Meditations

Kept in Christ

Psalm 27:7, 8

    There are times when a child of God is upon the mountain top of faith. There are also times when weakness of faith manifests itself. These two are in our lives because we still have the old man of sin until the day of our death. The new man in Christ will reveal himself; but the old man of sin will also at times be in control of our thinking, willing, and doing.

    When David cried out in Psalm 27, "Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?" he was on the mountain top of faith. But weakness of faith revealed itself when he stated in verses 7, 8, "Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy upon me, and answer me. When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek."  Our versification has it thus:

    Lord, hear me when I pray, 
    And answer me in grace;
    Oft as I hear Thee say, 
    Come ye and seek My face,
    My lips and heart their answer speak,
    Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek.

    Here David still reveals faith in God. But he is not revealing the confidence he expressed in verse 1 of this psalm. Now he is crying for help and voicing a measure of fear.

    Nevertheless there is an important truth here, namely, what David had stated in verse 5 in these words: "In time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me."  No, he was not now on the mountain top of faith; but he does still reveal faith in God. For he prays to God, seeks His mercy, and expresses a desire to seek God's face. When Satan sent powerful waves in an attempt to wash him away into unbelief, he did not succeed. God was David's and is our light and salvation. In His unfailing grace and mercy God will keep us from losing our faith.

    Once engrafted into Christ by faith, we will never be plucked out and be cast into unbelief. As for our salvation which is in Christ, God will keep us safe from falling away into unbelief and everlasting punishment. We do not need to be afraid that God will change and cast us into darkness.

Read: Psalm 37:1-24 
Psalter versification: #72:1

Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter #42
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

 Ezra 8:21-36 ;  Ezra 9 
 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 
 Psalm 31:1-8 
 Proverbs 21:1-2 
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Quote for Reflection:

 We by no means discharge our duty towards God, when we obey him only in appearance; for he is not a mortal man, whom the outward appearance pleases, but he reads what we are inwardly in our hearts. He not only prescribes laws for our feet and hands, but he also requires what is just and right as to the mind and spirit.    – John Calvin’s Commentary

Last modified on 25 July 2014

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