Hand In Hand with God
by Ron Scurfield
In our scripture for today we find the Psalmist David talking to himself, reminding and urging his soul to praise the living God, ‘and forget not all His benefits (verse 2). Perhaps he was re-examining the place of God in his own life. I wonder if we sometimes need to do the same. Or are we managing our life as best we can, relying on our own self sufficiency to cope?
We know of God’s presence, but do we call upon Him only when things get tough or problematic? And have we forgotten that our enemy is continually trying to knock us off course and turn our eyes away from God? ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8).
Perhaps we’ve forgotten, or not even realised, that there’s a battle going on involving us all. We are urged to resist the devil, standing firm in our faith (1 Peter 5:9). And yet so many people either deny the devil’s existence or try to ignore him. This can be a dangerous stance to take. ‘“Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on”’ (Job 1:7).
Jesus acknowledged this when He said, “The prince of this world is approaching” (John 14:30). We need to stand firm in our faith. ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7). We must be aware of his presence and evil ways, ‘and do not give the devil a foothold’ (Ephesians 4:27).
‘Bless the Lord, O my soul’. God has saved us from our sins and laid up eternal life in heaven for all who believe. But in the meantime, the spiritual battle is raging all around us. We need to be aware of this and walk through this minefield hand in hand with God, who will protect us and show us the way.
This is why David was calling upon the Spirit of God to quicken His soul. ‘“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him ... He will call on me, and I will answer him”’ (Psalm 91:14-15).
Our greatest safeguard against the enemy is walking with God daily, constantly aware of His presence and confident in His love. Let us acknowledge this and join with David as he encourages himself with the truth. ‘Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name’.
We cannot afford to be complacent. ‘If you say, “The Lord is my refuge ...” no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways’ (Psalm 91:9-11).
Ron Scurfield with his wife Jill, are part of the Associate Ministry Team at Ellel Grange and occasionally Ellel Scotland. Ron enjoys walking and writing and meeting interesting people, but his greatest joy is seeing God transform lives, setting people free to live the abundant life that Jesus intended.
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