Please forgive me for missing a few days this week...it has been a busy week and combine that with some computer "issues" (as in wanting to throw a laptop through the window because it has become sooooo s-l-o-w!) and I have just been a little lax in my daily routines. Seems with the winter evenings I am not quite so prone to stay up as late, and then I find myself blogging in the morning. I know some of you are earlier risers than I, and then I feel guilty that you have checked the blog for a new entry and nothing is there for you! Just keep checking in...I'll get my morning routine more firmly established and maybe Christmas will bring a new laptop for my lap!
When I awoke this morning and recited this week's verse in my head and meditated on it, again the question came to me, "If the Lord will not allow the righteous to be shaken, why I have so often shook?" Do you feel that way as well? When I have these questions, it drives me to look at the verse closer, look at word meanings, commentaries and other verses to gain some insight.
First, who is the verse saying are "the righteous"? The original Hebrew word used in this verse is "tsaddiyq" and carries these meanings:
just, lawful, righteous
just, right (in one's cause)
just, righteous (in conduct and character)
right, correct, lawful
righteous (as justified and vindicated by God)
I don't know about you, but I am very grateful for that last definition! For I know that on my own, I can claim no righteousness.
So then why do I still find myself in moments of "shakiness"?
The word for shaken, or moved as is used in the KJV, is "mowt" and carries with it these various meanings:
to totter, shake, slip
to be shaken, be moved, be overthrown
to dislodge, let fall, drop
to be greatly shaken
In thinking about my life, I think I've tottered, and I've slipped...but maybe in our verse this week, the Psalmist was using the word in the more intense manner, "to be overthrown, to let fall, to be greatly shaken". And I am convinced, just as Peter states in 1 Peter 1:3-5, that my God will not let me be overthrown, He will not let me be dislodged from His hand, and He certainly will not drop me!
I can see now that my moments of shakiness are when I am holding on to all of my burdens, trying to hold everything together through my own very limited abilities. God is true to His Word, He will not allow His righteous people to be even slightly shaken when we hand over to Him the things that are making us shake!
When I awoke this morning and recited this week's verse in my head and meditated on it, again the question came to me, "If the Lord will not allow the righteous to be shaken, why I have so often shook?" Do you feel that way as well? When I have these questions, it drives me to look at the verse closer, look at word meanings, commentaries and other verses to gain some insight.
First, who is the verse saying are "the righteous"? The original Hebrew word used in this verse is "tsaddiyq" and carries these meanings:
just, lawful, righteous
just, right (in one's cause)
just, righteous (in conduct and character)
right, correct, lawful
righteous (as justified and vindicated by God)
I don't know about you, but I am very grateful for that last definition! For I know that on my own, I can claim no righteousness.
- I like to think that I am a just person, but do I truly treat all people fairly? Do I ever let bias or prejudice creep in and affect my outlooks?
- Is my conduct and character always righteous? I know there are times when I have caused God to look down on me and say, "Janice, Janice, what are you doing??"
- I try to be a law-abiding citizen, but does that mean I never speed? Does it mean that I obey every law all the time? I know I can't claim that.
So then why do I still find myself in moments of "shakiness"?
The word for shaken, or moved as is used in the KJV, is "mowt" and carries with it these various meanings:
to totter, shake, slip
to be shaken, be moved, be overthrown
to dislodge, let fall, drop
to be greatly shaken
In thinking about my life, I think I've tottered, and I've slipped...but maybe in our verse this week, the Psalmist was using the word in the more intense manner, "to be overthrown, to let fall, to be greatly shaken". And I am convinced, just as Peter states in 1 Peter 1:3-5, that my God will not let me be overthrown, He will not let me be dislodged from His hand, and He certainly will not drop me!
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.My faith brings with it God's righteousness, and His shield over me. I will not be shaken from standing in Him...I may totter, and I may slip, but the more and more that I throw off my burdens from my back onto His, the more sure-footed I will become, having less to bear and walking more confidently down this road of faith toward eternal salvation.
I can see now that my moments of shakiness are when I am holding on to all of my burdens, trying to hold everything together through my own very limited abilities. God is true to His Word, He will not allow His righteous people to be even slightly shaken when we hand over to Him the things that are making us shake!
2 comments:
who through faith are shielded by God's power - To God Be The Glory
No apology needed. This time of year is the busiest and the most hectic. I often need to re-read and re-think and re-meditate about the verses in your blog.
"moments of shakiness" - it seems to me my life is moment by moment. I consciously stop and say " let God prevail" and let Him guide my thoughts, my actions, my need for strength. Moments from a conversation that might create shakiness in my heart. Our busy lives are thousands if moments of temptation and thousands of moments of Glory. It is hard to "balance" ourselves with all of the constant interactions and infusions we encounter each day. We only have to stop "for a moment" and say God's name. His power is stronger than any conflict we encounter. I am " so often shook" because I am human - I need God's love each moment of each day. These days are long - Christ Jesus' presence is always with us.
Post a Comment