Your preserve my life! (Promise Word | May 2020 )

You preserve my life! (Promise Word | May 2020)

Psa 138:7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

Couple of months ago, what the nations of the world saw as a tiny mole hill has now grown  into a towering mountain of gigantic proportions.    What was  only 82 (outside China) three months ago has surpassed 3 million mark  with nearly 1 million having recovered and over 0.2 million fatalities.  In India, what was only thousand, a month ago has catapulted thirty times to clock,  as on writing this message,  to 31,000.   Without doubt, the numbers, and the rate at which it is progressing, has caused great concern to rulers and administrators.  With no remedy in place, the state is doing its best to contain, control, curb the spread through various measures.  On the flip side, the economy has nose-dived causing lossess running in millions to business houses, merchants, shopkeepers etc.,.   Looks like we are all e caught between the devil and deep blue sea! Which  way to turn now?  What to salvage now? Lives or Livelihood?  

Psalm 91:7, at a time such as this, sounds aloud in my ears.   A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but will not come near to you.   What was once in far-eastern nation of China, has arrived in our streets, to our localities, almost tapping at our doors.  With all the faith, with all the promises,  hearts of men get perplexed and worried as to how it is going to be?  how long it is going to be? Will it be me?

When the three young jewish men were sentenced to be thrown in  furnace, they decided rather to face the fire than flounder in faith.   The narrative says that the King ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than it was usually heated (Dan 3:19).  When the going gets tough, the tough gets going, they say.   The numerics did not matter to these faith warriors!  If you are of this tribe, you will not fear the numbers,  neither the furnace, nor the heat, nor the corona statistics….Even though I walk in the midst of the trouble, you preserve my life.  This is not just a declaration.  In Christ Jesus, I believer this is the promise to each and every child of God, who places his/her trust on him.  Yes, it will not be come near you! 

Remember. Psalm 91 was not written for Corona pandemic.  It is a timeless promise, applicable to people all ages for all times.  The word of the Lord, is active and living, even today.  Amen!

Conditional Clauses

Is the promise of protection, preservation and quickening, applicable to all?  No, not so.  While God's love is unconditional, his promise is always conditional.  Promises are not doles.   They are given to those receive, trust and wait on them.   God expects a life of submission, obedience and adherence in order to bless and fulfill all the promises concerning us.  His conditions, are neither difficult nor untenable.  God pours his, plentiful grace upon us to fulfill the same.

Though and Thou art

There is a striking similarity between Psalm 23:4 and Psalm 138:7.  Although the historical context of these Psalms, in the life of David, is not recorded in its superscription, we can quickly assess the poise and confidence,  both in David's verb and voice. He is aware of his enemies, he is aware of the danger surrounding him, he is aware of the threat looming large in  his life, he is aware of the darkness shrouding him, he is aware of the uncertainties, he is aware of his frailty…..but still he boldly declares God's abiding presence and protective cover over him.  No, it is not his positive thinking.  It is his unflinching trust in God's presence, unwavering grip in God's precepts.  He knows that as long his way is pure before the Lord, none can pluck him out from the plans and purposes of God.

I will, thou wilt

·      As an exegetical study of Psalm 138, let us take a look at the I wills  of the petitioner which paves way for the thou wilts of the preserver in Psalm 138.

·       Let us learn from the Psalmist the ways  that made him 'declare' boldy that God is his strength and song,  that God will preserve him in times of trouble, that God will deliver from his enemies. 

I wills…

(a) I will praise

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise (vs.1)

The first pre-requisite that we learn from Psalmist David is that notwithstanding the dangers encompassing us, troubles tossing us, diseases threatening us, famine crushing us, we must praise him at all times!  This is David's theology.  We should never become despondent and lament rather than praise God during these times.

 (b) I will thank

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;(vs.1)

How do you look at the jar which is filled with water, upto its middle?  A pessimist would say it is half empty, while an optimist would say half-full.  If you want to God to preserve your life, your family, your future, your career, your studies, than you must learnt to thank him always! Thank him for all that he has done.  You cannot thank him enough for the blessings enjoyed thus far.   Israelites, instead of thanking God for the manna, lamented for want of delectable egyptian dishes.   They were doomed!  Don't grumble for what you can't do due to lockdown, thank him for all that you are having, doing, enjoyin even in lockdown. Amen!

 (c) I will call

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased(vs.3)

Lord Jesus once said, "Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you".  The phrase stresses the importance of prayer, talking to God.  Just as Jacob prayed, just as Daniel prayed, just as Elijah prayed, just as Jeremiah prayed, and just as Jesus prayed, we must have a strong prayer life. Someone has said, the hotline to reach God is Jeremiah 33:3?  How often do you call in that hotline and reach out to God?

  (d) I will proclaim

All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth (vs.4)

The Psalmist David in Psalm 75:9, 92:15, 96:3, 106:2, 145:4, 145:6 and in many other places says that he will declare God's greatness, his mighty acts, his praise, his glory to others, to those who do not know him.  The hallmark of a person who is engulfed in trouble and who awaits deliverance should be positive proclamation of who God is and what he could do to us.  David did so. Paul did so.  Locked down, did you declare the mighty works of God to your friends, to your relatives?  Did you use your phone or social media applications to spread the news of God's greatness or did you grumble and murmur over this predicament.  The Kings of the earth will hear  the words of your mouth, only when you speak.  And they will will glorify God!

 (e) I will humble (myself)

For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.(vs.6)

Lowly does not mean someone who is poor, helpless or without money.   Here, , lowly speaks of humility.  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven".  Lowly means someone who is dependent on God, who has no pride, no ego. God exalts those who humble themselves.   There are some, who cannot do away with their 'vain' pride even when things are not going right in their life.  Learn to humble yourself before the Lord, he will not only lift you up, he will preserve and protect your life from all dangers.

Thou wilts..

And if you have fulfilled, performed your part of the 'I will", God will certainly come down to rescue you, redeem you and more importantly revive you.   The promises of God are

(1) Looks at me

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar (vs.6, NIV)

The greatest comfort that you and I should have concerning our God, especially during these testing times is that our God is a God who sees.  El Rohi. He never sleeps, nor slumbers. The Bible says, his eyes are always open to the cry of the needy, to the cry of his children.  His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him (2 Chr 16:9).  About Israel, the Bible says it is the apple of His eye.   Maybe you are wondering nobody is seeing your travail, your diifficulty, your challenges during these trouble-filled days.  But God is looking at you, even as you are reading this article. Hallelujah!

(2) Answers me

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased (vs:3)

Our God is a prayer-answering God.  There is nothing called unanswered prayer in a believer's life.  The answer is either yes, no or wait!   Look at the Psalmist! He says God answered him in the day he called. Not the next day or next year. Though, at times, the answer may not come in the way we expected, there will be an assurance from God to wait! Our God is just a prayer away from you.  Don't become impatient or impulsive.  God is still on the throne.

(3) Strengthens me

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased (vs.3)

Our God is an enabling God. He is not interested in just giving you fish and bread, he his interested in making you a fisher of men.  He is not interested in gifting you what all you have asked, he is interested in making you strong and valiant to get what you deserve. He blesses the work of your hands.  David says the Lord trains his fingers for the battle.  The Lord fighting your battle is one thing. The Lord strengthening you to fight the battle is totally another thing.  To Jacob he says, "Fear not, fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isa 41:10)  These are times, when the Lord is strengthening you, for the time ahead.

(4) Delivers me

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me (vs.7)

Many have asked, we have been praying for a long time for this pestilence to stop, but why God is not doing anything?  not delivering us from our enemies?   God will certainly deliver us.  No doubt.   Even though he delivered the Israelites from the iron furnace of Eyptians to take them to the promised land,  their behaviour enroute to Canaan left much to be desired.  Even though they had crossed the borders, Egypt was still inside them.  They were a ungrateful,  faithless and discontented lot.  More than the physical enemies, these enemies of our soul are dangerous enough to pull us back from the purposes of God.  It is the promise of God to deliver you from all these spiritual strongholds during this lockdown.

(5) Preserves me

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me (vs.7)

Psalm 121:7 says "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, he shall preserve thy soul".   Just as an edible thing with  preservatives,  food inside a refrigerator will not lose its freshness,  if we remain in Christ, remain in his teachings, remain in his ways, we will be kept safe and sound.  The Lord preserved Noah and his family in an ark.  The Lord preserved Lot before raining fire and brimstone on his city.  The Lord preserved Israelites when the angel of destruction struck the first born in Egypt.    The Lord shall keep you safe and sound.  The question is where you are?  Noah was in the ark. Lot was outside Sodom. The angel of destruction passed over  the houses of Israelites when their houses were marked with the blood of the lamb which was symbolic  of the blood of Jesus

(6) Fulfills mine

The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me (vs.8)

'Perfect' in this context means complete, finish, fulfill all that which concerneth me.  Maybe today you are worried as to what is going to happen to your job, to your career, to your marriage, to your children, to your future.   Maybe this unexpected lockdown has upset all your plans.  Everything looks bleak in the face of this epidemic - epic challenge.  It is said, our very lifestyle would have to be changed in the post-corona world.  How will I ever survive in the new-normal world?   Really, all of us have these questions.  We do not have the answers. Nevertheless, one thing is sure and certain. God and his word are the same.  Both change not.  It is not me, it is not the circumstances, it is not the world after corona that is going to fulfil or perfect that which concerneth me, it is going to be the Lord.   The ever agile Peter, who left fishing to go behind Jesus decided to go back to his old trade, when things had become dark and dull.  But Jesus did not allow it. Jesus entered  at the right moment and fulfilled all that was concerning him.  He will do so for you and me.  It is no secret what God can do, what he is done for others, he will do fo you!

(7)  Loveth me

The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands (vs.8)                                                                                                                                                

In original hebrew, the word 'mercy' is called chesed.  Chesed is not just being merciful. It is the loving-kindness of God. It is God kind of love.  God's steadfast love.  The Bible says, God has loved us with his everlasting love.   His love is unchanging.  His love is selfless. It does not depend on who we are or what we do to him.  His love is dependent on who he is. God is love. Chesed also means beauty.  Beauty of lvoe.  It is akin to love of a father, love of a mother towards his or her new born child, towards a toddler.  How loving, how kind, how nice would a parent be to a child of that age.  To me, to all of us, this is the most supreme of all the blessings that we can enjoy in our relationship with God.   God loves you still! God has not given up you. Neither will he!   Believe that he has permitted this storm, this setback, this suffering for your, for my good.  It will soon pass away.  The love of the Lord shall endure until it takes you to your destination and even beyond! Hallelujah.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his Gentle breast

Thereby his love overshaded

Sweetly my soul shall rest…(Fanny Crossby)

You are safe, in the arms of Jesus!