This psalm was written along with Psalm 43, as the same chorus is repeated in both. The subject is simple: an upward look for a downcast soul. The psalmist is in desperate straits and in the midst of despair and distress, he challenges himself time and again with what we read here in the above verse. Wrestling with his emotions and fears, he encourages himself to run to the safety of faith in God and His ways.
Let’s face it, sometimes our fears overwhelm our faith and we need to sternly give ourselves a lecture. Maybe this morning you need to remind yourself that God is able and will have His way with us and so we can rest and rejoice and have hope. Go read Psalm 43:5 and the conclusion of the writer. Be encouraged, God is at work for our good today!
Hoping in God!
Pastor Jack Abeelen
The breastplate of righteousness is the second piece of armor that Paul tells us to put on as we face the spiritual battles of life against our great enemy, Satan. A soldier, to keep his vital organs and bowels protected, would wear a breastplate of armor. Without this piece of armor, one simple blow could end his life if the impact damaged enough of these vital organs. In order for a Christian to spiritually put on the breastplate of righteousness, we need to walk in the righteousness that we have been given by Christ Jesus.
Much of the enemy’s battle strategy is to get inside our minds, to stir up false emotions, and tempt us to act on these lies or false premises. In Jewish tradition, the heart represented the mind and the will, while the bowels were the source of feelings. Hence, the breastplate is to protect those very vital areas.
For us to spiritually protect our mind and our emotions against the enemy, we must stand and walk in the righteousness that Christ has imparted to us. We must make the decision to obey the Lord and His Word because He has given us the power to do so. The minute we try and fight in our own righteousness or believe that Christ’s righteousness isn’t enough for us, we leave our mind and feelings vulnerable for attack and we lose. But when, by faith, we put on that righteousness that has been freely given to us at a great cost to our Lord, we can go into the battle with great confidence!
Pastor Jason Witt
You are not a mistake. God knew you from the very beginning. At just the right time, He created you and skillfully weaved you together in your mother’s womb. Then He brought you forth, breathed life into you, and destined you for His glory. And it is a wonderful thing. The angels in heaven rejoice over you, for you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
You shall live on the earth for a predetermined number of days. Whether you lived just a few hours, a few days, or over 90 years—it is all God’s infinite wisdom that determines the exact number of days you will live for His purposes and His glory. This is the rock-solid foundation upon which our life is built. It is all God’s amazing plan.
But what if I’m just not feeling it right now, or I don’t like it. What if I resent this amazing plan sometimes? What about my cancer, my children, my handicap…? There are no easy answers, but this psalm offers you hope, if you believe and embrace it. It offers you assurance that God is working His plan in you for His purposes. “I am the Vine,” Jesus said in John 15:1, “and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me… that bears fruit, He prunes that it may bear more fruit.” Pain is part of the plan.
Tom Day
Our hearts are deceitful and wicked. There are times where our hearts desire something that we think will bring us happiness. We tell ourselves we just need that one thing and it will fulfill our heart’s desire. Then we move on to the next thing. Well, what happened? Our hearts are deceitful.
It will often lead us astray without any conviction because we claim it came from our hearts. “My heart told me that I need to quit my job. My heart told me that I need to start a relationship knowing it’s not a good fit for me.” It will lead you to rebellion and no real conviction. We should measure our heart’s desire to God’s word and truth.
God knows our hearts better than we know our own hearts. This is why we need to be sure to line it up to what His word says. How will we know if our hearts are deceitful or if it’s something that God put there? Line it up with scripture.
Following God’s word, not my heart,
Joshua Navarro
We are reminded repeatedly in God’s word worry has no place in the life of a believer, which at times leaves me worried that I’m worried too often! But it doesn’t have to be so.
While planning for the future is time well spent (Luke 14:28-33), stressing over the future is time thoroughly wasted. You and I know this, yet we can find ourselves gripped with anxiety because our hope for tomorrow is often crippled by the fear of the “what if.” And today gets lost in the process.
How fortunate we are that the Lord doesn’t leave us with empty hope. We don’t need to hang around a wishing well, we get to lay our fear at the feet of the One who has our very lives in His hands. He will take care of us today and He’ll take care of us tomorrow, if and when we get there. This morning, join me in taking every fear and every worrisome thought to Him in prayer. Let’s choose to face this day hand-in-hand with the Lord.
Jeff Deal
Purity, meaning something not tainted by any outside influence, is something that is difficult to find in the world today.
So it is with our hearts. There are so many things that get in there that seek to corrupt and divide our loyalties. The heart is a tricky thing. Jeremiah 17 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” So to be “pure in heart” means to realize that our hearts can’t be trusted, that we can’t mix our desires with godly ones and come out with pure motives.
Purity of heart has everything to do with motive and nothing to do with behavior, but though this battle is fought within us inwardly, the victory can be seen in our outward actions. Jesus tells us that the blessed ones are those who seek God’s heart, because they will see God, and His heart and motives will be within them, and just maybe then others may see God and His heart through their actions.
Pastor Doug Hardin
It is important that we are not placing ourselves in areas where we are going to be led to sin. If you struggle with sin in a certain area in your life, don’t put yourself in an area that feeds that struggle. Often we place ourselves in those situations and after we fall into sin, we wonder how it happened. When we make provisions for the flesh, it will devour us. Instead, we are told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. When you feel yourself being drawn to an area of struggle, cry out to the Lord and run the other way.
For the King,
Daniel Batistelli
There are a lot of things in life that make us feel separated from God’s love. Sin can definitely make us feel isolated, alone, and abandoned even when the Lord is still with us and He still loves us. Notice how Paul leaves no option for something or someone that can separate us from God’s love. I encourage you as you read this to meditate upon these verses so you can be like Paul, persuaded there is nothing that can separate you from the love of our Father which we find in Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Pastor Sean Boehm
Knowing that the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives within you removes all excuses. Maybe you think you can’t share your faith because you don’t know enough verses or you lack boldness. Maybe you believe that you can’t live a victorious life over sin because you don’t have enough discipline. Whatever excuses you have are garbage in light of this verse. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and empowers you to overcome any excuse you may have. On your own you can do nothing, but God has not left you to yourself. He has put Himself in you through the Spirit and we are to walk in the power that the Spirit gives us. No more excuses, it is time to live out our faith.
For the King,
Daniel Batistelli
The typical greeting in Israel to this day is Shalom, peace. That is the word the psalmist uses here to declare that God’s blessing to His followers, to His people, is Shalom, peace. The word itself is translated many ways depending on the context: safety, happy, friendly, welfare, and rest. One wonderful fruit of a walk with God is peace in our lives, a rest and safety and sense of wellness that He alone provides. No matter what comes my way, the Lord is with me. Today, may our Lord bless you with His Shalom, a gift and provision from God.
Peace out!
Pastor Jack Abeelen
