12302023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 6

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our great God as we close out this year and prepare to enter another. Thank God for all He has accomplished and that He knows all that is to come.

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8).

David has acknowledged the difficulty of his situation. He has looked to God alone as his source of deliverance. He has grown in his confidence and his trust. He has worshipped the one who has the power to save him. Now David turns his attention to encouraging others.

If my surmising about the setting of this psalm is accurate, David is speaking to those who are supporting him as he tries to remain on the throne. This could be addressed to the entirety of the loyal citizenry, or it could be spoken more specifically to the devoted servants who are with him in the midst of the conflict. These ones who have remained faithful are facing the threat right along with David. For some of them, that means risking their lives and facing the possibility of ruin.

David tells these people to do two things. The first thing is to trust God. The meaning is to go to God for refuge – not desperately or in a panic, but confidently, as to a familiar and comfortable place of safety. When can they do this? At all times. Such a sweeping, all-inclusive statement can lose its impact when we think of it only in a broad sense. Sure, I trust God all the time. But remember that “all times” includes THIS time! That might be the point that David is trying to drive home. These people trust God in general. They have trusted Him in the past. They have trusted Him in the easy times of life. They have trusted Him in lesser challenges.

All that is good, but what about this time? Right now, when it is hard? When danger and destruction lurk around every corner? When the vile enemy rears his ugly head? When there are no answers in sight? When the solution is not known? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Trust God in THIS time! The most challenging times are not the times to give up. These are the times when God does His most amazing work and when the answers are most clearly His. There is no question that He is able to deliver this time also. There are no situations too hard for God.

David is speaking from experience. He knows that trusting God is a valid position to take. One of the most astounding realities in the Bible (and in history) is that the Jews have survived, in spite of all the attempts to wipe them out. David’s personal story is also pretty incredible. There is hardly a man who has faced the severity of threat that David faced. It was a threat that started as a young man (bears, lions, Goliath, Saul) and never seemed to end. He faced long-enduring threats from his own king, perils from foreign powers, insurrections from his own people, and rebellions from his sons - constantly. That he lived through it all is evidence of God’s constant deliverance. The king who has experienced the threats and the deliverance encourages others to trust God also, no matter what the situation.

The second instruction is to pour out their hearts to God. The word has undertones suggesting extravagance or extreme levels. It isn’t like an accidental spilling of milk; it is more of a full-out emptying of everything. It is the deliberate shedding of the lifeblood in a sacrifice, the presentation of an offering, the mounding up of the quantity spilled, the full expenditure, or the sprawling out caused by such a large quantity.

This isn’t, “Oh, yeah, I prayed today,” or “I ran through my prayer list.” This is the depths of the soul being expressed to God. This is the agony that springs up from the depths. It is the conflict that is so intricately entwined in the heart. It is the full range and honesty of emotion. It is the thoughts we are ashamed to think and the words we would never tell anyone else. It is the desperation when we see no answers and we must rely desperately on God. We can tell Him all that we feel and all that we need.

Both actions – trusting and pouring out - are possible because God is a refuge. He is a shelter and a place of hope. This is true both physically in terms of practical protection and internally in terms of support and care. That’s kind of what the two actions are about. The first has a tendency toward the external (deliverance), and the second has a tendency toward the internal (support). God does both, and He does them very well. David knew this. These instructions were not empty words for him. David could say this so confidently to others only because it was his powerful testimony.

In this coming year, may God be all that you need for every need that you have – just as He always has been. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12232023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 5

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who is more than we can imagine. Thank God that He allows us to continue to learn of him.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” (Psalm 62:5-7).

Verses 5-6 are almost identical to verses 1-2. It seems the value lies in thinking about why they are repeated and also in noticing how they are different. I believe the repetition is more deliberate and meaningful than simply being an echoed refrain. There is a reason why these words are stated again, and there is a reason for the slight variations.

I think the primary reason for the repetition has to do with where David’s thoughts have just been. He just spent two verses describing the fierce attack by the enemy. After thinking about the threat, he needs to return to stabilizing truth. When problems arise in life, whether they be the one big thing that is the current monster, or whether they be the combination of smaller, yet troubling, things, it is natural and inevitable that we will think about them. We can’t ignore them, since we are constantly dealing with the ramifications. We are continually needing to make decisions about them. They are a very real part of life. On the other hand, constantly dwelling on the problems will wear down our spirit and deplete our strength. We can’t stay too long in the realm of the problem without remembering the Deliverer. Our thoughts have to turn back to God. That is what David does. After reviewing the very real and dangerous threat, he turns his mind back to God, back to the same truths and reassurances with which he started. This truth had not changed.

One difference in the wording is that in v. 1, he opened with a declaration: “My soul waiteth upon God.” In v. 5, it is a self-admonition: “My soul, wait thou only upon God.” The verb “wait” is a different word but sharing the same root and meaning – to rest in silence. The word “only” is added, although apparently some manuscripts also include it in v. 1, and it is certainly implied in both places and prominent throughout the psalm. In essence then, the difference is that the second time, David gives an instruction to himself, rather than merely making a statement. As previously stated, this is a necessary adjustment after thinking about the problem. The battle in his soul is not completely settled, especially after he considers the problem, so he has to tell himself once again to rest in God for his salvation.

I believe vs. 5-6, while they are an admonition and a reminder, go even deeper than that. At the beginning David asserted his trust in God. Not to minimize that declaration, but in the beginning of a trial, it is relatively easy to glibly, although sincerely, state, “I will trust God in this.” It’s different when the trial persists. It’s one thing to say we will trust when we don’t yet know what that will mean, when the trial looms in front of us, threatening, yet somewhat anemic, because its ferocity is unknown. When we have persisted in the trial, we realize how sharp the teeth are, how hot the flames are, how harsh the blows are. This is no longer an unknown or an idea; it is reality and a punishing onslaught.

When we reach this stage of the trial, we need to come back to a renewed resolution that we will continue to wait on God, even now that we realize more what that means. With a fuller understanding of what the situation really is, we resolve that we will still trust. We weren’t just saying that when it was easy; we really determine to do it, and we really mean it. Such a declaration at this stage of the game reveals a depth and profundity to our resolve. Our trust in God is more meaningful. It is experiential; we have been doing it, and we have found Him to be sufficient.

The biggest change is in the second clause. Instead of “From him cometh my salvation,” David says, “My expectation is from him.” A different word is used. Previously, God was his source of salvation, or deliverance. The new word is really more of an emotion-based word than a fact-based one. It has to do with expecting, hoping, or longing. The word actually refers to a cord that would attach two things. David has tied himself to God. In one sense, this reveals David’s lack of strength. He cannot stand or move on his own. His hope lies in being tied to God, which allows him to be suspended when he cannot stand, lifted up when he cannot rise, and carried along when he cannot walk. David may not be capable of much, but as long as he is tethered to God, he has hope that he will continue to be held above and to move through his trial.

Verse 6 is identical to verse 2, with only one word omitted. Saying the same words means more now than it did before. The reiteration is important, in case he has slipped along the way. The words are now a sense of resolve rather than just a statement. The one change is the omission of the word “greatly.” I think it reveals David’s growth in the trial. At the beginning he said he would not be moved or shaken much; now he won’t be moved at all. I think this has to do with having lived through the trial for a time with God’s help. He has seen what God has done for him. His faith and relationship with God have deepened. He has realized that God can keep him better than he had previously realized or understood.

I believe that in vs. 5-7, David is moving more toward worship. Instead of merely foundational truths, he is building into robust and confident adoration of his great God. In v. 7, David adds new content. His experience has given him more to say. He still sees God as the source of his salvation. He also sees God as the source of his glory. I think this may refer to his position as king, that it is only God who can keep him there. David goes on to offer two more names of God that he has not given previously in the psalm. God is the rock of his strength. While he has acknowledged God as a rock, this is a recognition that God infuses that type of strength into David also. David does not have such strength on his own; it comes only from God. God is also his refuge. This particular word for “refuge” refers to a shelter. It is a place of rest and hope, away from (or at least temporarily separated from) the trial or attack. It is a place to catch his breath and recuperate.

David sees God as being all these things for him. God is his only source of salvation, the rope that holds him up, his high cliff-like rock, his deliverance, his steep unassailable rock, his stability, his splendor, his infused strength, and his place of shelter. Truly David is dependent on God. He is throwing out anchors, but not desperately. He uses these anchors confidently, trusting in the God who is worthy of every accolade that David bestows.

May this great God be especially close and meaningful to you this week. Merry Christmas!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12162023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 4

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the one who can meet all threats. Thank God that He can handle anything we face!

“How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? Ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly” (Psalm 62:3-4).

There is no title to the psalm to identify the specific situation or timing in David’s life. I think it probably was while David was king. He refers to attempts to cast him down from his position of excellence through conspiracies (v. 4). Verses 9-10 also reflect on people (especially men of high degree) and situations (especially riches) that he would more likely be exposed to as king than as a shepherd, soldier, or refugee. In v. 8, he speaks corporately to people (Israel?) who were apparently under his leadership. The conflicts during his reign then seem most likely as the setting.

David started the psalm by focusing on his reliance on God and on the stability provided by his great God. Now he comes to addressing the threat. He speaks of a group of conspirators who have banded together to do him harm. The extent of that harm is attempted murder. “Mischief” is a rather mild term in our language today, often used to describe the relatively harmless shenanigans of children. The Hebrew word, however, refers to an assault, to breaking in on someone. It is a serious and threatening action.

The word “slain” refers to murder, with some rather violent undertones. While the KJV translation predicts this death for the attackers, there appears to be some question as to the subject. From the sources I looked at, it seems that the subject has to be assumed and supplied. A more consistent reading would be to attribute the action of attempted murder to the conspirators, since everything else in these two verses focuses on the threat by those men. From this interpretation, a loose translation would be something like, “How long will you plot harm against me, to murder me, all of you?” Regardless of the translation choice, these two verses clearly reveal a violent conspiracy.

The next phrases about the leaning wall and tottering fence are supplemented with supplied words (in italics) that also suggest this will be the state of the attackers, but I think it can easily be read that it is already their state. That is, they are like a bowing wall and a tottering fence. Rather than an assessment of weakness, it is an assessment of potential energy, of the impending danger to the one who walks near those structures, never sure when they might collapse on him and crush him. Again, this reading seems to fit more uniformly with David’s description of the threat. He senses the imminent danger of being crushed and murdered.

The whole situation seems unfair and oppressive, reflecting the sordid politics of all ages. There is a conspiracy of men who have banded together, bent on David’s overthrow and destruction. Their chief aim is to cast David down from his high position, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve their objective. Lies? No problem. They love lies. Deception? No problem. They have no issue with feigning allegiance and devotion, while on the inside, they are raging, cursing, and plotting against him.

This was a situation of false appearances, so that David was not entirely sure who he could trust. We know this was reality for David. In shocking betrayal, several of his own sons revolted against him. In the midst of those revolts, some of David’s trusted advisors also jumped ship. Those who had seemed loyal actually ended up supporting the competition. With the great uncertainty of knowing whom he could trust, it is no wonder that David learned to trust in God alone.

The opening words of these two verses are “How long?” As difficult as it was for David to endure this long-lasting conflict, the fact that he was even able to ask “How long?” reveals that God had preserved him so far. He was still alive to ask the question. His question implies that the situation has been happening for some time, but it also implies that there will be an end. Even though the threat currently under consideration did finally pass, David (like us) continued to face similar scenarios all his life. Partly as a result of David’s sin, there was perpetual conflict in his house. He was a man of war, so this type of threat was nearly constant.

Each threat did end, however. Eventually David went to his eternal rest. Eventually peace was achieved for his kingdom, ushering in a very different dynamic for Solomon. Eventually, there was even peace in his household, as Solomon was established on the throne. This act was a high point for David in regard to the constant conspiracies; essentially, on his deathbed, in the midst of an attempted coup, when every minute counted, his hurried plan to establish Solomon worked.

These verses are not the most uplifting and encouraging part of the psalm, but they are important for the context. David faced the threat of murder for most of his life. As a young man, he was pursued relentlessly by Saul; he faced threats from foreign powers; throughout his reign he battled rebels, led primarily by his own sons. This is not someone who faced death once, but someone who faced it perennially. Throughout such a life of desperation, he put his trust in God alone. He rested in God as his salvation.

If David could trust God for that, (or perhaps better stated, if God could keep David through that), then surely we can also confidently trust God for the less intense challenges of our own lives, and God can keep us through them. Yes, the assaults do get old. We ask, “How long?” and we want to see a reprieve. But in the midst of the attacks, no matter how long they last, we can trust in God as our salvation, and we can wait on Him for our deliverance. The question “How long?” always has an answer, both determined and accomplished by God.

May God keep you in perfect peace as you trust Him for the solutions that you cannot yet see.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12092023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 3

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Refuge. I choose that name, although the following verse does not use it, because two of the words in the verse imply it. “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalm 62:2).

In his time of threat, David is focused on God alone as his salvation. In verse 2, he continues the idea of exclusivity – that only God is the one who can save him.  Now, instead of just stating that fact, he expands upon it. What is this God like in whom David trusts?

David gives three descriptive names for God: rock, salvation, and defence. These three names of God illustrate God’s character, and they explain why David places his trust in such a God.

The first name is “Rock.” This refers to a rock or boulder, especially one that is sharp. Technically, it is probably a cliff. This gives the idea of a refuge. Imagine being at the top of such a precipice. The steepness and sharpness make it difficult for the enemies to ascend. It presents danger and threat of injury to the enemies just in its physical surface. Furthermore, the enemies are at a great disadvantage. As they struggle to make their way up, they are defenseless, easy pickings for someone sitting at the top. The angle of the walls makes it nearly impossible for them to shoot any weapon at the one who is sitting on top. This Rock is a place of refuge, of safety.

The second name is “Salvation.” This is the same word used in v. 1, and a key word within the psalm. The best understanding is that of deliverance. It refers to aid, victory, prosperity, health, welfare. Some of those applications are stronger than others. For instance, health and prosperity are kind of like the extras of life. They are taking things into the realm of the positive and of advantages. Other words like deliverance and victory are more in the realm of necessity, of saving one’s life. That is the kind of situation David was in. This Salvation is able not only to bestow with blessings, or restore those blessings when they have been absent, but He is also able to rescue from the most dangerous and helpless situations imaginable.

The third name is “Defence.” This refers to a cliff or inaccessible place. The focus is on its height. This word also implies a refuge; it is a retreat, a high fort, or a stronghold. While there are some similarities to the first name, Rock, there are also special differences. The Rock’s outstanding feature was its sharpness, while the Defence’s outstanding feature is its height. Both aspects serve more or less the same purpose. They make the idea of an assault a daunting prospect. They place the assailants at a great disadvantage, more likely to be killed or injured in the attempt than to successfully scale the place of refuge. There is a very low probability of success. The enemies may know exactly where their prey is, and they might be breathing out threats and expending tremendous energy in their pursuit, but they are powerless to touch the one they seek.

When focused on these three names, is it any wonder that David states he will not be greatly moved? This word “moved” speaks of wavering, slipping, shaking, falling, or tottering. Is he speaking literally, of his body and physical well-being? I don’t think so. I think the wavering to which David refers is the shaking in his spirit. He is claiming a stability of soul. By using the qualifier “greatly,” (which he will later omit), he is acknowledging the possibility of some amount of wavering, but really not on a significant level. He is not like someone without God, who cowers in fear or who is paralyzed and overwhelmed by the treat. He isn’t falling apart inside. He isn’t filled with turmoil. He is basically stable and firm. He is able to continue living and doing what he needs to do.

Does this sound familiar? Probably because it is exactly what is stated in Isaiah 26:3. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” How does one remain at peace during times of trouble? By thinking about God, by keeping his mind firmly fixed on God. What better way to do that than by remembering His characteristics through His names! Because, what happens when we deliberately remember how great God is? We naturally trust in such a great God.

This is why it is so important to deliberately turn our concentration to God during trouble. The character and names of God elicit trust within us. It is no accident that the Psalms (and the rest of the Bible) are so filled with these descriptive names of God, names that collectively illustrate the greatness of God. By my personal study, I identified over 120 names just in the book of Psalms. In this psalm alone, David refers to God as his salvation, rock, defence, expectation, glory, rock of his strength, and refuge.

As a matter of personal testimony, I have found this practice to be very helpful. In the past year or so, I have been more deliberate about this by purposefully memorizing psalms that help me to think about who God is. In particular, I use these before I fall asleep at night, when I wake up in the morning, or whenever I am awake in the night. (Plus during difficult times at work, during dentist’s appointments and blood draws, and anytime else that my mind needs refreshed.) They give me foundations for meditation. Psalm 23 was so helpful to me, but eventually I decided I needed something fresh. That’s when I moved to Psalm 121, which was another great experience.

Success breeds success, so after I saw how helpful it was to have more weapons in the arsenal, I moved on to Psalm 62. My memorization is slow. Even though I have chosen familiar psalms, it can take me months to memorize them. But that’s okay. That just means I’m spending that much more time thinking about them, and hopefully getting them so firmly ingrained that I will always have them. I share this not to brag on myself, but to encourage you with the idea. If you don’t already do something like this, you can! And it doesn’t matter if it takes months. Honestly, what could possibly be bad about spending three months or six months focusing on a particular psalm (or other passage)? There is no downside! Just blessing.

This week may God keep your mind focused on His greatness, so that you can rest at peace even in the midst of threats and trouble. He is our Rock, our Salvation, our Defence.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12022023 Psalm 62 Meditations Part 2

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of God, our salvation. “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).

It is logical to wait on God and to look to Him for salvation. The second part of the verse reveals the reason: He is the source of our salvation. Obviously, God is the only possible source of eternal salvation – of the rescue of our soul from the consequences of sin.

Salvation in the context of this verse refers not specifically to the one-time soul salvation, but to the repeated struggles-of-life salvation. It is deliverance, aid, victory, even prosperity. The Hebrew word is sometimes translated health or welfare. This is divine deliverance from something that threatens our well-being. (David will go on to describe the men who are conspiring to defeat him and even kill him.) Davis’s hope is in God alone, because others can’t provide even this level of salvation. Why are others so ineffective and untrustworthy?

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient compassion. It’s nice when we have family and friends who help, but the reality is that sometimes people are not close enough to us feel the need or responsibility to grant more than minimal assistance. For the right person, they would sacrificially give, but they may not know us well enough to care sufficiently to do much.

God never lacks compassion. Every one of His children is very special to Him. He cares about them more than He cares about the lilies of the field or the tiniest of sparrows. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Psalm 103:13). “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (I Peter 5:7).

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient time. This is sometimes the actual reason behind what seems to be lack of compassion. People have responsibilities to their own families. They have responsibilities at work and at church. They might care about lots of needs, but their time is finite, and they cannot possibly meet every need of which they are aware.

God never lacks time. God is not bound by time, but He does use it for His purposes. In fact, sometimes our complaint is that He is using too much time! Some of God’s best recipes are made in a slow cooker, and time is the special ingredient. God takes all the time with us that we need, but He is simultaneously able to watch over all of His children. He is always watchful. “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?” (Isaiah 40:28).

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient wisdom. When they listen to our problems, they might even tell us, “I don’t know what to say.” They find themselves at a loss for how to counsel us. And as far as coming up with a solution to the problem itself, that is another thing entirely! Scenarios can be so complex and situations so sticky, that sometimes the best people can do is to declare, “There IS no good solution to this problem.”

God never lacks wisdom. Not only does He know all things, but He has known them even before we became aware that they needed to be known. Because He always has a plan, He knows what the end is. He knows the solution and the proper means to arrive at that solution. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).

Sometimes people can’t deliver us because they have insufficient ability. They lack both power and resources. They might actually figure out what deliverance would look like, but they are powerless to change the cells in our bodies. They are unable to change the hearts of other individuals involved. They cannot raise the funds necessary to pay for their plan.

God never lacks ability. He has all power to everything that He chooses to do. Based on how often the Bible uses them as examples, the outstanding evidences of God’s power are the creation of the world and the resurrection from the dead. If God can do those things, there seems little doubt that He can do anything that He chooses to do in our individual lives. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh is us” (Ephesians 3:20). Furthermore, God never lacks the resources to work out His plan. “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 50:12).

“From him cometh my salvation.” Our salvation (deliverance) is always from God. He can use miracles if He so chooses, but often He uses means. Outsiders and those without spiritual perception might attribute the deliverance to the means, to the secondary causes. They evaluate that it was rest, nature, the weather, doctors, an unexpected financial windfall, influential politicians, the wisdom of a pastor, the kindness of friends, or some other source.

If we are understanding through spiritual filters and looking through spiritual lenses, however, we realize that each of these means of deliverance is actually the plan superintended and worked out by God. Not only does He divinely orchestrate, but ultimately each of those things comes from Him. God created our bodies, their interworking systems, and the laws that determine how they respond. God made nature and controls the weather. God gives doctors wisdom to understand His systems, and every medicine is made from what He created. God supplies finances through His limitless channels. God directs the heart of the kings. God is the source of wisdom, and He bestows it on men. Every spiritual gift that anyone exercises toward us was given to that person by God.

God’s deliverance can be grand and amazing. He caused an earthquake to get Paul and Silas out of jail. He calmed a life-threatening storm for the disciples. But we should not overlook God’s deliverance when it comes through the tiniest details. He created a gourd to grow up to shadow Jonah (and then a worm to continue His plan). God brought a coin-swallowing fish to Peter, and He supplied both a weapon and life-sustaining water for Samson out of the abandoned jawbone of a donkey. Whether the deliverance is large or small, miraculous or mundane, it always comes from God, our Salvation.

May our great God continue His work on your behalf, delivering you through means both small and great, as He does His good work in and through you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11262023 Psalm 62 Meditations - Part 1

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greeting in the name of God, our salvation, the One in whom we can safely trust. “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).

Psalm 62 speaks of threatening danger. It mentions various people or resources that some people might rely on during such times. The psalmist has just one source that he looks to in his time of danger; God alone is his salvation.

This is not a superficial trust. The psalmist looks to God from the soul level. In the depths of his innermost being and with all he has, he looks to God.

The word “waiteth” is a special word. A study of the word’s usage in the Old Testament illuminates the idea of expectation. Any time someone was waiting on God, it was with the expectation of some kind of answer or provision. In this case, the psalmist expects salvation.

But the idea of expectation does not provide the full flavor of the verb. Perhaps a more expressive translation would be “silences itself” or “rests silently.” The word refers to stillness, silence, and quiet. It is a trust so deep that the soul is completely at rest.

God invites us to come to Him even when our soul is not still. In fact, verse 8 of this same psalm instructs us to “pour out [our] heart before him.” We see examples of this in the Bible. When Hannah was in the temple praying for a child, her spirit was greatly troubled, yet God heard her prayer. It is comforting to know that God compassionately hears us even when our soul is tumultuous.

But what a beautiful picture it is when we come to God with our soul completely at rest, when we silently trust Him and wait in stillness, expecting Him to take care of us. The Bible also has examples of this.

I think of the heart of Abraham when he was on his way to sacrifice Isaac. There is no indication that his soul was troubled. Isaac was not alerted by his father’s restless spirit, but only when they were finally nearing their destination and he started looking for the sacrifice. We know from the New Testament that Abraham was completely at rest, confidently expecting that God would give a good outcome.

I think of Joseph in prison. He was not fretting or in anguish. His soul was quiet and peaceful as he waited for God to work out His plan. Meanwhile, his inner peace allowed him to minister to others.

I think of Esther when she prepared to appeal to the king on behalf of the Jews. She knew the result might be her immediate death, to be followed by the massacre of her people. But she did not anxiously fret. She calmly and quietly rested in God. “If I perish, I perish.”

I think of Peter when he was in jail. The threat of a morning execution hung over his head. Peter’s soul must have been resting silently, because what did he do? He slept. Likewise, Daniel slept in the lion’s den.

Paul reflects this same spirit. He sang in prison. He ministered the gospel to the lost. He corresponded with churches and discipled believers. He made statements of soul satisfaction about being ready to be offered, about having run his course.

What is true of a person who is able to silently rest in this way? First, this person has confidence in God. He is perfectly assured that God will do the right thing and that God is entirely able to do whatever is needed.

Second, this person enjoys companionship with God. This is a beautiful and deep relationship. This is a knowledge so intimate and an experience so deep that there is no fear or discomfort.

Third, this person has contentment of heart. He is resting in his spirit in spite of the circumstances. He has accepted both his current situation as directed by God, as well as the outcome that God will provide. No matter what has happened or will happen, he is at peace.

What a wonderful ideal this is to aspire to! Thank God for the precious times when we have experienced this soul quietness, even in the most unlikely circumstances. Thank God that such a restful and peaceful response is possible, because He is a God entirely worthy of our trust.

In the times of our threatening dangers, may God enable each of us to remember how great He is, so that we can have that logical response of waiting silently in His care. May God truly give us peace in our souls in spite of the storms. May our souls rest quietly and peacefully in Him. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11182023 Always There

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who never leaves and never forgets. That’s a pretty big deal, because people are not nearly as faithful or constant.

I don’t want to make assumptions about your personal situations, but I do know that in general, missionaries can sometimes feel neglected or forgotten by people “back home.” This can be true even of family and friends of whom we would never have believed it possible.

Our emotions and our rational thought don’t always line up very well when we sense that loneliness, and sometimes we interpret things to be worse than they are. (Not that I am trying to minimize the pain, which can be very real.) But just to be a little rational … here are a few thoughts based on my observations from both sides of the scenario. Probably none of these are new thoughts to you.

People don’t forget us nearly as thoroughly as we might be inclined to think. Our human nature says that if we don’t hear from someone, that person doesn’t remember us or care. Thought #1: Often the reason people don’t reach out is that they are too busy. That doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking of us, don’t have good intentions, or are even making resolutions to do better. Thought #2: Sometimes people don’t want to be a bother. “That missionary doesn’t really know who I am.” “She is so busy that I don’t want my correspondence to be another burden.” Thought #3: People don’t realize how important it is to say something. They assume that others know they are praying for them. Quite easily, you could be featured in prayer meeting or as the missionary of the week, and a whole congregation of people could be praying, and maybe no one would tell you. Some even see it as a ministry of humble service to pray faithfully in “secret,” with no one knowing.

I expect that each of you have a special core of supporters with whom you are more connected. That is a blessing. I’m also quite certain that you are loved and prayed for more than you are told. And, yes, maybe there is something sad and even wrong about that. But actually my primary focus and purpose today is not about people at all! Rather, it is to encourage you regarding the Most Faithful One. All of the above is just my thoughts, but below are God’s words, which are far better.

“For the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). If we go where He tells us to go, how can He do otherwise but to go with us?

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7-10). Even in the most extreme scenarios, God is still there.

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up” (Psalm 27:10). The deepest and most unexpected rejections can come from people, but never from God.

“Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand” (Psalm 73:23). In the context, this is even in spite of the psalmist’s abhorrent behavior that stemmed from his hurt spirit. God was faithful to stand by him.

“For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). Never, never ever, absolutely not.

There is a precious old hymn (author unknown) called “Never Alone.” Here are two stanzas and the chorus.

2. The world’s fierce winds are blowing–

Temptation’s sharp and keen;
I have a peace in knowing
My Savior stands between;
He stands to shield me from danger
When all my friends are gone:
He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone.

Refrain:
No, never alone, No, never alone;
He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone:
No, never alone, No, never alone:
He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone.

3. When in affliction’s valley
I tread the road of care,
My Savior helps me carry
My cross so heavy to bear;
Though all around me is darkness
And earthly joys are flown,
My Savior whispers His promise:
Never to leave me alone.

I hope that you don’t feel alone or neglected, but if you do, even a little bit, or even if you don’t, I hope that these reassurances will encourage your heart with the faithful presence of our loving God.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11112023 Least Qualified

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who pays for what He orders and equips those whom He sends. I have taken a bit of liberty with I Kings 17:8-16 for the purpose of perspective, to show us what it might have been like for the widow and to help us relate to her story. Although my story is from the viewpoint of a different character, it is my intent to accurately represent the truth of God’s Word and to provide an appropriate lesson from that truth.

Once upon a time, there was a widow who lived in Zarephath. She had a son, but he was too young to support her, so she bore the heavy burden of caring for her family at a time when being a widow was a very difficult circumstance. This was only the beginning of her troubles, as a lengthy famine compounded her situation.

One day she faced what seemed to be the end point. There was no food left in the house. She had just a handful of flour and a tiny bit of oil, just enough to make a pitiful portion of food to divide with her son. Once they ate that, there was nothing left, including hope.

The widow went out near the gate of the city, seeking a few sticks so that she could build one final fire to cook one final meal. A man approached her, a prophet, and he had a request. “Please bring me a bit of water to drink.” A little bit of water was not impossible. Even in her own desperate situation, the widow had enough compassion or hospitality to be willing to provide that request. She turned to go after the water.

“Oh, wait,” the prophet broke in. “Could you also bring me a piece of bread?”

“Is this man crazy?” she thought. “Maybe not, but he is out of luck. I couldn’t give him food if I wanted to.”

She turned back to explain, “Sir, I swear before God that I don’t have any food left in the house. I have just enough ingredients to make a final snack for myself and my son, and then we are going to die, because there is nothing left. I have no food to give you.”

The prophet replied with an unusual reassurance. “Don’t worry about it. Go make the snack like you planned, but give it to me first, and then you will be able to make another for you and your son. God has promised that your meager ingredients will not run out until the famine has ended.”

The widow turned back toward her house. She had a decision to make. Would she serve someone else or would she take care of herself? Her thoughts may have included things like the following. “I’m a pretty poor choice to take care of someone else. It’s not a matter of caring. It is a matter of ability. I literally do not have the resources. Surely God (or this man) has made a poor choice. I am the least equipped person possible to meet this need.”

“Ah, but remember the promise of God. He has promised to provide. He will give you what you do not have so that you can do what He has asked you to do.”

“Okay, fine. Even though I am without resources, even though I am the most unlikely helper, even though there must be so many others who could handle the situation better, I will do what God has asked.”

So she baked a cake and took it to the prophet. Lo and behold, more ingredients appeared, and she made another cake for her and her son. And the same the next day, and the next, and the next, until the famine was ended. That’s pretty close to happily ever after.

Sometimes God puts us in situations where He asks us to do something that we cannot possibly do. We are already stretched so thin, and He stretches us more. We seem fundamentally unequipped to do what He has asked. In fact, it seems like there are many others – anyone, for that matter – who could do the job better than we can.

But we are the one God asked. We are the one in front of whom He has dropped the opportunity. He asks us to obey. He asks us perhaps to stretch or to inconvenience ourselves or to feel awkward. And then He provides everything that we don’t have so that we can do what He has asked us to do. Somehow God accomplishes His work through us, even though we are the most unlikely vessels.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Corinthians 4:7). “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (II Corinthians 12:9).

Has God put a task in front of you that you don’t have the skills to do? A person to whom to minister and you don’t have the wisdom or experience? A need beyond your resources? Are you the least equipped person to meet the need? Would anyone else be able to do it better?

If God has asked it, then He will provide. He will give you the strength and wisdom. He will supply the resources. He will do a work through you that may seem far beyond your ability. God has all the resources, strength, and wisdom. He just needs a willing vessel. May God divinely enable you to do what seems too hard. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11042023 Until God Steps In

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the patient God of grace. His work often requires time, but He keeps working toward His objectives. Meanwhile, He upholds us with His grace and ultimately increases that grace in His great conclusion.

I recently linked a New Testament passage and an Old Testament story that I don’t think I’ve ever connected before, and it seemed like a really good intersection. I was pondering the fact that God’s work may not seem immediately evident in our lives, but He is nonetheless doing it. In the meanwhile, it isn’t always pleasant for us.

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11). Yeah, grievous. We get that. Peter agreed. “Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations” (I Peter 1:6). Paul also understood this. “We are troubled on every side … perplexed … persecuted … cast down” (II Corinthians 4:8-9). That is definitely one side of our suffering, and often it is the side most evident to us because we live in the present. We don’t see the future.

But there is a future. Hebrews talks about the “peaceable fruit of righteousness” that comes “afterward.” One of my favorite verses, the one I was especially pondering, also confirms that the benefit is not always seen until the end. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (I Peter 5:10). The amazing divine work of those four verbs does come, but it is only in the “after,” when God purposefully steps in and does it.

So I wondered, are there Biblical examples that display this process? My mind considered a few of them – Peter, for one. Jacob is probably another good example. But my mind settled on Job. I don’t think there is a better example of someone who was “real” in the midst of struggles. I love Job. He maintained a dedication to God in the face of unimaginable devastation. He had moments of pure brilliance – absolute gems in some of the statements he made. But he was also a very real man of human frailty. He struggled – deeply. He had difficult questions. Do you know what Job needed? He needed for God to “perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle” him.

Job wanted God to do that work. Job longed for God’s intervention. But it didn’t happen … and it didn’t happen … and it didn’t happen. Until it did. When the time was right, the God of all grace stepped into Job’s world and held a long conversation with him. The result of that conversation (a series of questions through which God revealed Himself) was that Job was finally settled. All his doubts were gone. His questions were silenced. He was ready to walk confidently forward. He was ready to again minister to others. He was ready to be the strong leader of his family and a respected man in his community. He wouldn’t have reached that position without the direct intervention of the God of all grace.

What happened? God did exactly what I Peter 5:10 says. He showed Himself as the God of all grace. He stepped in at the right time, “after that [Job had] suffered a while.” Through His intervention, God perfected, established, strengthened, and settled Job. All that time, Job had been waiting for this result, and it finally happened.

Like Job, we don’t know when that result will happen. We don’t know how long we will have to wait. But we do know that God is doing and will do His work. In addition to the passages above, we have Philippians 1:6. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We have II Corinthians 3:18. “But we all … are changed into the same image.” We have II Corinthians 4:17. “Our light affliction … worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” We have Romans 8:28. “All things work together for good to them that love God.”

God is doing all those things. We may not see the result until afterward. We might not see any hint of that result. In fact, it might seem that we are in the absolute blackest darkness possible, even right up until the time that the God of grace steps in. But He will step in, and He will do all that He has said.

What do we do in the meantime? We must cling to the truth we know – that He is working and will work. And we must simply keep going and trust Him to do the right thing. I apologize if this is a repeat, but I’m reminded of an excellent Christian movie called “The Perfect Race,” in which a coach trains a cross country runner. One day she trains her runner during heavy rain on a day that none of the other coaches hold workouts for their runners. One of the other runners asks, somewhat critically, “Why do you run in the rain?” The coach answers by talking about broken marriages. Many of the runners grew up in fractured homes. In just a few years they will be starting their own homes, and the coach challenges them with the idea of not giving up when things get tough. That is why she trains even in the rain – to teach the importance of pushing through the hard times, of not quitting easily when conditions are not ideal. It’s about character. “That’s why we run in the rain.”

So if I don’t see the answers or progress, I have to believe that God will do it, and I have to keep going and keep trusting. I have to tell God, “I will keep running even in the rain. I will keep running until You end the storm. I will wait for You to show the rainbow.”

May God give you the faith to trust and the grace to endure as you run in the rain, waiting for God to intervene. Because He will!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

10282023 Psalm 121 Meditations - Part 5

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the omnipresent and eternal God. These two factors are reflected in this final meditation on Psalm 121.

“The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:8).

Reminder #5: He will guard your goings and comings perpetually.

For the sixth time in this psalm, we have the term “preserve/keep/guard.” What is it this time that God is hedging about with a formidable defense? It is our going out and our coming in. Our exits and entrances, our departures and returns.

In the case of the psalmist, there may be specific application to his trips to Jerusalem for worship. This psalm was to be sung as the worshippers made their way to the temple. When God gave the law, He addressed the potential concern regarding simultaneous nationwide pilgrimages, which were to occur three times each year. The obvious concern is that if all the men left their homes three times every year, then the enemies would exploit those absences to take over their land. God specifically promised “neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year” (Exodus 34:24).

Potentially, the psalm has something to do with that promise, and by extension, safety for the trip itself, both as they went up and as they returned. It is at least reflective of the spirit of that promise. The very interesting application is that if we obey God, even when it seems unwise or dangerous, He will take care of the threats that result from our obedience. James 4:13-15 reflects a similar idea. If we are going or doing according to God’s will, then we should expect God to guard us in the going and doing.

That is a very important premise to carry over into what is likely intended to be a broader application of this verse. Certainly, the psalmist had more goings and comings than just going to Jerusalem for worship, and God’s protection applied to the others as well, just as it applies to our many goings and comings that have nothing to do with pilgrimages. We live in a mobile and active society, and we are constantly going out and coming in.

Goings and comings. Exits and entrances. Departures and returns. I deliberately reflected the order that the verse employs. It seems to us that the first of each pair would be the challenge for protection. It is when we go out that we potentially face danger. Although for the psalmist, there may have been a particular specialized application, the verse itself does not seem to narrow the reassurance in any way, leaving it to cover anytime that we go out. That covers a lot of instances. Going out to work, to church, to minister, to run errands, to visit, to enjoy. We could easily go out a dozen times per week. Some goings are small, a trip to the grocery store around the corner, and some goings are enormous, a trip to another country. God protects at both extremes, and everywhere in between.

Lest we naively assume that our returns have no danger, God assures that He also guards our comings. This is also necessary. When we come home, to what we think is a place of safety, we still need God’s protection as much as when we are out. In fact, the amount of time we spend at home may be equal to or greater than the amount of time we are out. The bricks and boards around us are not sufficient for our protection. It is God who keeps us safe when we come home.

Together, the going and coming, the abroad and at home, cover everything. If God guards us everywhere we go and also at home, then there is no place that He is not watching. But the verse gives even greater reassurance. It isn’t just that He guards us in every place, but that He does so perpetually. “From this time forth, and even for evermore.” At face value, this sounds like the starting point of God’s guarding is whenever the person reads the passage. (For example, someone reading the passage for the first time on January 1, 2024, might think the protection starts on that day.) In reality, the truth has always existed and has been performed by God, but the assurance of the truth may not start until the day the person first reads it. From a practical standpoint, the past is past and unalterable; what is pertinent to the reader is that from this moment forward, he can know that God is watching over him. I think that is the intent of the wording – that the reader would be reminded and reassured of the truth of God’s unending care. There is no expiration date. So the psalmist’s final reminder is, “Hey, God will guard you everywhere you ever are, and He will never stop guarding.”

Concluding thoughts:

The thoroughness of the psalm. From multiple angles, the psalmist speaks of complete help by utilizing contrasts. Day and night (vs. 3-4), evils seen by the sun, by the moon, and by no one (vs. 5-7), coming and going (v. 8), now and forever (v. 8). It’s hard to imagine how the discussion could be more thorough. In fact, there is overlap to the point of redundancy. But the redundancy is helpful, because it causes the psalmist to look at the same problem from multiple angles and thus receive extra reassurance.

The importance of reminders. When we are in trouble, we need reminders. We know the truth, but we forget to focus on it. This man helped himself to remember by having a physical object as his starting point. Looking at the mountains prompted him to start his thought process, and in two different ways they reminded him of who his Helper was; He was both the God who created those mountains, and He was the God who was worshipped in those mountains. After the foundational reminder about who his Helper is, the psalmist then purposefully enumerates deliberate reminders of supporting details.

The focus of this psalm is very homogenous. One of the opening thoughts is that this man needs help. Otherwise, he would not be going through this exercise of remembering his Helper. But the content of the psalm reveals the particular kind of help he needed. His key words are all very similar. Including the words themselves and the ways they can be translated, we have this list: keeper, shade, preserve, guard, protect. Furthermore, the actions are of the same nature: maintaining our footing, constant vigilance with no sleeping, warding off dangers and evil. This man’s needs were in the arena of safety, so that is what he focused on. Our needs may be different. But if our area of need is comfort, wisdom, strength, etc., God is still able to meet our needs. The Bible has truths for every one of those categories, and it provides us with appropriate reminders on which to meditate.

May you truly know and experience God as your Helper this week, in whatever your area of need happens to be. He will take care of you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

10202023 Psalm 121 Meditations Part 4

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Protector, the one who shades us from all danger.

“The LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul” (Psalm 121:5b-7).

Reminder #4: He shelters by day and by night.

God acts as a shade. The word comes from a root that has to do with hanging over something, and it carries the connotation of protection. It would be like a canopy of tree branches that protect someone from the hot sun. According to v. 6, this shade is designed for protection both day and night. However, the previous verses already addressed the idea of constant watchfulness, so that all times of the day have previously been covered. I believe the special flavor of these verses is in regard to the types of dangers faced at different times.

The danger by day is the sun. Again, we have figurative language. I don’t believe the verse is primarily referring to God’s protecting us from sunburn, heat stroke, or dehydration. I believe the sun is representative of the dangers associated with the day. These are the labors and toils of life. These are the physical dangers that stem from the responsibilities of the day, from interactions with people, from the types of accidents and incidents that can arise during the time that everyone is awake and engaged in activity.

The danger by night is from the moon. This seems to be particularly cryptic. How can the moon hurt us?!?! Again, I believe the moon is representative of the dangers associated with the night. My personal opinion is that this is an entirely different category of danger and that it involves mental and emotional dangers. The moon does not share the same root (lunar) as lunatic for nothing. People have long believed that the moon influences our mental state. Certainly, nighttime is associated with fear and anxiety, with long wakeless hours when there are fewer stabilizing parameters for our thoughts, and when the mind can travel in dangerous directions. These threats tend to diminish or vanish in the light of day when we are again interacting with people and have the routine of activity.

I believe v. 7 supports my idea about physical day dangers and mental night dangers. It starts out by stating that God preserves from all evil. (The meaning is not necessarily limited to sinful or malicious intent, but it also includes adversity, affliction, calamity, something that we would view as bad.) The term “preserve” is to hedge about, guard, or protect; it is the same Hebrew word translated as “keep” in v. 3 and 5. All means all. If God is to guard us from all dangers, that would include the two aspects already considered – physical and mental. It would also include spiritual dangers, which is where the verse goes next.

The LORD will guard our souls. While the physical and mental dangers are real and serious, the spiritual dangers are supreme. They are also real, and there is nothing more serious. If God can keep our soul, we should have no fear that He can keep the rest of us. In some ways, the soul seems most vulnerable. After all, we can do something to protect ourselves physically; we can eat healthy foods, drive safely, and avoid the bad sections of town. We can even do something to protect ourselves mentally; we can seek laughter, stroke a pet, or deliberately focus our thoughts. But what can we do to protect our souls? Absolutely nothing. We are totally dependent on God for that.

None of these aspects – physical, mental, or spiritual – is too hard for God. More comforting, none of these aspects fall outside the realm of what God cares about. None of them are outside the sphere of what He has pledged Himself to protect. Insurance companies want us to insure everything – health, death, car, house, boat, belongings, vacations, pets, etc. When it comes to protection, God’s “policy” is all-inclusive. He covers everything. The psalmist’s conclusion is, “Hey, there is no part of your being that God does not protect.”

May God shade you this week in all aspects of your being, keeping you safe and sound by day and by night.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

10142023 Psalm 121 Meditations Part 3

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Keeper, the one who maintains His watchful care over us. Below are more meditations from Psalm 121, following the psalmist’s progressive reminders of what his Helper is like.

“He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper” (Psalm 121:3b-5a).

Reminder #2: He won’t slumber or sleep.

One reason humans are so poor at dealing with problems is that they have a limited amount of time to work on them. Every time they start to make some progress, the day is over, and it is time to go to bed. That certainly is not the only reason, but it is a limitation, and it is a limitation that God does not have.

This is why God can keep our foot from slipping – because He is constantly awake, alert, and observant. We are not going to take a wrong turn or start sliding precariously without His knowing about it. He has the responsibility of keeping us, and He doesn’t allow any lapse on His part to interfere with His ability to do so. He is never like the bank guard who falls asleep on the job.

God does not “slumber” – ever. This is to sleep because of drowsiness. God doesn’t get drowsy. Not from boredom, not from getting too comfortable, not from external stimuli, not from fatigue. God doesn’t “sleep.” He doesn’t get old and worn out and therefore unable to remain alert. When we think of slumber or sleep, we envision several different scenarios. The most intense would be someone who is bone-weary, perhaps after hard toil, a marathon of activity, an illness, or an intense medical episode. This person might fall into a deep sleep, even coma-like, and not awaken for days, or at least for an unusually extended amount of time, like ten to twelve hours. Imagine if that happened with God! How many dangers could present themselves to us while He remained unaware? But this never happens. God doesn’t sleep like that.

There is also normal sleep, which for most people is seven to eight hours a night. Every night. Again, imagine if God slept that long every night. This would leave a significant portion of our day without protection – on a regular and predictable basis. We would be so vulnerable. God doesn’t sleep like that either.

On the mild end of the spectrum, there is light sleep. A fifteen-minute cat nap. Someone drowsing off while watching TV. While it may seem that such short amounts of inattention would not be too serious, imagine the ramifications. When people nod off in these ways, children are left unattended and get into mischief or danger. Classrooms of children quickly disrupt. Meals are left burning on the stove. Automobile accidents happen. Although the sleep is brief, the sleeper often misses the most critical moments of what is happening around him. Even drifting in and out while watching a television program leaves the “viewer” disconnected, confused, and inadequately informed about what is happening. God doesn’t even do this type of sleep. There are not even random moments or brief windows during which He is not keeping guard. He doesn’t miss any pertinent input. The psalmist reminds himself, “Hey, He’s not going to fall asleep on you.”

God never sleeps, but the implication is deeper than simply being awake. This is the Helper, the Keeper, that we are talking about. His job is more than just remaining awake. It is being watchful. God never stops being watchful, not for eight hours at a time, not for five minutes at a time. His vigil is constant.

This facet becomes even more poignant when we realize that God does this specifically regarding Israel. If any people needs constant vigil, it is the Jews. They have faced so many threats, dangers, wars, plots, and conspiracies. Multiple times they have been threatened with annihilation. Yet they still remain today. Why? Because God has never once fallen asleep on the job. If He can successfully keep watch and protect Israel, then He can easily keep watch and protect me.

Reminder #3: He is your Keeper.

Verses 3b and 4 have us focusing on the never sleeping, always vigilant aspect, but we must not overlook the verb. What is it that God is doing without sleeping? Who is it that never sleeps? It is “He that keepeth thee” and “He that keepeth Israel.” In case we missed it while we were contemplating His constant vigil, verse 5a brings us back to the identification: the Keeper.

The LORD, the one who was identified in verse 2 as being the Helper, is the one who is our Keeper. It is the same unique, self-existing, worthy-of-worship God, the only true God, who is our Keeper. What a joy that it is not anyone lesser who is in that position!

The Keeper is such a great term. This is not simply holding onto something for potential future usefulness. Rather, it is to hedge about (like with a border of thorns) and to guard and protect. The Hebrew word is translated in numerous illustrative ways, including “beware, be circumspect, take heed, preserve, save.” This is a careful activity. It is a defensive activity. It is an aggressive protective activity. This is top-level protective security. The psalmist comforts himself, “Hey, God is never careless about protecting you.”

The psalmist takes comfort in knowing that God will keep him from a disastrous fall. God can do so because He is continually alert and because He takes upon Himself the role as vigilant Keeper and proactive Protector.

May you rest at peace, confidently trusting in the constant care of your Keeper who never misses anything that concerns you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

10062023 Psalm 121 Meditations Part 2

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the best walking Companion ever. There is no one better with whom to walk through life than the Helper who keeps, guides, and protects us.

“He will not suffer thy foot to be moved” (Psalm 121:3a).

When the psalmist comes to verse three, he does something very interesting. Verses 1-2 were written in first person (I, my, mine). Verses 3-6 are written in second person (thy, thee). Having reminded himself of who his helper is, has he now turned his attention to sharing truth about his Helper with others? In other words, was this a quick mental exercise for him as he remembered who his Helper is? Is he now rock solid, totally impervious to whatever was troubling him, and able to go into an academic-type listing of characteristics for the benefit of others? Or even, have the reassuring actions of God on his behalf given him a position of being an expert or a trusted counselor to others?

I don’t think so. The second person pronouns are all singular! Theoretically, he could be sharing reassurance with one other individual, but I don’t believe that is what he is doing. I believe he is talking to himself. This is completely in fitting with verses 1-2. If this psalm started out as a deliberate practice of focusing his attention on the Source of his help, then it continues by fleshing out additional reassuring details about the Helper. In other words, the rest of the psalm is just as intentional as the first two verses. He is preaching a sermon to himself!

This man, who needs help although he is remaining calm about it, is demonstrating why he can remain calm. It is because he is deliberately reviewing facts, not just about who his Helper is, but also about what that Helper is like. It isn’t much use to identify God as our Helper if we don’t know anything about God. But when we do know about God, then it means something that He is our Helper. So verses 1-2 were the premise: God is my Helper. Verses 3-6 enumerate what that Helper is like.

The facts contained in these verses make it evident why this man is able to remain calm. He has really learned to know his God. He has come to know God, not as an angry and impersonal tyrant, but as a loving, protecting Keeper who thoroughly cares for him and constantly watches over him. Every line of the psalm is reassuring to him in his current trouble, but the lines would not be reassuring if he were not reviewing them. It is important to meditate on God and to remember His characteristics and care. This is a continued part of the process of calming himself in a time of trouble. It is not a casual or flippant acknowledgment (“Oh, yeah – God”), but it is a deliberate enumeration (“God, because …”).

Reminder #1: He won’t allow your foot to slip.

This is obviously figurative language. It is not talking about the five-toed appendage on the end of his leg, as it encounters mud, snow, ice, steep banks, or banana peels. So what does it mean? The picture is readily accessible and easily applied to life. It fits right in with the way we think and talk about the challenges of life. “I feel like I can’t get my feet under me.” As we walk through life and face obstacles, we can feel unsteady, like we are slipping.

Does this verse mean that will never happen? It certainly does not seem logical, possible, or even in keeping with other Scriptures that we would never have the slightest indication of a quiver or misstep. The Hebrew word has some variation in degree within its meaning. It can be used for "totter, shake, slip,” but it can also mean “to be overthrown,” “to dislodge, let fall, drop,” or “to be greatly shaken.” So even the majority of the meanings tend toward intense or extreme levels. Some slips of the foot are fatal.

This seems to be in keeping with Psalm 37:24: “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” It isn’t that we will never slip or stumble, but that we will not fall irreconcilably. We might fall down, but we won’t fall all the way off the mountain. The foundation underneath the foot is sure, and the One holding us in His hand will limit the extent of the slipping to temporal rather than permanent falling.

When we are in times of struggle, one of the dangers is that if we are alone, without a helper, we could easily stumble. Perhaps the psalmist senses his own weakness, and that is why he states this reminder first. He might fear that he would fall and that his walk of faith would be cut off because of one intense incident. If that happens, nothing else matters, so this is an important starting place. It is a comforting reassurance that he tells himself: “Hey, He’s not going to let you plummet off the side of the mountain.”

May your week be filled with the peaceful stability of walking with the One who will keep you from falling.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

09302023 Psalm 121 Meditations Part 1

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our great Helper. What a blessing that we have a definite source of help.

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).

Why does he lift up his eyes to the mountains? Obviously, the mountains themselves are not the source of his help. He denies that possibility by asserting in v. 2 that his help comes from the LORD, and the whole psalm is about God as his helper. The mountains aren’t even mentioned again. So the mountains are not the source of help, but there has to be a reason why he started this way.

I think there are three answers, all of which are correct, but distinct in their angle of approach. On the first (and in some ways the lowest) level, lifting up his eyes is a manifestation of deliberate consideration. The other half of the verse shows that he is in a process of remembering or deliberately focusing on the source of his help. This is especially clear if the second clause is considered to be a question, as it widely is. (“From whence cometh my help?”) He is gazing out into the distance in an act of contemplation, ignoring the details and distractions of life that are swirling around him. By gazing up to the mountains, he is facilitating the process of clearly evaluating.

In using the mountains as a tool for thinking, this is a low-level significance, more of a mental tool than a spiritual one. On the other hand, there is great significance, because the practice of doing so is a deliberate action whereby he considers God his helper. It is highly significant that someone stops to consider the true source of his help, and in this case, it is a deliberate focus and an intentional turning of his attention to this topic. It is significant that he does not flounder and flail helplessly, feeling as if there is no help available. He knows there is help, he knows who that helper is, and he knows the necessary consideration process to cause him to properly direct his thoughts.

Which leads to another question. Why is he considering this question regarding the source of his help? The obvious answer is that he needs help. Why would you even ponder this question if you did not need help? But what is interesting about this psalm is that it is completely calm and reassuring. It is confident and trusting. There is no tumult, no anguish, no desperation expressed. Many other psalms include those “negatives,” but this one is starkly free of them. This suggests to me that the lifting up his eyes in consideration is a comfortable practice and a well-established routine. This is not the first time he has considered the question. He is not wildly seeking to find an answer in a moment of desperation. Instead, he is reminding himself of truth that he knows well. He expects his help to come from the LORD, because that is where it always had come from before. God had proven Himself to this man, and the result is unalarmed, confident trust and dependence.

This reminds me of the Old Testament’s words for “refuge.” There are several, but two of them are contrasted. One means “to flee for protection”; the other is also to go for protection, but “not as precipitately.” The Psalm 121 author is the second of those. He has learned where his help comes from, and when new trouble comes, he simply has to remind himself by deliberately asking and answering the question. There is no crisis of trauma; there is only purposeful comforting remembrance.

Back to “why the mountains?” The second answer is that he is thinking of the one “which made heaven and earth,” and that includes the mountains. In the scope of one’s vision, mountains are one of the more prominent and noticeable features of God’s creation. The mountains remind him of his Creator. The verse is not referring to the god who made heaven and earth, as opposed to the god of fertility or the god of war or the god of the harvest. “Which made heaven and earth” is not the identification of which god out of many; rather, it is sharing one amazing thing about his God, who is the only one.

Even the secular world recognizes the peace and tranquility that can be found in nature. Nature is calming. Mountains are relaxing. Wide open spaces are therapeutic. Going to nature, especially when leaving behind the distractions and stress of technology and civilization, can be helpful. But I’m not sure those aspects are even part of this man’s evaluation, at least not directly. They will still be true for him, because God his Creator designed the mountains (and nature) to have that influence.

The psalmist is not looking to the mountains for therapeutic value, however. He is looking to them as reminders and evidence of his Creator. This is a very comforting thought, because if God can make the heavens and the earth, He can easily take care of individuals and the issues of their lives. Considering some of the intricacies of creation – the stars that follow set patterns, the oceans that contain incomprehensible volumes of water, the mountains that still stand after millennia – provides a wonderful reassurance about the power and wisdom of the One who watches over man. That’s some kind of Helper to have!

“Why the mountains?” The third answer has something to do with why it is mountains that he looks to, rather than oceans or deserts or pastures. Each of those could also be the background used for focused thought. Each of them would also be displays of the creative hand of God. So why mountains specifically? I think this is the most significant (and probably primary) answer. I believe he is looking specifically to the mountains surrounding Jerusalem. This is, after all, one of the psalms of ascent, which the Jews used as they made their trips to Jerusalem to worship.

From this aspect, the mountains are reminders not of the Creator, but of the LORD who dwelled there and whom he would worship there. He is Jehovah or Yahweh. He is the only God, the self-existing one, the one who surpasses all qualifications. He simply is – the I AM. In focusing on God by this distinct name, the psalmist is acknowledging the only true God as his helper.

This psalmist needs help. He turns to a familiar routine of reminding himself of who his God is. His helper is both the Creator who is incomparably capable and the unique God who is worthy of his worship. The mountains, in their serenity, in their grandeur, and in their specific location, are a reminder of those truths.

May God help you to fix your eyes continually and confidently on Him as your Helper.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

09232023 Praying in Suffering - Preparation for Service

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the Author of the Bible. He has given us in His Word all that we need. I’m so thankful for this study on praying during suffering. It has been sobering and encouraging, instructive and guiding for me. While I don’t suddenly incorporate all these categories into my prayers as often or as thoroughly as I would like, the study has definitely affected my praying. I trust that it has been a blessing to you on some level as well. Below is the final section.

Category Twelve - Preparation for Service

The previous category was about spiritual profit. While suffering is one of God’s prime tools for bringing maturity, it is also one of His prime tools in preparation for service. Many of God’s servants have been prepared through prolonged or repeated suffering. That has often included lengthy delays even in their service, when they were willing to serve immediately. I thought of five Biblical examples of men who showed some readiness to serve, but God delayed the timing of their ministry and lubricated the wait with suffering.

Jesus engaged in His Father’s business in the temple at age twelve, but His primary ministry was delayed for twelve more years. In the meanwhile, He willingly endured the limitations of a human body and the misunderstanding of His family. He was taught and prepared by the Father as He learned obedience through suffering.

After his conversion, Paul was ready to preach the gospel. He immediately began speaking out for God in Damascus and Jerusalem. God had other plans, and He whisked Paul away to the solitude of the desert for three years of intense training.

Joseph understood through dreams that God had something special for him, and he obediently did what was asked of him. His role as deliverer, however, didn’t come until after thirteen years of slavery and imprisonment and an additional ten years before he was reunited with his family.

Moses was ready to start delivering Israel, but his early attempts didn’t go well. God sent him to the desert for forty years, watching sheep and removed from everyone he had known. Only then was he ready to serve.

Early after the exodus from Egypt, Joshua was assisting Moses in various ways. His time of leadership, however, had to wait until after forty years of wilderness wandering, which was in no way his own fault.

Whether or not it involves delays, suffering is valuable in preparing us to serve others. “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. … And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation” (II Corinthians 1:4,6). God does not intend that what He teaches us and does in us would stop with us.

Any time we go through a time of suffering, we learn much. We learn about human nature, about human limitations, and about the peculiarities of human struggle and response in a particular aspect of life. We also learn about how God molds our human nature, how He strengthens our weakness, and how He provides the victory. When we exit the time of suffering, we understand things that we never did before, or we grow in what we already knew. God intends for this growth to be used to help others who are also suffering. He has prepared us to be more effective in ministering.

“How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality” (II Corinthians 8:2). The churches in Macedonia were suffering financially. As they understood the difficulties of that status, they were concerned to help others in the same situation. This certainly agrees with the previous verse, as it indicates a compassion and ability regarding a shared aspect of suffering. What is amazing about these churches is that they did not wait until they were completely past their own suffering before they reached out to others. Even in the midst of their difficulty, their compassionate hearts caused them to reach out to others who were also in need.

“But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention” (I Thessalonians 2:2). Paul and Silas had a rough time in Philippi, (as well as in many other places). It would have been easy for Paul to think he had suffered enough. It would have been easy for him to be reserved and cautious in order to avoid more suffering. Paul didn’t do that. In each new place, he continued to minister, even when opposition arose there as well. When one has suffered much, there is the temptation to pull back- to stop ministering, to cease reaching out, especially if we feel like no one really helped us much in our time of suffering. Time for recovery and healing is natural, and sometimes a reduced ministry or a temporary hiatus is necessary. What we can’t do, however, is decide never to serve again.

“Father, help me to be patient to wait as long as You determine until I am more fully prepared to step into the roles You have for me. May I learn all that You want me to learn so that I am prepared to more effectively minister to others. Help me to resolve to do so, and give me opportunities even now to be a blessing to someone. As I move through and out of this time of suffering, let not my heart grow cold or unwilling regarding service to others.”

God bless you. Have a good week.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA