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trust

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series peace

Last time, I wrote about the names of God, looking at a handful of psalms for the ways that God is described. As I meditate on and come to believe that God truly is “my stronghold, my refuge, my light, and my salvation,” I will find it easier to experience the perfect peace that Isaiah promises to those who stay fixed on God.

It’s knowledge of God that allows us to trust Him, and knowing these names is one way to know Him better. The Psalms also reveal His nature in more detail as David and other writers praise God at length for different aspects of His character. Today, I want to point you toward just a few psalms that can build our faith in God.

Need a reminder that God is able? Take Psalm 29, as an example; David begins with “Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.” The rest of this psalm describes God’s majesty and power. For instance, David tells us: read the complete post

This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series peace

Several months ago, I wrote about calling on the name of God, citing a number of passages that talk about the power of God’s name. What I didn’t do was point you toward passages on the names of God. This seems like a good time to do that; in yesterday’s post, peace: a matter of focus, I wrote about knowing God as a key to trusting Him, and by extension, a key to having peace. We looked at Isaiah 25, which tells us that God is “a stronghold to the poor.”

Psalm 9 links these two concepts, God’s name and God as stronghold: read the complete post

peace: a matter of focus

February 11, 2007
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series peace

Last time, I wrote about God's perfect peace that comes to those who stay focused on Him. We find this wonderful promise of peace in Isaiah 26:3:

You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.

According to Isaiah, the key to keeping our minds stayed or fixed on God is to trust God. Sounds simple enough, and those of us who have been in church for long know we ought to trust God. This is one of those times, though, when it’s easier said than done. Circumstance gets in the way, and many things compete for our attention. My work is not going well: do I keep my mind fixed on that problem or on God? Money is tight, my child has a health problem, a tragedy has occurred to a close friend–the list goes on. As the commercial says, “Life comes at you fast.” And with each problem, we are tested in our focus.

And it really is a matter of focus. continue reading

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peace, perfect peace

February 6, 2007
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series peace

In my previous posts, I’ve touched on the role of our thinking in regard to peace: the peace of Christ rules in our hearts when we submit our thoughts and feelings to peace (Colossians 3:15), and the peace that passes understanding can guard our hearts and minds when we let go of anxious thinking and […]

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call upon the name of the Lord

September 22, 2006

In his devotional for today, Oswald Chambers writes about Jesus as “master” and “teacher.” That got me thinking about the song “Made Me Glad,” from a Hillsong album several years ago. This song has been one of my favorites since first hearing it, and it’s one I often turn to when I feel the need […]

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risk everything

June 17, 2006

In today’s reading from By Faith Alone, Martin Luther writes about the mistaken idea that we must somehow be worthy to pray, taking the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee as his text. Luther says that if we trust in our own worthiness, we’ll never be able to pray. Instead, “We become worthy to pray when we risk everything on God’s faithfulness alone.” I love Luther’s choice of words: risk everything. It occurs to me that this is why legalism becomes such an attractive approach to Christianity.…

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speaking with confidence

May 23, 2006

One of the things I love about the Psalms is that David and the other writers speak freely; when troubled, they say so. Discouraged? They state what’s bothering them, and sometimes they even sound like they are complaining. Psalm 3 is a good example; David writes,…

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