SEA THEY FELL WITH THAT LAND WHICH IS CALLED CAPE COD; AND THEY WERE NOT A LITTLE JOYFUL..."
Before going ashore they decided to write a document know as the Mayflower Compact.
At the heart of the compact lay an undisputed conviction that God must be at the center of all law and order and the law without a moral base is really no law at all.
The day the Pilgrims signed the May Flower Compact, according to William Bradford, "they came to anchor in the Bay, which was a good harbor...and they blessed the God of Heaven, who brought them over the fast and furious ocean... and a sea of trouble. And they read the following from the Geneva Bible (the Bible the Pilgrims used) "LET THEM, THEREFORE PRAISE THE LORD, BECAUSE HE IS GOOD AND HIS MERCIES ENDURE FOREVER."
Of the 102 passengers on board the Mayflower the majority were devout Christians. They were coming to America to shake loose from the bonds of the Church of England so they could worship God as they believed scriptures taught.
And with great excitement and expectations that set sail for a new land... It wasn’t long before the trip became difficult for several reasons, as noted by William Bradford an historian on the Mayflower, who would later became Governor of the colony for 33 years. Many of the passengers became sea sick as huge waves would crash over the deck of the ship... The nights were cold, damp and dark... Remember there was no indoor plumbing or electricity. And to make matters worse one of the crew, a very large man would constantly curse and abuse those who were sick... saying he was going to throw them overboard and steal all of their possessions... Bradford records, "BUT IT PLEASED GOD BEFORE THEY CAME HALF SEAS OVER, TO SMITE THE YOUNG MAN WITH A GRIEVOUS DISEASE OF WHICH HE DIED IN A DESPERATE MANNER.. AND SO HE HIMSELF WAS THE FIRST THROWN OVERBOARD. THUS HIS CURSES LIGHT OWN HIS WON HEAD, AND IT WAS AN ASTONISHMENT TO ALL HIS FELLOWS FOR THEY NOTED IT TO BE THE JUST HAND OF GOD UPON HIM."
But their problems were far from over yet, they encountered many fierce storms which shook the ship with tremendous force. So fierce that many times they could not even keep the sail out and the force of the wind -- eventually cracked and bowed the main beams when they had just went over the half way point across the Atlantic. And although the passengers and crew wanted to turn back, Christopher Jones, the ships Master, assured all the vessel was "strong and firm under water." He ordered the beam to be secured. It was hoisted into place by a great iron screw that, fortunately, the Pilgrims brought out of Holland. AND Upon raising the beam, they "committed themselves to the will of God and resolved to proceed." These 100 people; cold, wet -- on wooden ship in the middle of the ocean -- put their hope, trust and lives into the hands of God. The battered ship finally came within sight of Cape Cod on November 19, 1620. Two had died at sea and two had given birth. The Pilgrims scanned the shoreline just to the west of them and described it as, "a goodly land wooded to the brink of the sea," William Bradford writes, "AFTER LONG BEATINGS AT SEA THEY FELL WITH THAT LAND WHICH IS CALLED CAPE COD; AND THEY WERE NOT A LITTLE JOYFUL..."
Before going ashore they decided to write a document know as the Mayflower Compact.
At the heart of the compact lay an undisputed conviction that God must be at the center of all law and order and the law without a moral base is really no law at all.
The day the Pilgrims signed the May Flower Compact, according to William Bradford, "they came to anchor in the Bay, which was a good harbor...and they blessed the God of Heaven, who brought them over the fast and furious ocean... and a sea of trouble. And they read the following from the Geneva Bible (the Bible the Pilgrims used) "LET THEM, THEREFORE PRAISE THE LORD, BECAUSE HE IS GOOD AND HIS MERCIES ENDURE FOREVER."
Hardships and difficulties along a long journey across unknown seas.
Sort of describes the lives you and I experience doesn’t it?
In the opening verses of the 31st Psalm, we find David sharing a little about the hardships and difficulties he was facing as he expressed his feelings to the Lord.
Consider some of what David was up against:
1. Traps set for him by his enemies.
2. Affliction and an anguished soul that consumed his life.
3. Distress
4. Weakness from sorrow and grief.
5. Utter contempt from his neighbors and dreaded by his closest friends.
6. Forgotten as if he were dead.
7. Conspiracy to kill him.
David was up against a lot. His problems make ours look minor by comparison.
And yet, despite all of this, David never lost his faith. Instead, he relied on it to sustain him through the trials he experienced. It is what allowed him to write:
But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
Friends, the God of David and the God of those early pilgrim settlers is the same God who is for us.
He is our God.
And just as our God has shown His providence to believers through the ages, so too does He show it to us today.
So how should we respond to this truth, to the truth that the God who made us is the God who sustains us through the life He brought us into?
Let’s go back to the early pilgrim settlers.
When they were in the midst of hardship, they could have given up and resolved that they were destined to perish on their journey’s rough seas. But they didn’t. Instead, they “committed themselves to the will of God and resolved to proceed.” In other words, they didn’t trust in their own ability to make it through. They trusted in God’s will and God’s will alone, in His ability to sustain them through their difficulty.
And it was His will that they survive. He rewarded the faithfulness of the pilgrims and delivered them safely to safer circumstances and the blessing of a new land to settle in. All because they placed their trust in the Lord.
This is the God who is our God.
How about David?
We learned from the 30th Psalm what he was up against. Entrapment, conspiracy, affliction, anguish, distress, sorrow and grief brought on by the enemies who wished him dead. Contempt and abandonment from his neighbors and closest friends when David needed them most.
And yet, David had this attitude:
“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge.”
“Deliver me in Your righteousness.”
“Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue.”
“Be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.”
“For the sake of Your name lead and guide me.”
“Keep me free from the trap that is set for me.”
“Into Your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”
In other words, David trusted God fully with all he was going through. He had faith that nothing was impossible with God no matter how hopeless his circumstances looked. He saw God for who He was – his Great Refuge, Deliverer, Rescuer, Stronghold, Counselor, and ultimately, Savior.
God was that for David and He is that for you and me today.
Friends, we have great role models to emulate when it comes to faith and trust in times of difficulty. We are inspired by their ability to remain steadfast in their hope in God, no matter how dire things may seem. And we can only pray we too will be so resolute when our time to face challenge comes, and it will come.
God is with us and He is for us. This is the good news, not just today but for every day we’re blessed with. Let us adopt the spirit of the pilgrims when they proclaimed, “Therefore praise the Lord for He is good and His mercies endure forever” and the attitude of David who said, “I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in (His) love.”
For truly, if God is for us, who (or what) can stand against us? (Romans 8:31)
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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