THE REFUGE
“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” Psalm 56:3 NASBS
Dear Christian, Let us learn to approach the Lord with heartfelt supplication and prayer, casting all our fears upon Him. It is undeniably true that as long as we are alive and living in this body, the earthly challenges of life will assail us. The fiery darts of Satan come at us in various forms. He has been present since the dawn of creation, often approaching us with a guise of wisdom. He knows precisely how to stir the fallen passions that reside within us, leading our hearts away from Jesus, the lover of our souls. This is a real battle that each of us must face daily, for none are exempt from these fiery trials.
David, the man after God’s own heart, serves as an example for all of us. In the darkest hours of his life, he cried out, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.” David was anchored in the truth of God’s word, even when he could not perceive His presence. He understood that the God of Israel is the one true God, the only One who can deliver him from his troubles. The author of Hebrews writes, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Throughout the historical account of David’s life, we see that he had faith and believed that God was his deliverer.
David’s heart reveals that he had a reverent fear of the sinful temptations he faced, even as he endured persecution from others. Beloved of God, can we genuinely say from the depths of our hearts that we truly fear sin? I’m not just referring to persecution from non-believers, but a deep-seated fear of the sin that resides within us, which can be exacerbated by our fallen passions. Have we become so desensitized to the sins of our culture, constantly stimulated by things that God detests—things for which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified—that we engage in them anyway?
My brothers and sisters, this should not be the case. We must pray for God to grant us a clearer understanding of the sinfulness of sin and the evil that accompanies it, even when it appears delightful to the eye and appeals to our flesh. This requires genuine self-examination and repentance before the God of Israel. God did not send His Son, Jesus, into the world so that we could justify sin, but that we might crucify it daily. Paul declared, “May it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Jesus also said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
Oh God, Lord of heaven and earth, have mercy on us and forgive us of our sins. Sanctify us in truth and transform us into the likeness of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Let us not for one moment, O Lord, think that although You have redeemed us from the foundations of the world by the shed blood of Your Son, You would condone the sins of our flesh. May we never take Your grace for granted to justify what satisfies our carnal desires. Holy Spirit, discipline us and instill in us a hatred for sin and a deep and fervent desire of holiness. Let us not violate the holy Commandments that we are given to show us our need for a Savior. Almighty and merciful God, make us detest any hint of evil that led to Your Son’s sacrifice on Calvary.