Devotions with Pastor John

Apr 6

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Perhaps you heard on Sunday how we are hoping this Sunday, Easter Sunday, April 12, to do a "drive in" service in the parking lot. We are still working on all the details. It will not be perfect but it will be memorable. We're planning on it, unless we get a shelter in place order this week. Watch the Zion FaceBook page, the website and the email announcements for more details.

Now let's read Psalm 27:

Psalm 27 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 27

Of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation-

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life-

of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked advance against me

to devour[a] me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.

One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

God my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

Teach me your way, Lord;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations.

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

Once again we're returning to the idea that God is our stronghold. A fortress. A rock. He is our shelter in the storm and He is the place where we flee when we are being assailed by our enemies, in our day, this dread virus.

David wrote this Psalm. He is mixing his metaphors a little bit here to make a point. The stronghold or fortress of God is also His Holy Place, His Temple, His sacred tent. Not only does one find refuge here, one worships the Lord here. David says, "teach me your ways" here. He says he will offer sacrifice in this place with shouts of joy. God's refuge is not just a fort or castle, it is a place of learning about God and a place of worship. In other words, we find refuge in worship and study. When we are afraid, when we are assailed, we take refuge in God's fortress by worshipping Him and learning from His Word.

These days we are all afraid. Sometimes it's hard to escape that fear. But David would invite us to escape our fears and holdfast to God by worshipping him and by finding refuge in His Word.

Afraid? Can't seem to shake the anxiety? Find refuge in the Word of God. Open Scripture. Read on and let the words of our God give you comfort.

Verses 13 and 14 are my favorites.

We will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. In other words, we don't have to die to be delivered. God will deliver us while we are yet living. He shall rescue us from the virus. We shall yet see the hour of our deliverance while we live.

And the last verse: Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Remember what Jesus says? "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). So we're waiting for the world to be overcome. Take heart! Be of good cheer. Holdfast! Wait upon the Lord! He is coming. Deliverance is coming! God's mercy is coming. God is faithful. Our human part of this drama is to be courageous enough not to cut and run, but to hold fast and maintain our position knowing that help is coming.

Courage isn't about not being afraid. It's about being afraid but standing fast anyway because you believe, you hope, you know, that God is coming. We are waiting upon the Lord.

Sometimes we think we can't stand the pressure. I've had people come to me in tears because they feel the pressure of this virus and it's consequences everywhere. God gave me a word this weekend during our prayer meeting. He said, "Under pressure, this lump of coal (Zion) will become a diamond." Isn't that lovely? The pressure is just enough to offer us the possibility of transformation but not great enough to crush us, if we holdfast and wait upon the Lord.

Consider all the heroes of our faith who have been under great pressure but who trusted in God for their deliverance. They were afraid, but they held fast and waited for the Lord.

Consider Noah. God commanded him to build an ark. He didn't live by the sea. People laughed at him and ridiculed him and called him a fool. Yet he held fast and waited for the Lord. And the rain came. And he and his family were saved.

Consider Abraham. He left his family and his land and his society because God commanded him to set off for a new land, a land that God was promising to him and to his descendants. He left what was known and what was secure and went off into the uncharted land because he believed God and waited for the Lord.

Consider Joseph, Jeremiah, Moses, David, Daniel, Jonah.... Consider Peter and Paul.

They all had plenty of pressure and plenty to fear. Yet they were not crushed. They held fast and waited upon the Lord.

Thank you for reading. God bless you. Holdfast, Zion!

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