Psalm 27

12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

I love this scripture by David. In one version it ask the question:

What, what would have become of me HAD I NOT BELIEVED that I WOULD see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!?

What would have become of David? And I ask myself and you the same question, what? What would become of us if we choose not to believe and so surrender to the plan of the enemy? What would have become of you or me in past times when we wanted to give up but hung on, even it was just by a thread? God will come to our rescue.

What does it mean to believe? It means accepting something in your heart that you believe to be true, no matter if anyone else does or not. We can believe for good things, but we can also believe for wrong things. Faith itself is the substance of things HOPED for and the evidence of things NOT YET SEEN. We must believe and hold onto faith. It’s hoping.

The Bible calls us prisoners of hope because we are to not escape it. Hope is an anchor that holds when we have nothing to hold onto but faith and a prayer. It doesn’t and doesn’t have to make sense. We don’t want to lose hope or we will give up and grow discouraged and stop looking for what we can’t touch or yet see. If we see it in our minds and feel it in our spirit, then we can achieve it and touch it eventually. But, if we stop seeing it then we stop reaching for it and lose touch with our faith. That’s what would have happened to David, he would have given up and fainted unless he believed for good to come.

That’s what will happens to us too if we don’t believe. Look at how many times God came through for David in all of his ups, downs, and mistakes.

The Bible says that without vision, we perish. What do you see or lack to see? It all goes hand in hand. And if we believe and hope for something, then finally we must expect it! To wait and hope for and expect the Lord to come through on our behalf - what we cannot do but only believe for! So often we say we believe but we then jump on to the next thing instead of waiting, or we wait so impatiently. Or, maybe honestly we don’t expect it at all and stop looking, it’s just a past wish or dream.

To stay active in faith, we must actively watch and believe. We don’t stop looking for it. Without faith we cannot please God. It’s impossible and simply won’t happen. God blesses those who trust and obey Him, and put that faith into action. And even if it does come, what about all that time we wasted by worrying instead of in faith? We lose our joy, we lose our strength. We lose our peace, we lose our relationship. I don’t know what you’re hoping for right now or have stopped hoping for, but God does. I come to encourage you today.

Like David, We must be full of hope and expectation to believe. So I go back to the question: What would have become of us? We would have become discouraged ,and lost hope and faith, weakened and eventually given up. The enemy comes to wear out the saints. He wants us to give into discouragement because it leads to despair, so we must not.

When things don’t make sense we gotta get alone with God like David and encourage ourselves in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6) Thus wasn’t easy for David, no doubt. He knew he couldn’t do it on his own. He was in a bad way and all of his and his men’s family were taken; but he didn’t let it stop him or cause him to give up. Through encouragement from encouraging himself in the Lord, he got the grace and courage that he needed no doubt, to get up, go out and fight the enemy to get back what they stole! Are you willing? To fight for what you have lost, or to settle with no joy? God can take what the enemy took for evil and use it and He turns it for good. But we must believe that He does this and cooperate with His plan and guidance.

We gotta talk to our inner self like David did. This is kinda what that conversation may look like between you and your soul issue. “Soul, why are you so downcast within me!?” “We gotta get up and fight, inner self.” “We got a problem here, something’s not right self.” “You’re disturbed and losing your sight of things and it’s effecting our faith, so we gotta Hope in God again soul!” “Like David; I shall yet praise Him because He is the help of my countenance and my God.” “I know we’re down and I know it don’t feel natural to praise right now, nor do we feel like it, but we must In order to get back up again.” “We gotta get our spark back.”

Sometimes it’s a physical burn out but sometimes it’s soul issue.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 43:5

Wait for Him! Hope for Him! Expect Him!

This takes courage and it takes you being brave! It’s a choice to let your heart be effected by Him, instead of everything else and allowing Him to be strong in you - loving Him and being loved by Him. For perfect love cast out all fear. You and I can be fearful but not give into the fear.

We can’t be fearful/dreadful and brave/strong/courageous at the same time: we gotta choose. It is a choice in spite of how we may feel. How do we do this, dig and hunker down deep with God. Being real and honest before Him and pouring our heart and soul out to Him. God, I can’t do this but I know I can as long as you’re with and strengthening me. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Not before. We grow in faith and we grow in You.

Wait! Hope! Look for! Expect!

He’s coming through…… He says so. He said He’d never leave or forsake you. He promised.

Psalm 31

23 Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.

24 Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.

He loves us and He honors those who honor Him. David tells us here that He preserves the faithful, or in other words He keeps us safe and maintains our cause. He promised to. There’s lots of times where I “feel” like giving up. Feelings are good at times but feelings are also horrible guides that will get us into trouble. We’re guided by faith. Not fear. Not feelings. The fear of the Lord is the only thing that should guide us into faith. I don’t want to give up in these times but sometimes I simply don’t know what else to do. What about you?

We must always must go back to this one thing: HOPE IN GOD. TRUST IN HIM. For it requires faith to trust when things don’t make sense. He is our good Father Who loves us and will never let us down. Circumstances may, but He never will. Things might not turn out like we want and everything might not be answered the way we willed, but nevertheless God is still God and He is still in control. He will do what He said He would do. He will preserve you but you must hold onto to faith to the One Who is holding onto You. He won’t let you go.

Again the scripture says to: BE OF GOOD COURAGE. We can’t be courageous and discouraged at the same time. He will strengthen our hearts if we turn to Him. That’s the only reason we can be strong and courageous. Is there something that you’re waiting on for God to turn around? We spend a lot of life waiting and if you aren’t waiting on something now, at some point you will be. It’s in those times we grow deeper and get roots we can’t see at the very moment, but later we do. We can rest in-the knowledge that we are rooted and grounded in Christ and so that’s why we don’t have to lose heart, but to keep that hope in front of us to hold onto. It’s coming and He’s coming through.

He preserves the faithful. Are you faithful to Him? Do you come back when you stray? He’s faithful to you! But He plentiful pays back those who are proud and of a haughty spirit. That speaks of those who think they don’t need God and are higher than thee. Those who attack and oppose and operate out of a different spirit. Let God take care of these. He simply says: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay!” It’s a simple command and a promise wrapped up in one. It’s His. Give it back to Him. This is easy to say but it’s the only way to win. Don’t take what’s His or try to take His place. Whenever you see the words “I will” from God anywhere in His Word, you can count on that!

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. Proverbs 6:16-19

Again: GOD WILL PRESERVE THE FAITHFUL. Return in faith to Him. If anyone or anything is against you and it’s out of align with God then it’s against Him. He will take care of you.

Last but not least, after writing this, I opened up to my friends devotional that she had written and these two verses were in the two devotionals that I read! It’s no coincidence to me and with God there’s no coincidences but everything perfectly planned and played out. I believe He is assuring us that He will take care of what we can’t. He is faithful.

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists (sets Himself up against) the proud (and haughty), But gives grace to the humble (lovely).” James 4:6

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance evenGod with a recompense (with Devine retribution); He will come and save you. Isaiah 35:4

I see it like this! We must STOP FEARING man, man’s plan and trust God that no weapon formed is gonna prosper! What do you have to fear but fear or God Himself? Fear Him and keep His commands! He says many times: DO NOT FEAR! SEE, GOD WILL come with vengeance and He will pay back what was stolen from you! Not all is lost. HE WILL come and save you! God will do EVERYTHING and what He said He’d do. He can replace and restore.

He also tells us in Isaiah to fear NOT, for He has redeemed us and called us by name. We are His. The very God and Creator of the universe knows us and calls us by name. We are His. What or whom shall we fear? He will is able to recompense or compensate us for all we’ve lost or suffered. He can give us double for our trouble and feast for famine, and all that and more. He’s not limited in what He can do. It’s only our thinking and belief that blocks, hinders and limits our blessings and point of view. God is limitless.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you. Zechariah 9:12

There is hope. As long as breath, life and life hope. Turn back to Him today and watch the work begin.