February 19th, 2013, Kichijouji Bible Study
Gotthold Beck
Psalms
62:1 To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.
62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
This was a confession of King David. It was his prayer too. “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” There are many similar verses in the Scripture.
David said from the bottom of his heart that “My soul rests quietly only when it looks to God; from him comes my deliverance.” Those who take this kind of attitude will come to know the glory of the Lord through their own experience and they can't help but worship the Lord.
The most important thing for the people nowadays is to rest in the Lord. That is to say, to be silent in the presence of the Lord. “Please talk, Lord, as your servant is listening.” When we come to the Lord with sincere heart, without deceiving ourselves, we can't help but admit how weary, useless and lazy we are.
If we reflect candidly on our own lives, we will have to admit that we are all so weary, incompetent and weak. Only a few believers can truly open their wings and soar to the sky like an eagle at will. Soaring up to the sky like an eagle is the key to the victory.
What kind of man do we believe in? The author of the Psalms said, “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.“ Our Lord is the one who calls into existence things that don't yet exist. When the Lord talks, when He commands, something that did not exist comes into existence and the dead comes back to life.
This Lord God has might and energy. On the contrary, we are all full of weakness and weariness. When we see the Lord, we realize that He has a divine power in Him. What does the Bible say about Him? The Creator is the Lord almighty, and He made this wonderful promise that He will turn us from losers into winners.
David, the author of the Psalms, praised the Lord so sincerely. Let's read it again:
Psalms
62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.
62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.
Our Lord Himself is truly our refuge. Those who have the desire to listen will be given ears to hear. Those who fail to rest in the presence of the Lord will never be able to listen to the words of the Lord. Those who fail to listen to His words will never be able to obey Him.
When people are disobedient, they fail to obtain the Lord's blessing as a result. To long for the Lord—to wait for the Lord—means to entrust everything to the Lord. To wholly rely on the Lord—that is to say, to obey all words of the Lord, and to totally trust in the guidance of the Lord.
To rely on the Lord means that you no longer rely on any kind of support from others, and to trust in the Lord means to stop trusting in yourself. Entrust everything to the Lord and cry out for the help of the Lord. This is exactly what the Lord needs you to do. Those who are conscious of their imperfections have the blessings of the Lord.
Because such people are allowed to rest in the presence of the Lord and experience abundantly the power and the strength of the Lord, it is more important than anything for us to rely on the Lord and trust in the Lord. Because, when we do, the strength of the Lord will be revealed to cover up our weakness. Furthermore, we will be able to live a highly virtuous life. The Bible says, “They shall mount up with wings as eagles.”
The famous composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, wrote in his Cantata called “I will the cross-staff gladly carry”, that “then I will be strong in the Lord and soar from the ground as fiercely as an eagle. I will fly around without being weary.”
As we know, eagles can fly higher than any other kinds of birds—so high that we cannot see them without telescopes when they are in the sky. Actually, this is the place where the true believers belong too—higher than all other things.
Some of us are taken up so high with Jesus, while others are occupied by worldly things. When our lives are dominated by worldly things, we are chained to this Earth—we are constrained by circumstances and we will have to carry the burden of this world.
Most believers don't even think of flying. They just walk around like birds with crippled wings. The strength of the Lord needs to be revealed instead of our weakness. It is also necessary for us to lead a highly principled life so as to reveal the miraculous work of our Lord.
It is unlikely that someone can run a long distance and not grow weary at all. Usually, people get exhausted after running for just 100 meters or so.
However, those who keep waiting for the Lord—those who rest in the presence of the Lord, and who wholly rely on the Lord—will experience this: they'll run and not grow weary. They have been promised supernatural power and superhuman strength. This is because we are tasked with superhuman missions.
The Lord performs the miracle and those who are connected to the Lord, in a sense, are not ordinary people anymore. They won't get tired, no matter how long they run. Paul too confessed of this superhuman strength:
2 Corinthians
4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
These words of Paul in these verses may not sound reasonable. Ordinary people, when they are “troubled on every side,” are distressed. Generally speaking, those who are perplexed, persecuted or cast down are considered pitiful. However, if they are connected to the Lord, they have wings and will soar like eagles. They will run and not grow weary but they will keep walking forward.
Those who stay silent in the presence of the Lord and truly await Jesus will be admired by others, as they will be filled with supernatural strength. Jesus, not just said but proclaimed that “the one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart,” as recorded in John 7:38.
“Truly, I tell all of you with certainty, the one who believes in me will also do what I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus so promised. Do we have rivers of living water flowing from our hearts? Are we doing greater things as Jesus mentioned? This wonderful promise can be found in Scripture:
Joshua
23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.
What a wonderful promise! When we rely on the Lord, we will see the strength of the Lord revealed instead of our weakness. We will be the ones who live highly virtuous lives, and the miraculous power of the Lord will be revealed through our lives.
To summarize, we will be permitted to experience the life of absolute victory. Let's take note of what is written in the Bible, which is that “they will walk and not grow tired.” It is not that “they will run and not grow tired.” Instead, it is that “they will walk and not grow tired.” The word “to walk” symbolizes common activities in our daily lives. Very often, running is easier than just walking. Actually, walking at the same pace with the Lord in our daily lives is one of the most difficult ordeals.
A long time ago—about 6000 years ago—a man called Enoch was taken up to heaven. Enoch was taken from this life—he did not experience death. What does the Bible say about him? It is a very simple sentence in Genesis 5:22, but it is an extremely important fact: “Enoch walked with God.” He did not walk the way he chose at will. He walked with the God.
Hebrew
11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Without faith, in other words, if we fail to be silent in the presence of the Lord, we can't please the Lord. There was another man who was sent up to heaven, just like Enoch:
1 Kings
17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord.
What is important here is that at this very place that the Lord mentioned, the Lord sustained him. At the very place the Lord sent him to, the Lord took all care of him. And because of Elijah's obedience to the Lord, he could experience the life of overwhelming victory.
David experienced the same thing. Not only Enoch, not only Elijah, but David too experienced it. David decided to look away from all the worldly things and follow the Lord alone. When you are caught up in a reality that your eyes can see, your courage will be lost. You will be disappointed. You will be distressed. David understood this:
Psalms
16:8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
"Always," not sometimes:
16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
So many believers fall down in defeat and feel so humiliated about it. Why do they have to? What is the reason? Why do we get weary, get tired, stumble and fall?
As I said before, the primary reason is that we do not understand what truly fulfills our hearts, and where it comes from. Furthermore, we fail to make an effort to receive what is offered. Why are we disappointed and distressed so often? We are dismayed when we face various troubles in life, which make us realize our inability and helplessness. It is on such occasions that we understand the feeling the author of the Psalms had when he wrote Psalms 55, verse 6:
Psalm
55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
55:7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
55:8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
David, the author of Psalms, first wanted wings to run far away. However, the Lord will never give wings to get away. Later, when the Lord gave him the key to solve his problems, David could say this:
Psalms
55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Isn't it such a wonderful promise? Now, David was not given the wings to fly away, but the wings to soar high into the sky. For those who cast their burdens on the Lord, the Lord will never allow the righteous to be shaken. This was David's confession from the bottom of his heart.
All worries, pains, and challenges are necessary things for us to be silent before the Lord and to wait for the Lord sincerely. Those who keep silent in the presence of the Lord and wait for the Lord will experience something special.
The Lord will take their burdens away and solve their problems. As a result of that, we will be set free and will be given wings to soar like eagles. We all fail, and we are all defeated when we do not understand what fulfills our hearts, and where it comes from. Instead of blaming our own ignorance, we only need to place the Lord first in our lives.
This is because the Lord reveals Himself through his words in the scriptures. Let's read some verses from Isaiah, chapter 40. These verses are often quoted. They are hung on the wall behind you, in the calligraphy of sister Toyoko Shigeta:
Isaiah
40:28 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? there is no searching of his understanding.
40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
The cause of our failure and defeat is our refusal to accept what is offered. Joshua and Caleb held on to what was offered to them back in their days. It is written in the Numbers:
Numbers
13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
They accepted the words of the Lord as truth and thus could receive what was promised to them.
Before we finish, let's look at another real-life example from the New Testament—the Samaritan woman who appears in John, Chapter 4. It was not until this time that she knew about the spring of life, which would fulfill her life. Nevertheless, Jesus manifested Himself to her. This woman accepted the forgiveness of her sins, liberation from the bondage of sins, peace with God, and everlasting life, which were the gifts from God passed through the hands of our Lord to her. From that time on, she, in the Lord Jesus, became a spring of living water to many others.
John
4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus revealed Himself to this woman, to which she reacted by saying, “Sir, give me this water.” This woman did not beg in vain. Those who come to Jesus will never be abandoned. Not only were her burdens taken away, but she became a new person who truly praised the grace of the Lord and looked up to the Lord.
She had the firm conviction that Jesus was all in all for her. “Don't you know that? Haven't you ever heard that?” There is nothing you have to know or be taught to obtain salvation.
All you need is to be as pure as a baby. However, there are some facts that all believers of Jesus have to understand. For example, we don't have to look back to the past and live in a negative mood. The Lord renews everything for us. We don't have to give up anything in our lives. There is nothing to worry about. Why?
Because the Lord is alive.
End
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