We Live Above the Circumstances on Earth
9/20 Reading Portions: 2 Samuel 16; 2 Corinthians 9; Ezekiel 23; Psalms 70-71
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9/20 Reading Portions: 2 Samuel 16; 2 Corinthians 9; Ezekiel 23; Psalms 70-71
Psalm 71:10-11
For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.”
FORSAKEN
The Lord Jesus Christ was forsaken of God when He hung upon the cross (Psa 22:1; Matt 27:46) so that we, who trust by faith in salvation through Him, will never be forsaken by God. Unbelievers, however, those who are enemies of the cross, will look upon the calamity, distress, or trouble of the Christian believer and say, “God has forsaken him.” They look upon the external circumstance and cannot see our eternal communion. The Christian does not live under the circumstances. In Christ, we are seated together with Him in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 2:6); and therefore, we live above our situations and circumstances. While we may lament our tribulations, as the psalmist does in our verses today, and though we may seek quick relief as David pens his hastening request in the first verse of the 70th Psalm, the faithful Christian recognizes that the tribulations promised us in the world (John 16:33), and the persecutions foretold us from the world (2 Tim 3:12), that these will strengthen your character and mine so that our lives more and more reflect the very character of Christ Jesus (Rom 8:28-29). This is why we, like the psalmist, are filled with hope in Christ and praise for Christ (Psa 71:14) when accused or shamed (Psa 71:13). This is we, like the psalmist, may tell of Christ’s righteous acts and deeds (Psa 71:15) in the midst of our trials. This is why our souls still bask in the awesome wonder of Christ’s majesty despite our situation on earth (Psa 71:19). Our redemption is secured in Christ, and thus, our…
…lips will shout for joy, when [we] sing praises to [Christ]… Psalm 71:23
…even while we are in the midst of trials, tribulations, persecutions, and accusations. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
We often will experience
Misunderstanding from the world;
To them, Christ’s cross does not make sense,
It only makes their thinking whirl.
God must awaken to them Christ,
With calls of love and grace;
For worldly knowledge won’t suffice
To see Christ face to face.