My help comes from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2
Our scheduled guest minister didn't show this afternoon...
which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2
Our scheduled guest minister didn't show this afternoon...
So the head elder, who happens to be a fellow inmate, asked if I would deliver the sermon. I gladly consented. And after a time of private prayer between myself and the Lord, I believe He led me to speak on Psalm 121. I titled the message, Looking Beyond One's Circumstances. Here is the gist of it:
The writer of the psalm, King David, was a man of faith. He knew where his
help would ultimately come from. It would come from the God of Israel. This is
the One David looked to. Thus, his statement that he would look to the hills was a
way of saying that when David prayed, he would face Jerusalem. It was where
the Holy Temple stood, and the place where God's presence was.
The psalm reveals that God is the Creator of all living things. Surely then,
the One who created the entire universe and who put the stars and planets in
place, I said, is fully capable of handling all our problems and meeting all our
needs. He's a big God, I declared, and the Number One Problem Solver. Nothing
is too hard for Him.
As I read each verse, I would pause after each one to expound upon it. The Lord is
our keeper who never sleeps. He's the Good Shepherd who guards the flock, the
sheep of His pasture, looking for wolves and other predators who would harm us,
I told the men.
I then explained how the Lord likewise watches the unseen realm, which we as
mere human beings cannot see with our physical eyes. This being the invisible
spirit world which consists of millions of demons, and the Devil himself, who'd
love nothing better than to destroy us. But God's angels operate in this realm,
as well, which is a good thing.
"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night" (v.6). This is the
promise of divine protection from all forms of evil. Since, when King David
penned these words, Israel was surrounded by many heathen nations with
their idolatrous practices to include witchcraft and black magic. Pagan priests
would do various rituals with the hope of conjuring up the powers of darkness.
They'd call forth curses while placing spells and hexes against God's children.
This psalm, therefore, reveals God's protection from Satan and his demons,
I said. As even in our day, both the sun and moon, as well as the seasons of the
year, play an important role in the occult and magic, and this includes satanism
and all forms of sorcery. But it is also a psalm of triumph and victory, I told
everyone.
D.B.
The writer of the psalm, King David, was a man of faith. He knew where his
help would ultimately come from. It would come from the God of Israel. This is
the One David looked to. Thus, his statement that he would look to the hills was a
way of saying that when David prayed, he would face Jerusalem. It was where
the Holy Temple stood, and the place where God's presence was.
The psalm reveals that God is the Creator of all living things. Surely then,
the One who created the entire universe and who put the stars and planets in
place, I said, is fully capable of handling all our problems and meeting all our
needs. He's a big God, I declared, and the Number One Problem Solver. Nothing
is too hard for Him.
As I read each verse, I would pause after each one to expound upon it. The Lord is
our keeper who never sleeps. He's the Good Shepherd who guards the flock, the
sheep of His pasture, looking for wolves and other predators who would harm us,
I told the men.
I then explained how the Lord likewise watches the unseen realm, which we as
mere human beings cannot see with our physical eyes. This being the invisible
spirit world which consists of millions of demons, and the Devil himself, who'd
love nothing better than to destroy us. But God's angels operate in this realm,
as well, which is a good thing.
"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night" (v.6). This is the
promise of divine protection from all forms of evil. Since, when King David
penned these words, Israel was surrounded by many heathen nations with
their idolatrous practices to include witchcraft and black magic. Pagan priests
would do various rituals with the hope of conjuring up the powers of darkness.
They'd call forth curses while placing spells and hexes against God's children.
This psalm, therefore, reveals God's protection from Satan and his demons,
I said. As even in our day, both the sun and moon, as well as the seasons of the
year, play an important role in the occult and magic, and this includes satanism
and all forms of sorcery. But it is also a psalm of triumph and victory, I told
everyone.
D.B.
