A Crisis Of Belief

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms 

September 26, 2022

A Crisis Of Belief

But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—

    a rallying point in the face of attack.  Selah

Psalm 60:4

Much of the history of Israel can be characterized as a journey through peaks and valleys. Moses was on the peak when he met God on the mountain and received the Ten Commandments. He then returned to the valley and found the people engaged in pagan rituals. Jesus had similar experiences in his life. He went from encountering God in his baptism to being led by the Holy Spirit into the Wilderness. He went from celebrating the joy of a wedding with his friends in Cana to being rejected by his home-town friends in Nazareth. Such is the ebb and flow of life.

Sometimes our journey through valleys can be life altering. Henry Blackby, in his book, Experiencing God, says our journey through the valleys of life are always accompanied by a crisis of belief because, for the Christian, what you do next reveals what you truly believe about God. In Psalm 60, Israel is in the valley and the psalmist is having a crisis of belief. In the midst of his crisis, the psalmist turns to God. Verses 11-12 reveal his belief that his future is securely in God’s hands:

“Oh, please help us against our enemies,

    for all human help is useless.

With God’s help we will do mighty things,

    for he will trample down our foes.”

In John 16, Jesus said the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all truth,” and “He will tell you about the future.” The Holy Spirit guides and teaches through scripture. The more scripture we read and study, the more resources the Holy Spirit has for teaching, leading and guiding us into God’s plans for us.

My Takeaway: As we prepare for life’s inevitable crises of belief, let’s remember God’s plans are “for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.