THE MOSES OF HER PEOPLE

Imagine a woman, barely five feet tall, with a scar on her head from a childhood injury, and no formal education. She’s born into slavery, escapes it, and then -- against all logic and fear -- goes back. Not once, but again and again.

Her name? Harriet Tubman (1822-1913). Harriet was called the “Moses of her people.” And like Moses, she believed that freedom was not just a dream—it was a divine promise. She said, “I always told God, I’m going to hold steady on You, and You’ve got to see me through.”

And He did. Tubman led at least 70 enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad. She never lost a single passenger. Not one.

She didn’t have maps. She couldn’t read. She couldn’t even rely on people to hide her -- because if they were caught, they’d face prison or worse. But she had something else: she had faith.

Harriet said that every time she stepped onto a path in the woods, every time she knocked on a door or waited in a swamp for the cover of night, she prayed: “Lord, go with me. Make me invisible.”

And sometimes, it was as if she was. Slave catchers passed within feet of her group and never saw them. Dogs couldn’t catch their scent. Fires stayed low. She credited it all to the power of God.

Later, during the Civil War, she even led military raids, guiding Union troops to free more than 700 enslaved people in a single night.

But it all started with faith. Not faith in herself. Not faith in a cause. But faith in a God who sees the oppressed, and acts. That’s mountain-moving faith. Faith that risks everything, not just to believe, but to rescue. The kind of faith that says: “Even if I walk into darkness, You are my light.” 

-- Excerpted from Wikipedia

#6303

IN THE SHEPHERD’S CARE

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

The Twenty-Third Psalm is familiar to many people because they’ve heard its comforting words recited at the funeral of a loved one. Though the rest of the psalm carries peaceful images of the Lord as a shepherd, green pastures, quiet streams, and an overflowing banquet table, verse 4 is the heart of the psalm and is one of the Bible’s most powerful truths to combat fear.

In the original Hebrew language, “the valley of the shadow of death” literally translates into “the valley of deep darkness.” Death is only one kind of “deep darkness.” There are many other dark times people fear to pass through, such as illness, unemployment, or rejection. The landscape of some valleys is not carved out of actual circumstances but out of fear itself. Being afraid of what misfortune the future may hold can keep you stuck in the darkness of depression and anxiety. It prevents you from walking through the valley to the other side.

The secret to alleviating fear is remembering that you never have to face your fears alone. Your Good Shepherd, the all-powerful God, is right there with you, rod and staff in hand. A shepherd uses a rod to protect his flock from predators. He uses the staff to guide stray sheep back onto the proper path. God figuratively uses these shepherding tools as He keeps you safe and headed in the right direction. By staying close to Him, you’ll discover comfort and courage close at hand when you find the struggles of life, and death, directly in your path.

At the first hint of fear, picture God as your loving shepherd, fighting off whatever you fear with His rod and nudging you closer to Him with His staff. 

– From “100 Favorite Bible Verses” 

#6146

DEFEND ME, GOD

“I depend on God alone; I put my hope in Him. He alone protects and saves me; He is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; He is my strong protector; He is my shelter.” (Psalm 62:5-7 GNT)

Sovereign God, defend me from all temptation, that I may ever accept the right and refuse the wrong. Defend me from myself, that in Your care my weakness may not bring me to shame. May my lower nature never seize the upper hand.

Defend me from all that would seduce me, that in Your power no tempting voice may cause me to listen, no tempting sight fascinate my eyes.

Defend me against the chances and changes of this life, not that I may escape them but that I may meet them with firm resolve; not that I may be saved from them but that I may come unscathed through them.

Defend me from discouragement in difficulty and from despair in failure, from pride in success, and from forgetting You in the day of prosperity.

Help me to remember that there is no time when You will fail me and no moment when I do not need You.

Grant me this desire: that guided by Your light and defended by Your grace, I may come in safety and bring honor to my journey’s end by the defending work of Jesus Christ my Lord. May it always be so! 

-- Adapted from Norman Shawchuck in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#6076

THE PSALMIST’S REMINDER

Tragedies can hit us like emotional earthquakes.  What can we do when shattering experiences come upon us?  "Come and see the works of the Lord" (Psalm 46:8), counsels the Psalmist.  When we contemplate the might and grace of God, we will have confidence that He will sustain us amid life's most devastating circumstances.

The Psalmist reminds us of:

- God's Protection: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

- God's Presence: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells" (Psalm 46:4).

- God's Power: "He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire" (Psalm 46:9).

"Therefore we will not fear."  In contrast to the devastation about him, the Psalmist sees God's grace bringing sustenance to the believer.  We can experience this renewal by entering the stillness to which He directs us: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

-- Colonel Henry Gariepy (1930–2010), The Salvation Army 

#5962

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it… I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me.” (John 10:11-14)

Jesus spoke of Himself not only as the Good Shepherd who knew His sheep by name but also as the door of the sheepfold. "By Me if any man enter in," Jesus said, "he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9) Middle Eastern shepherds… protected their flocks from such wild animals as wolves and lions, by using slingshots or staff. The sheepfold was usually a small stone-wall corral with a single break in the wall that served as the gate. The shepherd made the flock enter the sheepfold by walking under his staff, which he held across the opening. In this way he examined the condition of each animal and made sure he accounted for the entire flock. At night, after the fire had died down, the shepherd usually slept across the opening, thus, himself becoming the gate. 

-- from “Jesus, His Life and Times” (The Genesis Project) 

#5301

IN HIS HOUSE FOREVER

 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me….
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
(Excerpts from Psalm 23 NKJV)

We [live] and will continue to [live] because it pleases God. He sees that it is good. This is how the Twenty-third Psalm is to be understood. “Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death,” death looming over me, “I fear no evil!” How, really, can this be? It is not a frightened person whistling in the dark. It is experience-based knowledge of the reality of God’s rod (protection) and staff (correction) that comfort me. “His goodness and mercy dog my steps through the days of my life, and I shall reside in His house forever.” How does the psalmist know this? Because He knows God. He knows Him in regular interactions in the real world. Those interactions show who God is and what God, therefore, will certainly do! That is what the Twenty-third Psalm says. 

-- Dallas Willard in “The Divine Conspiracy”

#5270

OUR SHEPHERD - Part 1

The wonderful picture of God as our Shepherd is found in many places in the Old Testament. One of the Psalms begins, “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock” (Psalm 80:1). It’s great to think that the Everlasting God, the Almighty Creator, condescends to be the Shepherd of His people. 

David makes the relationship a personal one in the best known of all Psalms. “The Lord is my shepherd,” he cries exultantly, “I shall lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1, italics mine). The rest of the Psalm tells us what we shall not lack. It speaks of the Shepherd’s provision as He leads us to the green pastures, His guidance along the paths of righteousness (that means the right paths), His presence with us in the dark valley. No wonder David testifies, “My cup overflows” (verse 5) – such are God’s boundless blessings.

Isaiah adds a further touch to the picture when he says, “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart” (Isaiah 40:11). The figure here indicates the tender care with which the Lord supports His people on their journey and the strong love with which He enfolds them. 

-- Billy Graham in “Who’s in Charge of a World That Suffers?”

GOD’S ALL-SUFFICIENT GRACE - Part 2

“[The LORD] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV)

Plunge a sponge into Lake Erie. Did it absorb every drop? Take a deep breath. Did it suck the oxygen out of the atmosphere? Pluck a pine needle from a tree in Yosemite. Did you deplete the forest foliage? Watch an ocean wave crash against the beach. Will there never be another one?

Of course there will. No sooner will one wave crash into the sand than another appears. Then another, then another. This is a picture of God’s sufficient grace. Grace is simply another word for God’s tumbling, rumbling reservoir of strength and protection. It comes at us not occasionally or miserly but constantly and aggressively, wave upon wave. We’ve barely regained our balance from one breaker, and then, bam, here comes another.

“For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:16 ESB)

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”


#4793

GOD’S SOVEREIGN POWER AND TENDER CARE

"See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and He rules with a mighty arm… He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:10-11 NIV)

The juxtaposition in this passage of God’s sovereign power and His gentle care of His sheep is striking. The arm of the Lord in Scripture is always a symbol of His mighty power and strength; and the title “shepherd,” when used of God, always indicates His tender care and constant watchfulness.

In this passage, God’s sovereign power and tender care are united for the benefits of His people. The same arm that is exercised in power over all the universe is used to gather His lambs and to carry them close to His heart. No more picturesque symbol of God’s love for us can be given than that of the faithful and tender Shepherd carrying His lambs close to His heart. And we are carried in the arms of sovereign power.

-- Jerry Bridges in “Trusting God”


#4755

ASSURANCE AND CONVICTION

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  (Hebrews 11:1 NRSV)

Nothing is more difficult, when we see our faith derided by the whole world, than to direct our speech to God only, and to rest satisfied with this testimony which our conscience gives us, THAT HE IS OUR GOD.  And certainly it is an undoubted proof of genuine faith, when, however sore the assaults by which we are shaken, we hold fast this as a fixed principle, that we are constantly under the protection of God, and can say to Him freely, THOU ART MY GOD.

-- John Calvin

#4645

GOD LOVES THE HUMBLE

“Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.”  (Philippians 2:3 GNT)

When we humble ourselves because of our faults, we easily placate those around us and readily appease those who are angry with us. It is the humble whom God protects and liberates; it is the humble whom He loves and consoles. To the humble He turns and upon them bestows great grace, that after their humiliation He may raise them up to glory. He reveals His secrets to the humble, and with kind invitation bids them come to Him. Thus, the humble enjoy peace in the midst of many vexations, because their trust is in God, not in the world. Hence, you must not think that you have made any progress until you look upon others as better than yourself. 

-- adapted from Thomas à Kempis


#4418

GOD’S PRESENCE BRINGS PEACE

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear… " (Psalm 46:1-2a NIV)

When I was a young child, shortly after the death of my mother, my father took me on vacation. We stayed at a small hotel overlooking a harbor. One night a storm was brewing out to sea and I watched the black clouds rolling closer toward the shore. It began to rain as I got ready for bed. My father was downstairs talking to some of the other guests, when a huge flash of lightning, followed by a deafening clap of thunder, made the lights go out. Frightened, I began to cry, wondering where my father was.

Then I heard my father’s voice calling to me as he came up the stairs. “Don’t be afraid, Joan, I’m here. Everything is all right.”

The sound of his reassuring voice took away all my fears, and his presence in the room enabled me to sleep peacefully, knowing he would protect me.

-- Joan Winmill Brown in “The Shelter of His Wings”

#4336

DEPENDENCE ON THE LORD

“I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; He is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; He is my strong protector; He is my shelter. Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell Him all your troubles, for He is our refuge.”  (Psalm 62:5-8 GNT)

No one likes the idea of "dependence". With the countless scores of people hopelessly addicted to cocaine, alcohol and other drugs the idea of dependence generally takes on a negative meaning. We teach our children to be self-reliant and to stand strong in the world -- to make their own way. Perhaps we should spend more time helping them to understand that we must, simply must, develop a complete and total dependence on the Lord Almighty. Nothing or no person can provide for our eternal needs -- only the Lord Jesus Christ.

-- Pastor Gary Stone

#4316

THE GATE

Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  (John 10:7-10 NIV)

If you are familiar with the “I am” passages in the Gospels, then you probably remember this verse as the “I am the door” passage. I wondered why the modern translators changed this to “gate”? Perhaps because the Greek word has its root in a word that means “to rush in; properly, that through which a rush is made.” Thus, in the context of sheep and shepherd, it seems appropriate to think of a gate. And when Jesus completed this saying with the promise, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”; this gate or door should be one that we want to rush through.

-- Rev. Kenneth A. Mortonson in “What Do You See?”

#4209

IN THE HAND OF YOUR FATHER

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

When our daughters were three and five years old, we took them to a hotel with a swimming pool. We had a long, stern talk about the importance of water safety and the risk of drowning.

My talk may have been a little too effective. As Laura was jumping into my arms while I was in the water, three-year-old Mallory slipped from a sitting position on the edge of the pool. She was underwater for less than a second, but when I pulled her up, she was sobbing. “I drowned!” she cried. “I drowned! I drowned!” From her perspective, it was terrifying.  From my perspective, however, it was actually kind of funny.

“No, honey,” I replied sympathetically.  “You didn’t drown. You were only underwater for a second. You’re fine…So let’s not tell Mommy about this.”

Mallory was never in danger. I knew that even though she didn’t. Her father was always watching her, able to scoop her out of trouble at a moment’s notice. I was what you might call “a non-anxious presence.”

Jesus knew that no earthly situation has the power to put you outside God’s care. You are always in the hand of your Father. So when death itself comes for us, it will be like Mallory dipping in the pool, and we will come up saying, “I drowned! I drowned! I drowned!” and the Father will say, “I had you the whole time.”

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want To Be”


#4156

CALLING ON GOD

To enter God's refuge, we must first call out to God.  Psalm 91:15 says, "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him."

For the life of me, I can't figure out how this calling-on-God thing works, but it does.  The Bible tells us to walk by faith, not by sight, and this is one of those times when we can't understand why something works, we can only trust in God and then be delighted when we experience it.

For centuries now, Christians have poured out their hearts to the Lord and found treasured moments of refuge.  This is incredibly good news.  We don't have to get out a map, calculate how far away each one of the cities of refuge is, and then embark on a journey.  We don't have to drive to a monastery.  We don't have to call a minister.  We don't have to wait until the next church service.  The front seat of our cars will work nicely.  Our offices, our homes, our construction trailers -- they're all as good as the most elaborate cathedral.  We can access the refuge of God anytime, anywhere.  All we have to do is to acknowledge our need, move from self-sufficiency to dependence, and ask God to become our hiding place.

-- Bill Hybels in “The God You're Looking For”


#4111

THE THEOLOGY OF SLEEP

I was surprised to find that the Bible has much to say about what John Ballie called the theology of sleep. Sleep is a gift from God:
"I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for You alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety." (Psalm 4:8)

It is an act of trust: I am reminded when I go to sleep that the world is in God's hands, not mine. The world will get along very well even though I am not awake to try to control things. At the appropriate time, my eyes will open and I will receive the gift of wakefulness once again.

"I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, for the LORD sustains me." (Psalm 3:5)

-- John Ortberg in “The Life You've Always Wanted”

#4106

THE POWER OF A BLESSING

“May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.”  (Numbers 6:24-26 NLT)

A blessing was one way of asking God’s divine favor to rest upon others. The ancient blessing in these verses helps us understand what a blessing was supposed to do. Its five parts conveyed hope that God would (1) bless and protect them; (2) smile on them (be pleased); (3) be gracious (merciful and compassionate); (4) show His favor toward them (give His approval); (5) give peace. When you ask God to bless others yourself, you are asking Him to do these five things. The blessing you offer will not only help the one receiving it, it will also demonstrate love, encourage others, and provide a model of caring for others.

-- from The Life Application Study Bible

#4032

MAKE GOD YOUR REFUGE

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge." (Psalm 57:1)

Make God your refuge.  Not your job, your spouse, your reputation, or your retirement account.  Make God your refuge.  Let Him… encircle you.  Let Him be the ceiling that breaks the sunshine, the walls that stop the wind, the foundation on which you stand.

-- Max Lucado in Facing Your Giants


#3286

COMFORT IN AN "EMOTIONAL EARTHQUAKE"

Our beloved country, and the world, has entered a new era, no longer secure from the deadly attacks of terrorists who seek to destroy us. But some shafts of light have broken forth out of the darkness. Leaders of government joined in a prayer vigil and sang "God Bless America" on the Capitol steps. We have witnessed our nation on its knees, in prayer to God Almighty.

Tragedies can hit us like emotional earthquakes. What can we do when shattering experiences come upon us? "Come and see the works of the Lord" (Ps. 46:8), counsels the Psalmist. When we contemplate the might and grace of God, we will have confidence that He will sustain us amid life's most devastating circumstances.

The Psalmist reminds us of:

- God's protection: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1).

- God's presence: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells" (Ps. 46:4).

- God's power: "He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire" (Ps. 46:9).

"Therefore we will not fear." In contrast to the devastation about him, the Psalmist sees God's grace bringing sustenance to the believer. We can experience this renewal by entering the stillness to which He directs us: "Be still, and know that I am God."

-- Colonel Henry Gariepy, The Salvation Army


 
#2833