Fortress, Refuge, and Just Judge
2010-05-18

Missed yestereday, because I needed to take Christi to get an MRI done on her knee that she hurt week before last. She saw a doctor today, and sure enough, the meniscus is torn. She has surgery scheduled to "scope" it on June 4.

Psalm 59:11, 16-17

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield!

16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

It is interesting that, in verse 11, David asks the Lord to NOT kill his enemies, but rather let them wander as fugitives. His reason? So that Israel will not forget! If the enemy is completely eliminated, will you forget what God has done for you? Verse 13, which is not quoted above, says, "that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth."

The devotion's author says this: "I pause to reflect: Do I desire that God be glorified...even more than I desire to see my competitors get their deserts [sic]? Am I motivated by pride to seek credit for peacemaking, or do I point others to Him?"

David ends this Psalm in praise, as is so often the case. In spite of enemies, in spite of pain and suffering, he proclaims, "you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress!" He loudly proclaims that he will sing of the strength of God, and sing praises because of the steadfast love of the Lord.

Our desire should always be that God is glorified. If that means our enemies fall, then so much the better. But our desire for vengeance should NEVER supercede our desire to see our God glorified and magnified in the earth. And our attitude should be like David's. No matter what, sing the praises of our God, who is, daily, our fortress and refuge, and who loves us with a steadfast love!

Hallelujah!
(Quotes from A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen)


Zechariah 3:2

And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?"

Who among us has not been severely accused by Satan? The verse above is recorded when Joshua was standing before God, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. "God rebukes Satan, takes away Joshua's filthy clothes (depicting his sin), and clothes him with rich garments (symbolizing the robe of Christ's righteousness). Perhaps Paul had this passage in mind when he wrote, 'Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies' (Romans 8:33, NIV). God no longer allows Satan to accuse us before Him.

"However, though Satan can no longer accuse us before God, he accuses us to ourselves. He plants thoughts in our minds: How could a Christian sturggle with sin as much as you do? What is our defense in such instances? It isn't to ignore or minimize sin's seriousness. Rather it's to look at the cross of Christ and see Him bearing those sins in all their severity and ugliness in His body. It's to believe that 'there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' (Romans 8:1, NIV), because Jesus was condemned in our place as our substitute.

"When you're troubled with uncertainty about your salvation, ask yourself, 'Have I called on the name of the Lord? Have I come to Jesus as one who is thirsty but has no money? Have I renounced any confidence in my own goodness and relied entirely on Jesus' blood and righteousness?' If you answer yes to those questions, rely on the promises of God."
(From Holiness Day by Day, by Jerry Bridges)

All I can add to that is another "Hallelujah!"


Father, I thank you that you have made Satan of no account when it comes to accusing us. I praise your holy name that the answer to all of Satan's accusations is the cross of Christ! I thank you that there is now no condemnation for me because I am in Christ! I praise you that there is no one who can bring any charge against me! Hallelujah, my God! Hallelujah!

I sing praises to you because you are my fortress and refuge every day! I praise you because you have loved me with an everlasting, steadfast love! My heart's desire is to see you magnified and glorified in this earth! Praise be to your name!

I thank you, Father, that Ms. Larue's surgery went well today, and that the worst seems to be that it will be stage one cancer and has not spread to the nodes. We still pray for her healing in your name. May her recovery be quick.

I pray for Christi's upcoming surgery on June 4. I pray that they will be able to fix the problem in her knee with minimal residual pain and that she will be able to walk with no pain afterwards.

Thank you for your grace and provision in our lives.


If you are in Christ Jesus, Satan cannot accuse you. He will try. He will try to make you feel worthless. Don't let him. Point him to Romans 8 every time. Point yourelf there, too. Because sometimes, Satan's accusations are loud enough that we being to listen and believe them.

God is our fortress and refuge. Sing praises to him!

Grace and peace, friends!



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