Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭44‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Trust. Reliance. Security.

It’s all on you, until it isn’t

There exists a realm on earth you cannot see but on which you can fully rely. And it’s literally a gamechanger.

That’s its purpose.

To observe that realm in action requires us to flip a switch. Like turning on a light in a dark room, we then, with faith, see clearer God in action in our life versus stumbling around looking for a way out.

Like wearing glasses that illuminate the spiritual realm before us, our anxieties become powerless and we can see better and further where to go.

Light swiches and glasses are like tools to see the spritual realm but you have to wear the lenses and flip the switches to enjoy the privileges that come from being a child of God.

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭48‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

David had everything. As such, he had everything to lose.

But this psalm preoccupies his thoughts with questions on his breadth and length of life and the fact we all know and understand as we age: that this life is but a fleeting existence.

Waxing philosophical is a telltale feature of our final years when the bigger picture significantly outweighs the smaller.

The things—wealth, influence, power—wane in importance when the inevitable end comes into view.

But “fleeting” is movement away from one existence and on to another.

David had every opportunity to mourn the loss of all his riches and achievements yet chooses here to inquire of the promised next steps.

Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Life is short.
Don’t get caught up in measures along the way that distract you from the inevitable end which realizes your hope and begins your eternity. 

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Outcome studies show that people living an upright honest life live longer.

Not just because they do the right thing but for whom they do it.

Jesus was sinless and in him there was no evil but he lived just 33 years.

The point in this passage is not about the length of life you live on earth but of life everlasting.

The man whose end of earthly days is forgiven and with a clear conscience enjoys an eternal continuance of life.

Psalm 18:25-26

To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

Cultivate a repentant, faithful, blameless and pure life and God responds accordingly.

Devious and unacknowledged and you may find that God responds in ways that expose your true nature.

Your conduct and heart is met accordingly by God. By the life you live, you’re creating the sort of response you want and can expect in return.

So don’t act all shocked and surprised when the principle of equal measures prevails.

Nothing is masked or hidden from his notice.

Live an acknowledged and deeply examined life and God’s grace to you will be of equal measure.

By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭17‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Impatience, immediate gratification, lacking stamina and endurance, living for the short term, these are the weaknesses that separate the sheep from the goats.

Most admired are those whose vision sees far enough beyond the day’s difficulties, setbacks and inconveniences to maintain a fresh forward motivation.

They inspire and compel us to not give up or lose hope and to push past self imposed limits towards rewards we know but cannot yet see.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Be tenacious.

Weather every storm.

Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭10‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A lot of disclosures are on our country’s horizon.

From Epstein to Diddy and USAID to Ukraine, the people of America are about to find out who and what has corrupted our country which would not otherwise be found out.

A national call to conscience and accountability, with an opportunity for repentance lies in wait in what may be a pivotal end times event that unmasks the evils and evildoers responsible for so much wrong in this country.

I recall my own personal disclosure events that brought about repentance, reparations, and eventual forgiveness and freedoms that would otherwise not be found out nor appreciated.

It’s too easy to categorically deny evildoers the same redemption we were afforded by God. Nobody’s sin is irredeemable.

The most evil of all acts is, in fact, to consider sins of others irredeemably incomparable to your own.

The most compassionate of all acts is to welcome the repentant into the family of God from which you, yourself, had also been estranged until your disclosure brought your own sins into the light.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice.

In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Quiet. Still. Undistracted.

These are gifts of the early hours.

Peace. Calm. Unredacted.

Our words yearn for God in silence.

We listen, hear, and attend to every nuance of darkness succumbing to the business of daylight.

Guard your early morning.

Set a fortress around the time of holy meeting with your creator.

Then wait expectantly and see his handiwork unfold all day.

The patience of Job paid off.

I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved. God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.

‭‭Job‬ ‭33‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It was no easy ride by a long shot, but his longsuffering produced some of the most telling verses about the human condition.

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.

‭‭Job‬ ‭36‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It isn’t over until it’s over.

If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was Job.

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.

All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.

‭‭Job‬ ‭42‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Bible teaches us lessons we need to hear in ways we least expect.

A loving and righteous God may allow your suffering for a time and a purpose you do not know nor understand.

But as with Job, it’s never over until it’s over.

If God is anything at all, he is merciful and restorative.

Like a 5th grade ‘compare and contrast’ essay, Job juxtaposes the wicked man from the righteous:

You demanded security from your relatives for no reason; you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.

You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry, though you were a powerful man, owning land— an honored man, living on it.

And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.

That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you, why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭22‬:‭5‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Reflecting on the life he’d lived:

Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them.

The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.

I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.

I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.

I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Over 30 chapters of Job are devoted to a dialogue between Job and his friends about God’s judgment and God’s righteous omnipotence.

When your own circumstances seem like a godless doldrum, this is a good read.

If not perspective, it will provide you humility, patience and the power to persevere and endure during tests and hard times.

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭

Creation itself reveals truths about God and His workings in the world with full knowledge of God’s sovereignty.

Job’s search for answers and explanations of his circumstances always comes back to this.

When nothing makes sense, God’s omnipotence must be the answer. And as unsatisfying as it may seem, it is the truest of all truths for the man of faith whose mission and purpose is to exalt his name.

When you seek answers and God reveals little to nothing in return, he will not leave you nor forsake you.

Its arrival at the place of God’s sovereignty, accepting that it alone is answer enough and evidence of our faithfulness.

Job 1: The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.