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