Psalm 60:11 Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!
Psalm 61:2b-3 Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
Psalm 62:1-2 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
I love the imagery of the Psalms. Word pictures are definitely an eastern way of thinking and it is very powerful.
What I love about it is that it often makes things personal....
God is MY rock
God is MY salvation
God is MY fortress.
Anyone can proclaim facts about God, even Satan and his demons can. But God is not their rock, salvation, or fortress.
In Acts we see Paul sharing his testimony with the Jewish crowd - and it doesn't go over well, certainly not when he mentions ministering to the Gentiles. People can listen without hearing when they are set against what you are saying. It is not our job to convict people - that is up to the Holy Spirit. We are responsible to pray, to speak the truth, and to live the truth, and leave the rest up to God.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Psalms 63-65; Acts 23:1-15
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"for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." Psalm 61:3
We went to the Washington Monument yesterday. Honestly, I'm not even sure what it symbolizes or what it stands for. Either way, as you approach this tower, you can only be in awe of its hugeness. It looks big from a distance as it towers over other structures in height, and only gets bigger as you approach it.
As I read this verse it made me think of this tower. It is hard for me to tell and explain to you the greatness of this structure. Well, it's the same as our strong tower in God. We also can't fathom and totally understand His strength. His greatness. His salvation. What I do know is that the Washington Monument is man made - one day it will not be standing.
On our vacation we have already had a few "adventures" that have caused me to take refuge in our one true strong tower. How blessed we are to be able to do so!
In Psalm 62 we read a few times to trust in God alone, and not in anything else,
2. He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
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.
This is a good reminder for us to trust in Him alone, and not in anything else around us. As Conrad said, monuments made on earth will one day crumble, but what God says will last forever.
Until Paul mentioned the Gentiles, people were really listening to him. He admitted that he had made mistakes he had persecuted Christians and didn't believe. Essentially Paul was putting himself in their shoes by admitting his own sin. We need to admit our own sin when witnessing to non believers. We need to show them that we don't have it all together but God is willing to offer us the gift of salvation anyway. When we put on the act that we have it all together it is hard for others to identify with us. We need to be vulnerable and willing to admit our sins.
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