Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid,
neither be dismayed: for the Lord God is with thee wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
For the followers of Messiah Jesus these are unusual and challenging times...
neither be dismayed: for the Lord God is with thee wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
For the followers of Messiah Jesus these are unusual and challenging times...
One's faith is being tested almost daily. I know my faith is. Even to this very day and some forty-three years after my arrest, there are angry and vengeful individuals who continue to pursue me. And although they are a small minority, they can be very vocal about it.
Interestingly, King David had enemies everywhere he went. The Psalms, for example, are filled with David's pleas to be kept safe from those who meant him harm. "When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell... Deliver me not unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty" (Psalm 27:2 and 12).
Learning of David's troubles and how he persevered over them has been a source of encouragement for me. He was threatened by Goliath the giant, hunted by King Saul, threatened to be stoned to death by his own people (1 Samuel 30:6), and swallowed up by his enemies (Psalm 56:2). His haters even prepared a "net" for his steps (Psalm 57:6).
Surrounded by problems and enemies, King David kept his faith in God. He stayed close to the Lord through prayer. He never backed down from those who came against him. Although he was not perfect and fell into some grievous sins, David pressed on. When he sinned, God chastened him, and David accepted whatever the Lord doled out as punishment.
I want to be like him. I may never be king of a nation, but I want to stay faithful to my Savior. I want to be able to say what the apostle Paul said as he was coming to the end of his life: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
God's servants need to be spiritually tough, and I need to work on this more.
D. B.
Interestingly, King David had enemies everywhere he went. The Psalms, for example, are filled with David's pleas to be kept safe from those who meant him harm. "When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell... Deliver me not unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty" (Psalm 27:2 and 12).
Learning of David's troubles and how he persevered over them has been a source of encouragement for me. He was threatened by Goliath the giant, hunted by King Saul, threatened to be stoned to death by his own people (1 Samuel 30:6), and swallowed up by his enemies (Psalm 56:2). His haters even prepared a "net" for his steps (Psalm 57:6).
Surrounded by problems and enemies, King David kept his faith in God. He stayed close to the Lord through prayer. He never backed down from those who came against him. Although he was not perfect and fell into some grievous sins, David pressed on. When he sinned, God chastened him, and David accepted whatever the Lord doled out as punishment.
I want to be like him. I may never be king of a nation, but I want to stay faithful to my Savior. I want to be able to say what the apostle Paul said as he was coming to the end of his life: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
God's servants need to be spiritually tough, and I need to work on this more.
D. B.
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