Brace Yourself!

Brace yourself! This is the phrase that we use to prepare ourselves for some impending negative event. It may be physically holding on to something in preparation for jolting or even a collision. It could even relate to preparing yourself for news that may move you emotionally.

As bracing yourself may seem to work in the physical world, it does not work in the spiritual. However, what will work is if the Lord braces you.

1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;  (Psalm 20:1-2)

In this time of distress for David, he is looking for the Lord to send him help and strength. The strength he is seeking is comfort and to be held up. Another meaning for the word strength would be to brace. David is not bracing himself for the trial that he faces, but he is asking the Lord to brace him.

When I think of the Lord bracing us for trials, I picture a parent with a child. Imagine a small child in the arms of a father as they face a frightening experience like a thunderstorm. With each flash and bang of the storm, the child buries their head in the father’s chest as the father tightly braces the child. The father’s embrace may not be able to stop the storm, but it does bring security and strength to the child.

As we face the storms of life, God wants to brace us for them. He may not choose to remove the storm, but with his tender embrace, he will provide us the comfort and strength that we need.

Thankfully his loving embrace in these times is based on his mercy and grace. Because of this, we can always count on the father to be there for us. As you face storms in life, bury your head into the chest of your heavenly father and experience his strong loving embrace.

Being Hid (Psalm 27:5)

Many years ago, I went to visit an Aunt and Uncle in Tennessee.  During the daytime hours, my sister and I stayed at the grandparents' house and played with the neighborhood kids.  On one occasion, we were playing hide-and-go-seek and I frantically ran into the kitchen and asked grandmother to help me find a place to hid.  I remember she opened up the cabinets under the sink, took the contents out and told me to get in there.  Moments later the kitchen was filled with the voices of those seeking to find me.  They never did, because I was safely hid.

God is much the same.  The Psalmist learned that when he faced trouble, the Lord would hide him in his secret place. The trouble may be present, but he was hid safely from the harm that the problem could cause.  God wants to do the same for you and me.  He wants us to run to him and seek refuge from the harm that we face.  He will protect us, but at the same time reveal himself to us as we hide in the tabernacle of his care.

Psalms 27:5
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
he shall set me up upon a rock.

Trials and troubles are inevitable, but what we have is a God who will care for us as we seek refuge in him.

Knowing More of Him (Revelation 21:4)

As you go through a trial, remember that it is God's desire for you to live life without sorrow.  There will come a day when all of your sorrow will be gone, but until that time, he will provide to you a comforter instead of a deliverer.

God wants you to experience each facet of his greatness.  Deliverer, Judge, Ruler and King are aspects of him that we greatly desire to see and experience.  However, God wants you to know him as comforter, burden bearer, and guide.  You can only know the latter by experiencing difficulties in your life.  If you want to know him, you must follow him to where he leads.  Because it is only in those places that you can more fully learn of him.

Take Refuge (Psalm 28:7)

Some time ago, my wife and I were enjoying ourselves as we explored the capital city of the Dominican Republic.  We decided to rest and sit on the shore and watch a ship pass, but after some time, we noticed a storm coming in off of the coast.  Being intrigued by the sight, we lingered a bit too long and found ourselves caught in a down pour.  While holding hands, we scurried through the tiny streets of the city and finally found a small cafe to take refuge.  Needless to say, it wasn't any where nearly as romantic as the movies make it seem.  But regardless of the fact, we found refuge from the storm.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. (Psalms 28:7)

The psalmist declared that his heart trusted in The Lord.  By that, he was stating that when his trouble arose, he sought refuge in The Lord and subsequently The Lord gave him help.  God may not have necessarily removed the trouble, but he did bring help to his heart.  Sadly to say, but many believers as they face troubles do not immediately seek refuge in The Lord.  They struggle alone trying to battle the circumstances and become weary in the process.  God has never intended that to be.  He always wants us to abound in Christ and to experience joy and contentment regardless of the circumstances.

As you face trials, seek The Lord early.  He will be found and you will find refuge for your soul.

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

https://www.createspace.com/4441566

To view other posts or to receive this blog by email, sign up at     drafusco.wordpress.com

His Face Is Not Hid (Psalm 22:24)

At times, life can be very difficult.  Not just for a few people, but everybody on the planet.  Health issues, financial strains, domestic upheavals, death, enemies, violent crimes or any other negative experience cause difficulty for our lives. What makes those times even more difficult is the mental struggle that we endure until the difficulty ends.

Many during these times turn their focus towards God.  They either focus on him for help or question his holiness.  The Psalmist faced a similar situation, but maintain integrity in his faith by recognizing that even when it seems that God is not responding, he does not look down on our affliction and hears our prayer.

For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. (Psalms 22:24)

Regardless of how circumstances may appear, God is attentive to us and our problems.  By his sovereignty, he will accomplish his intended purposes and afterwards bring deliverance.  Victory for us is not so much deliverance from the trial, but more so in the battle that occurs in our hearts.  We must trust or have faith in the goodness and holiness of God and not allow the enemies' accusations to abide in our hearts.  This battle will not be easy, but by truth from God's word and fellowship in prayer, the battle can be won.

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

https://www.createspace.com/4441566

To view other posts or to receive this blog by email, sign up at     drafusco.wordpress.com

Light and Gladness (Psalm 97:11)

A few years ago, my wife and daughter bought me a fig tree for my birthday.  At first, I tried growing the tree in a large pot, but had little success.  After transplanting it into the ground, other difficulties were faced.  My greatest challenge was the winter months.  For two consecutive years, I lost all growth of the tree, but managed to salvage the root system.  Just recently, I enjoyed my first fig.  I planted, cultivated and even prayed until I reaped the harvest.

The Lord has done the same in the hearts of the righteous.  He sows into our hearts what we need and because the condition of our hearts is right, we will gain the desired fruit.  Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. (Psalms 97:11). While struggling through life, we may think that The Lord is ignoring or abandoning us, but he has not.  He is bringing to us what we need, but what we needs takes time.  God sows, time lapses and the necessary fruit is yielded.  

Two great fruit promised by The Lord are light and gladness.  When we have light, direction is clear and we know the steps that we should take.  Gladness is also pleasure and rejoicing in heart.  To face life with direction and to have rejoicing in your heart is all that we could ever ask for.  God promises to give these to the righteous, but he does it over time.  My figs did not grow overnight and neither will that which God sows into our lives.

Imagine (Psalm 129:1-4)

Imagine how many people have treated you wrongfully because of your spiritual beliefs or disposition.  People who would not forgive you, who hold back from helping you, deny you an opportunity for advancement at work, talked about you, plot against you or maybe just don't like you all because you are a Christian.  Now imagine what life would be like if God executed immediate vengeance upon those individuals.  Maybe not kill them, but bring negative circumstances in their lives for how they have treated you.  What would your life be like?  Some may think, "Life would be awesome!"  But would it really be?  It may seem that life would be good because of God's intervention in our lives, but we could also begin to feel invincible.  When anything would go wrong, look out because God will be on the move.  Life would quickly deteriorate into a selfish existence.  Instead of God protecting us from what he doesn't like, we would begin to think God should protect us from what we don't like.

Imagine further now, that God would also take vengeance on you for each and every wrong doing that you do towards others.  Life wouldn't be too happy would it?  Throughout every day, God would be zapping you and everyone else for your wrong doings.  Behaviors wouldn't change because we daily live with our sin natures and regardless of how much we try not to, we would still do wrong.  Each of us would walk in fear for the next big whack from Heaven.  Doesn't sound too promising does it?

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say: Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows. The Lord is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked. (Psalms 129:1-4)

What God does instead of working against those who do us wrongfully, is to works for us.  Sinners will do their wrong, but God will hinder or cut back what they try to do to is.  He will keep them from being successful at destroying us.  In other words, their hypothetical whip of anger will have the cords cut short.  Oh it will still hurt, but we will not be destroyed.  Paul understood this when he said, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

God is always righteous and because of that his works towards us and for us will always be righteous.  There will come a day when he will righteously execute complete vengeance upon sin, but for now his righteousness works in a different way.  People will continue to hate, kill and oppress others, but we must remember in the midst of it all that we have a righteous God supporting us and cutting back the cords of the wicked.

Learning God's Statutes (Psalm 119:71)

A purpose for the trial or affliction may be to teach us to live by God's statutes.  It is easy for us to declare how we would live in certain situations, but to be in them and then live by God's statutes is a different matter.  Because of our sinful nature, each statute of God goes contrary to our natural instinctive response.  Therefore, we need God to move us into the direction that he would want us to go. This teaching processes is much like when a herdsman goads his animals so as to move them in the direction that he desires.  We too must be goaded by God so as to live like him.  The trial of affliction with the Holy Spirit's leading is the goading that we need.  Without the trial, we would miss opportunities to learn of God and to live by his precepts.

It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. (Psalms 119:71)

Trials are never pleasant, but God wants us to learn of him.  Life may be difficult with the trial, but a life of disobedience or away from God is always empty, troubling and sorrowful.  We need to begin viewing trials as opportunities for knowing God better and to be drawing closer to him.

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

https://www.createspace.com/4441566

To view other posts or to receive this blog by email, sign up at     drafusco.wordpress.com

Deliver My Heart (2 Samuel 22:28-29)

Sometimes life is just depressing.  Like huge waves, the circumstances of life overwhelm and press upon the soul burying it in the waves of sorrow, sadness and dispair.  Is there hope for this type of depression?  In 2 Samuel 22:28-29, The Lord touches on just one aspect of this broad condition.

And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.  For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness (2 Samuel 22:28- 29).

One of the Biblical terms for depression is the word affliction.  The various words used for affliction convey the idea of being depressed, poor and crowded in.  In other words, the circumstances in life crowd a person's heart creating depression and a perceived inability to escape.  For this condition, The Lord declares that help will be found in his word.  By his word, he promises to save or as the word is defined: to be open, wide or free.  God's word promises to remove the constraints upon the heart that were caused by life's difficult circumstances.  He accomplishes this by bringing light into the darkness of the heart.  The light may bring guidance or comfort.  This light and wide open freedom in the heart comes from hope provided by his word.  Remember, hope is not something longed for that you wish would happen.  It is the expectancy in the heart that God will do what he has promised.

Elijah had hope when he said that it would not rain until he would speak it to happen.  Abram, even in his old age, hoped when he received the promise of a son through Sara.  David had hope after receiving the news of his newly born son's death.  Zacharias had hope after hearing that Elisabeth would bare him a son.  Hannah, Joseph in Egypt, the centurion and the woman with the issue of blood all had hope. And the list can go on.

As you struggle with the circumstances in life, look to God and his word.  From it, you will find the hope needed to deliver your heart from being crowded in.

For those who are chronically depressed, a network of support will be needed.  It will not be something that you can face or overcome alone.  Seek guidance from those who have been successful at aiding depressed individuals overcome.  Professional help may be needed and you will not be faithless in seeking their aid.  Faithless people either cease from striving to overcome or place their faith in sources other than God.  As these people guide you, look to God for strength as you take each step.  This is all that he expects from you.

If you would like to read more of these thoughts in a hard copy format, my new book is now available at the link below.

https://www.createspace.com/4441566