The Deep Well of Salvation
Greetings in the Lord!
Ever feel like the struggles at hand will not go away? That you've been dealing with, and contending with, and seeking God's help for trials with the enemy that seem to just keep on lingering, and lingering, and lingering...yep, me, too. Warring and holding your ground in the midst of adversity can make one very weary. It's been a long, contentious year so far, and guess what? We still have a couple more months to go! ;) Well, we will make it, by the help of God, we will make it. And I can't tell you how often when I'm in the middle of such a season of struggle, or an "assignment" that pits me against a stronghold, if you will, that I get the Scripture for today:
"The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker." 2 Samuel 3:1
David's struggle with the house of Saul was a long, drawn out, series of battles and betrayals. Just when he conquered one foe, another one, even closer to his side would rise up against him! By the end he didn't know who to trust or who was on who's side--and many had changed sides more than once! I thought about that today. It seemed that there were only a couple times where the kingship was so contested in Jerusalem, and that, only when someone tried to steal the position that was not granted to them by God. I can't help but to wonder, why did God allow such prolonged turmoil to happen to David. Who was it benefiting--him? Israel? At one point David writes this psalm when he was exhausted, fleeing to the desert for safety:
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1
You can feel the intensity of his need; his desperate longing for refreshment from God and an ease of the serious attacks made against him by enemies known and unknown. David stops for a moment to reflect upon the power of God--trusting that he will once again feast upon God's goodness, though the time at hand is dire and he is terribly weary.
Then, in 2 Samuel 3:2, the passage goes on to talk about all the sons that were born to David during his prolonged struggle--evidence of his increasing strength and prosperity in the midst of all his trials. I am reminded of how plants will grow their roots deep to water sources during times of drought. Interesting concept, huh? That only when water is suspended will the roots be forced to do this to survive...and they will have a stronger root system in the long run. Ah, a reason for the season of drought--so our roots can grow deep in Christ Jesus!
I remember one time when the Lord drew my attention to a particular tree in my yard.
"You see that tree? All day, every day it bears the weather. It survives because its roots are deep," the Lord said. I thought more about that tree. Yep, it was one of the only trees to survive the tornado that came through our town, too; all the rest were damaged. The Lord said to me, "So, like the tree, you, too, will be just fine because your roots are deep in Me."
I nodded my head in agreement, though, interestingly, I had no drama or conflicts at that moment...that came later! ha What an encouragement from the Lord this was to draw on later. And like David, as we move from glory to glory the storms of life seem to get tougher, not easier, so a strong root system in Jesus is absolutely necessary. We will still bear fruit in the dry seasons and our leaves will be green because we draw our water from the deep waters of Jesus in us!
"They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise Him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced." Psalm 63:10-11.
When I look at verse 10, "depths of the earth" jumps out at me. Did you know that this was another way the Biblical writers were referring to 'hell'? It reminds me that we war not with flesh and blood, even though we see the human faces that are being used to cause our trouble, we must remember that our battle is a spiritual one and that those evil spirits that try to wreak havoc in our lives will surely return to their place of torment when the Lord works out all things for His purpose. God will have the final word in all our battles, and that word is "Victory!"
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Ever feel like the struggles at hand will not go away? That you've been dealing with, and contending with, and seeking God's help for trials with the enemy that seem to just keep on lingering, and lingering, and lingering...yep, me, too. Warring and holding your ground in the midst of adversity can make one very weary. It's been a long, contentious year so far, and guess what? We still have a couple more months to go! ;) Well, we will make it, by the help of God, we will make it. And I can't tell you how often when I'm in the middle of such a season of struggle, or an "assignment" that pits me against a stronghold, if you will, that I get the Scripture for today:
"The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker." 2 Samuel 3:1
David's struggle with the house of Saul was a long, drawn out, series of battles and betrayals. Just when he conquered one foe, another one, even closer to his side would rise up against him! By the end he didn't know who to trust or who was on who's side--and many had changed sides more than once! I thought about that today. It seemed that there were only a couple times where the kingship was so contested in Jerusalem, and that, only when someone tried to steal the position that was not granted to them by God. I can't help but to wonder, why did God allow such prolonged turmoil to happen to David. Who was it benefiting--him? Israel? At one point David writes this psalm when he was exhausted, fleeing to the desert for safety:
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1
You can feel the intensity of his need; his desperate longing for refreshment from God and an ease of the serious attacks made against him by enemies known and unknown. David stops for a moment to reflect upon the power of God--trusting that he will once again feast upon God's goodness, though the time at hand is dire and he is terribly weary.
Then, in 2 Samuel 3:2, the passage goes on to talk about all the sons that were born to David during his prolonged struggle--evidence of his increasing strength and prosperity in the midst of all his trials. I am reminded of how plants will grow their roots deep to water sources during times of drought. Interesting concept, huh? That only when water is suspended will the roots be forced to do this to survive...and they will have a stronger root system in the long run. Ah, a reason for the season of drought--so our roots can grow deep in Christ Jesus!
I remember one time when the Lord drew my attention to a particular tree in my yard.
"You see that tree? All day, every day it bears the weather. It survives because its roots are deep," the Lord said. I thought more about that tree. Yep, it was one of the only trees to survive the tornado that came through our town, too; all the rest were damaged. The Lord said to me, "So, like the tree, you, too, will be just fine because your roots are deep in Me."
I nodded my head in agreement, though, interestingly, I had no drama or conflicts at that moment...that came later! ha What an encouragement from the Lord this was to draw on later. And like David, as we move from glory to glory the storms of life seem to get tougher, not easier, so a strong root system in Jesus is absolutely necessary. We will still bear fruit in the dry seasons and our leaves will be green because we draw our water from the deep waters of Jesus in us!
"They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise Him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced." Psalm 63:10-11.
When I look at verse 10, "depths of the earth" jumps out at me. Did you know that this was another way the Biblical writers were referring to 'hell'? It reminds me that we war not with flesh and blood, even though we see the human faces that are being used to cause our trouble, we must remember that our battle is a spiritual one and that those evil spirits that try to wreak havoc in our lives will surely return to their place of torment when the Lord works out all things for His purpose. God will have the final word in all our battles, and that word is "Victory!"
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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