Worship

“Faithful to the End” by Paul and Hannah McClure

Scripture

“In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.” -Psalm 11 (ESV)

A Season of Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving! Tomorrow is a day to worship in gratitude as we sit at tables of abundance with loved ones. God has been faithful to us this year—even when we have been faithless. His promises to never leave His righteous ones is a forever promise, not given with stipulations on our performance. We continually sit at His table as sons and daughters whom the Lord is pleased with. He invites us to come today to His table of abundance He has prepared for us, all the days of our life. Oh, He is so faithful, and His invitation to come to Him is resounding across the Earth. I believe with all of my heart, because of what my eyes have seen, that we are in the days of great revival when many are turning to Jesus. It’s glorious! As sons and daughters, we can fix our eyes on the One who paid it all and deserves it all—every last drop of our lives!

Before I unwrap the beauty of Psalm 11, I want to remind our Dallas Arise family that Dr. Steven Khoury is joining us for lunch November 30. If you haven’t registered for this time, you can do so here. He is a walking flame for Jesus and is moving in profound favor to bring the Jews and Arabs the gospel in Israel. If you feel like the coals of your heart need to be kindled, please join us.

Understanding Psalm 11’s Context

It’s believed that Psalm 11 was written when David was running for his life from Saul. This King was pursuing his threat to the throne and filled with all the rage of hell. He was after David in order to destroy him. The counsel around him looked on with human reasoning and told him to flee and to run for his life, but David knew something different! David knew who had the final word over his life and where his ultimate protection came from. It would not come from mountains or hiding places, it would come from the very presence and person of God.

Choosing Faith Over Fear

Fear was not the answer for David; he had to fix his faith on the One who loved him and called him. There was a destiny over David’s life that the enemy wanted to snuff out. But God faithfully stood with David as his refuge and stronghold, his rock and fortress (Psalm 18). God fulfilled the purposes for David’s life (Psalm 138:11) because He loved him. From this shepherd’s fields to the throne, in moments of failure and humanity, God did not leave his side. This knowledge was the strength of David’s life, and the Lord was formulating a faith in him to believe Him and hold onto His faithfulness even at the infancy of his calling. All of his days, God trained him in this truth, until he saw him face-to-face.

“In the Lord I take refuge.” This was David’s opening declaration of Psalm 11 and essentially the opening declaration of his life. And then he reminded himself, when the counsel of his fear-mongering friends surrounded him, where God was. As all the fear and chaos ensues, where is God in the midst of it?

God is in His holy temple, seated on His heavenly throne (verse 4). He is not moving; He is not distant. He laughs at His enemies as He reigns in power. His faithfulness goes before Him. And, in fact, He sets a table for us in the very presence of our enemies (Psalm 23:5). So why would one flee in fear? God has victory in store for His righteous ones!

David’s confidence was in an all-powerful, omniscient God. When the question was posed to David, “What can the righteous do?” he shifted His gaze to the supremacy of God over earthly matters, human reasoning, and the power of fear. He began to see from Heaven’s perspective. I love the words of the Passion Translation here:

“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord ’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.” -Psalm 11:4 (ESV)

Applications for Today

In this time of history, when we are seeing the very foundations of our nation, churches, and culture being destroyed and sifted, it’s easy to look on in fear and wonder where we can flee. But Jesus calls us to see the One who is enthroned who holds the final word of victory; who has defeated sin and the grave; who never leaves us nor forsakes us; who awakens us each morning with new mercy and exorbitant grace; who looks upon His righteous ones with a love that the human experience cannot quantify nor contain. He is seated, having finished His work on the cross, and nothing we can do adds to any dimension of His love or sacrifice. It is finished, and it is ours for all of eternity. There is no height or depth in all of creation that can make us escape the very love and mercy and grace of God. His judgements for the righteous were paid on the cross. Oh, what a Savior! Oh, what an abundant inheritance we carry as Kings and Priests!

David stood at a crossroads between the counsel of fear and the faithfulness of God. It’s the same crossroads we are standing at in our nation in this hour. Will we look to the One who sits enthroned in Heaven, or will we look at our small perspective and question the goodness of God in the land of the living? Is He worthy of our gaze and affection when He doesn’t answer like we’ve asked? Or when our foundations seem to crumble under the schemes of wicked people? Is He still worthy of our trust? He is. He is indeed.

Our Eternal Hope

One day we will stand face-to-face with the One our hearts adore. But until then, we hold to the promise that the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8); He lifts His countenance upon us (Numbers 6:26); and we will see His face in righteousness (Psalm 17:15). There are encounters with Jesus for us now that answer these promises as we walk in intimacy with Him. He is not distant but is the very breath we breathe and the essence of who we are as He dwells inside of us.

Beloved of the Lord, it’s our hour to appropriate the faith He has given to each one of us, in order to cross over in complete trust. Our enemy may be facing us, and our hearts may feel weak and fragile; but even still, you are hidden and you are seen by the Lover of your soul. So, take your abundant inheritance and go. Go to the streets and to the places where God’s presence is void and bring His authority. Heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. He is with you, and He is for you. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart (Psalm 91:4)! You are a King and a Priest in the Earth, so it’s time, Church, to walk and minister like one!

“Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.'” -2 Samuel 7:8-9 (ESV)

“Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.”’” -2 Samuel 7:8-9 NKJV