Thursday, November 10, 2016

OUR WORDS AND REACTIONS ALWAYS EXPOSE OUR HEARTS















WHOM ARE WE TRUSTING DURING OUR DIFFICULTIES?

Psalm 62:1-2
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

David maintained a single focus through times of difficulty. He was dependent ONLY upon God, he trusted ONLY Him for his salvation, and he knew that God ALONE was the stable ground on which to stand, his ONLY protection.

By his words, we observe that David’s resolve was not momentary; it was not based on his immediate circumstances or the length of the trial, but on the character of God. He had put his complete trust in Him.

During difficulties our hearts and our resolve become exposed. We should ask ourselves if that is where we also stand. It is easy to give lip service to our belief and trust in God, but trials very quickly expose where our hearts are, just as David’s reactions show us where his heart was.

Reactions always produce consequences. David waited in silence, without being shaken. His silence exposed his trust, for he did not complain through the trial. Our first site of examination during a trial is our mouth! What do people hear from us? We tend to quickly justify our complaining or our outright anger. We call it venting, or “thinking out loud”.  We think that it is inconsequential, but it never is. It is exposing that our hearts are rebelling against God. We tend to think that we are just dealing with people, but in reality we are always dealing with our Lord.

When we complain, become bitter, or get angry, our reactions always offend God. We are rebelling against God’s sovereignty, His care for us, His wisdom, and His timing. David knew his God well, and therefore he also knew His character, His wisdom, His power, and lovingkindness. Maybe we do not know God well enough, maybe we have not reflected enough on Him during our circumstances, and our focus has merely been on ourselves and those around us.

David’s mouth exposed his heart, and his demeanor was also evidence of his trust in God. He was not shaken; his world did not fall apart. David did not waiver or fear, he knew very well who was in control of his circumstances.

Dear friends, what are your difficulties exposing in your responses? In what way is your mouth voicing the state of your heart? How is your emotional state exposing your focus?

We all remember moments in which we have failed in the past. Maybe some are wondering right now how to bring their heart and feelings under control. The Lord, through this psalm, is calling us to think on Him, to look away from people or circumstances.

David’s enemies were real!

Psalm 62:3-4
3 How long will all of you attack a man
to batter him,
like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse. Selah

His enemies were trying to make him fall, they were lying about him, and they were hypocritically pretending to be for him, but truly hoped for his destruction. Although we do not know in which instance of David’s life this psalm was written, we certainly know that he experienced the betrayal of his family and friends. David’s life was not easy, but his trust in God never wavered.

David needed to remind himself to trust in God, the same way we also need to do.

Psalm 62:5-7
5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

David was convinced that God was his rock of refuge, and his trust in God was deep and sure. How long we are willing to wait on God exposes the depth of our dependence on Him; the length of our silence exposes how true our trust is; the peace of our demeanor exposes how much we truly trust our God.

David’s resolve reminds us that our trust must be in God alone. When we trust ourselves or others alongside with God, we will feel overwhelmed and are often disappointed. We must have a single focus. In the end, only one Person will receive the glory, because we know that through Him all things come together.

Even when our circumstances are more pleasant, we should guard ourselves from taking personal credit for their improvement. Our awareness of our dependence on God should be constant, our gratefulness should be evident, and our praise for God should be heartfelt.


May God help us to refocus our lives upon Him, and may our lives invite other people to trust God for their salvation, their hope, and their refuge.

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