#DailyDevotion Trust In The LORD’s Promises & You’ll Stand Firm
Psalm 125 Those who trust the LORD are like Mount Zion, never shaken but standing forever. 2Like the mountains around Jerusalem the LORD is around His people now and forever. 3The scepter of the wicked will not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, and the righteous will not need to stretch out their hands to do wrong. 4Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, whose hearts are right. 5But when people turn to crooked ways, the LORD will take them away with the criminals. Peace be on Israel!
A mountain is usually a fairly stable object. Its roots go deep down into the mantle of the earth. Those who trust in the LORD are like that; they are not shaken. Jesus tells us in Matt. 7, 24“Anyone who hears and does what I say is like a man who had the sense to build his house on a rock. 25The rain poured down, the torrents came, the winds blew, and they beat against that house. But it didn’t go down, because its foundation was on the rock.” There is so much the world throws at us. Life is a constant struggle. We have this promise from Jesus in Matt. 5, 31“Don’t worry, then, and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or, ‘What are we going to drink? or, ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32The people of the world run after all these things. Your Father in heaven knows you need them all. 33Seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you, too.”
The LORD surrounded Jerusalem and protected it as long as His people were faithful to Him. When they became apostate, He allowed their enemies to attack to punish them to bring them to repentance. Yet, they were nevertheless, still the apple of His eye. We have a several solid promises from the LORD in Romans 8 that we can always take to heart, 28“We know that God works all things out for good for those who love God, who are called according to His plan,” and “31What does this mean? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He didn’t spare His own Son but gave Him up for all of us — He will certainly with Him give us everything. 33Who will accuse those whom God has chosen? It is God Who declares us righteous. 34Who will condemn? Christ died, more than that, He rose, He is at the right hand of God, and He prays for us. 35Who will separate us from God’s love? Will sorrow, hardship or persecution, hunger or nakedness, danger or a sword?” and “38I’m convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, nothing now nor in the future, no powers, 39nothing above or below, nor any other creature can ever separate us from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We look forward to the day when the scepter of the wicked no longer rules over us. We should not reach out for it when the world opposes us. We have the LORD as our trust. We have been promised a New Heavens and a New Earth where righteousness dwells. The wicked have no part of that nor can they come upon its highways. (Rev. 21) Trusting in the eternal rewards promised to those who are faithful, we need not do wrong to preserve temporary things that are passing aways.
Who are those who are good, to whom the psalmist petitions the LORD to do good to, their hearts are upright. They are upright because of their faith in the LORD. Their faith is credited to them as righteousness. From the Romans passage above we know the LORD will work all things for good for those who have been called by Him. We can trust our calling as the LORD has called us through baptism and placed His name on us.
As for the wicked, the LORD will take them away with all the criminals, i.e. the devil, the beasts, the fallen angels, and cast them all into the Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20) Israel here is those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. They have the peace beyond all comprehension. (Phil. 4:7)
Merciful God and Father, give us faith in You so we may live in peace, trusting in Your promises and living our lives following the teachings of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.