Psalm 119:81-88

Salvation is a glorious promise from God for which we all should long.  However, the question is: from what exactly do we need saving?  There are several answers to that question, but the most straight forward and simplest answer is to simply affirm that we need to be saved from sin.  Sin is a terrible blight on the face of humanity and on each and every one of our hearts.  We all suffer from sin.  We suffer because of our own sin.  We suffer because of the sins of others against us.  We suffer because of the consequences of sin on the world in which we live.  God has promised to save us from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ.  That means that we will be rescued from our own sin and all of the consequences of that sin: hell, death, separation, loss…  It also means that we will be rescued from the harmful attacks of sinful men against us.  There will be a day when all around us will love us genuinely and we will love them in return.  We are also promised that our surroundings will be sinless in the sense that the world in which we live will not be under the curse that plagues our current earth.  We will live on a New Earth that is completely free of the consequences of sin.  This is a day for which we should long and hope, but it is a day that is not yet here.  So while we wait and hope for that day there are some things that we should do.

TRUST IN THE LORD: We must never give up hope in the Lord and His Word no matter how difficult the sinfulness that surrounds us becomes; we must trust the Lord.  We must focus on the promises that He has made and use them to inspire hope in our afflicted hearts.  As long as we continue to trust the Lord we will be faithful to obey His Word.  God’s Word is key to both trust and obedience.  The more we know the Word of God the more we will remember the promises of God.  Our knowledge of the promises of God will inspire hope, encourage obedience and help us trust God in every aspect of our lives.  Doubt is a tool of Satan that constantly plagues our hearts.  He wants us to doubt God’s goodness, forget God’s promises and question God’s Word.  We must combat these attacks with an unshakable trust in God that will help us stand firm while we wait for Him to fulfill all of His glorious promises.


TALK TO THE LORD: The reality of our lives on this earth is that the promises of God often seem very distant and it is easy for us to doubt if they are really true.  When we suffer affliction and have to face the attacks of those who do not fear God it is difficult for us to trust God and believe in His promises.  Our eyes are easily distracted from the future promises of God to the present pain in our circumstances.  When that happens in our lives we must not turn from God; rather, we must talk to Him.  He knows our hearts and the reality of our circumstances and He longs for us to be genuine with Him in our relationship with Him.  Instead of pretending like everything is okay in our prayers, we must learn to pour out our hearts to Him, ask for wisdom from Him and even question Him as to how long we must endure until His promises are fulfilled.  It is absolutely okay and natural for us to cry out to God and ask Him how long we must suffer and how long He will delay in His coming and judgment.  Once we stop talking honestly to the Lord it will only be a matter of time until we stop walking with the Lord.

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