Anyone who desires to live a godly life will be persecuted (2 Tm 3:12). Therefore in this verse, it is no surprise why there are those who taunt David, someone who takes refuge in the LORD.
Your enemies today may not be of the flesh like David’s were. Rather, Paul testifies that we “do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). In other words—Christian—your enemies are more likely the spiritual forces which wage war against your faith in Christ. The goal of these attacks and taunts is to make you doubt, waver, and eventually fold on your faith—to forsake your first love.
The world we live in today is full of such defections from a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). The plot is insidious. Satan thinks: if I can simply keep them distracted from what really matters—yes, if I can make them “gain the world yet lose their soul”—then I have won. Is it any wonder then how the pursuit of the American Dream promises us what only God can give: comfort, peace, purpose, and satisfaction? Or consider this plot from the enemy: if I can convince them that God’s Word is not really the truth, but instead that their human opinions or the current cultural current dictate what is right and wrong—then I have won. Is it any wonder then why tolerance, acceptance, and allowing everyone to have “their own truth” are the reigning dogmas of the day?
Like David, the Christian today faces the same taunt: “Flee like a bird to your mountain!” In other words, “Cower back, you fool! You and your God have no place here; run away!” If we listen to these taunts, the temptation will be to hunker down, build our own walled-up fortresses, and separate ourselves completely from those who oppose yet need the gospel.
But this is not how we should capitulate to an ever-changing culture.
Consider these truths today: “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rm 8:37). Therefore “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rm 8:31). And “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect…Who is to condemn?” (Rm 8:33-34). If nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” then we should fear no man, no idea, no word, no persecution, no abuse, nor taunt which tells us to doubt who Jesus is and who we are in Christ.
Instead, there are two actions which every Christian must take in today’s climate. First, take refuge in the LORD. Love His Word. Devote yourself to the One who gave Himself for you. Do not forsake your first love. He promises to never leave you or forsake you, so no one can snatch you out of His hand (Jn 10:28). When you are tempted—whether from without or within—to abandon your first love, ask, like Peter did, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).
Second, O Soldier for Christ, stand in the face of the taunts. If you truly seek the Lord, these will inevitably come. The goal of the Christian life is not to avoid all persecution, suffering, or discomfort for bearing the name of Jesus, but instead to never “be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord” (2 Tm 1:8). If the One who stretched out His arms to be pierced for you has claimed you as His own, don’t be ashamed of Him. There will always be those who mock. There will always be those who stumble over the gospel. But there is One who remains true, and He is the precious Savior, the light of the world.
You have every reason to stand in confidence today in the face of those mocking doubts. Say to those who taunt and jeer: Because I take refuge in the LORD and stand in the confidence of His promises for me, how can you say to me: “flee like a bird to your mountain?”
The greatest killer of love for God is love for self. Pride is the deadly expression of believing in your own strength, wisdom, or abilities above God’s. In this verse, there are three “A’s” that pride produces in our lives: arrogance, avoidance, and abandonment. We will look at each briefly.
First, pride produces arrogance. The Hebrew of the first part of this verse literally reads that the one who does not seek God is as “wicked as the height of his nose.” Can you picture that? Pride is like someone with an abnormally large nose. He is so full of himself that he can’t see past his own two nostrils!
Like the big nose, this is what pride does: it focuses all your thoughts inwardly and selfishly. Someone did you wrong? You must take revenge. You don’t get what you want? You’re entitled to it. Do you see the danger in this? When your head gets so full of your own desires and self-declared “needs,” your vision becomes so narrow that you miss the point of your life: to live for God, and not for yourself.
And this will inevitably lead to the second production of pride: avoidance. The psalmist says that “in the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him.” This is actually very logical. How can someone who is so focused on themselves ever make time for God? There is great application here for us, a caution against seeing our time as primarily ours. Think about the measure of your day. Is there time for seeking God in it? Do you have a regular, daily time of prayer and reading the Word? If you honestly assess your life, what do you spend time on? What is the first thought and desire when you get out of bed? Be careful to not allow self-absorption to turn into a drastic lack of seeking God. Our tendency to rely on ourselves for purpose, strength, success, and control in our lives ironically keeps us from depending on the One who knows exactly what we need. Do not allow your nose of self-interests and self-desires to become so big you can’t bow your face to the ground in worship of God!
If not stopped, ongoing pride may lead to this last devastating effect in our lives: abandonment. Notice the thought life of the person described in this psalm: “all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’” This is no longer a casual “I forgot about God” due to becoming so focused on ourselves; this is an outright rebellion against Him because we believe in our own power and self-direction. In reality, this is like the very first sin of the Garden: throwing off God’s authority and Word in exchange for becoming wise in our own eyes. This is subtle; it doesn’t happen in one day. Rather, continued avoidance of seeking God due to focusing on our own dreams and desires will slowly produce in us an apathy towards the things of God, and, in turn, will cause us to no longer sense our need for Him. Why trust God for my needs when I can do it myself? Why pray when I have so much to do? Most of us will not readily admit to having such blatant thoughts, but isn’t this the underlying current of our lives when we don’t seek Him?
In application, let us be careful to avoid the pitfalls of pride today. Instead, let’s heed the words of our humble Savior who strongly reminds us: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).
Or, as the psalmist would put it, don’t have such a big nose.
Yesterday (5/16/23) I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Vatican. A place filled with immense history and colossal influence, it is the center of Catholicism and home to the Pope. Millions come here every year to pray, make pilgrimage, or simply admire the architecture and history. In this post, I would like to share my experience in the Vatican as well as offer some interpretive thoughts as a Protestant visiting this historic place.
To be clear upfront, I am unashamedly a Protestant, Evangelical Christian. By that classification, I align with the Reformers of the 1500’s and 1600’s such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Martin Bucer. These men spent their lives defending and promoting central evangelical doctrines such as “justification by faith alone” and “sola scriptura.” Not only would the Reformers argue that these doctrines are biblical—and central to understanding the true gospel—but they would also say that central Catholic doctrines (e.g., transubstantiation, prayers to the saints, salvation infused by sacraments) are unbiblical and, in reality, detrimental to the essential elements of the gospel. I will get into these issues as I walk through my experience, but suffice it to say, as a Protestant, I did not come into the Vatican as a neutral observer (in fact, no one does).
The Walkthrough
The Vatican itself is its own country within Italy. So when you come upon the domain, you can quickly tell you are near the Vatican when you see the massive brick walls surrounding the entire estate. As we passed by in the car, a line of people wrapped around the walls waiting to enter. Our trip guide had bought us express tickets, so we were fortunate enough to enter right away.
Upon entering the walls, we followed the line of people through security and into the main lobby. On a TV screen videos of the Pope were displayed, showing his most recent visitations. After ascending a huge escalator, we walked out on a massive terrace on which you could see St. Peter’s Basilica in the far distance. The Basilica was clearly the focal point of the first stop, and, as our tour guide explained: “no building in Rome can be built above it.” It was clear from this point that the entire tour would revolve around getting to this building.
On the way there, we traversed through countless rooms full of artifacts, statues, paintings and tapestries—multiple displays to flaunt the history and decadence of the Roman Church. The ceilings were ornate, filled with paintings and depictions of various events throughout the Bible or saints in the Church (see photo below). The whole time the line of people never died down (and this was supposedly a slow day).
Finally we arrived at the famous counterpart to St. Peter’s Basilica: the Sistine Chapel. We were not allowed to take pictures while in the Chapel as it is a “holy place,” nor were we supposed to talk. However, at one point the crowd got so loud that an official had to speak over the intercom: “Silencio…Silence…No pictures…”
On the ceiling and walls of the Chapel Michaelangelo’s famous paintings served as the central attraction drawing everyone’s eyes. “The Last Judgment” and “The Creation of Adam” are the two most famous pieces. Apparently, the Pope forced Michaelangelo to paint against his wishes, for Michaelangelo neither favored nor appreciated the power and prestige of the Roman Pontiff.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Upon exiting the Sistine Chapel, we were led through several flights of stairs downward to an outside exit. As soon as we turned right, the grand Basilica appeared. Ornate and decorated with statues of saints on top, this Basilica is the central focus point of the entire Catholic Church.
Once we entered we immediately noticed the beauty of the architecture, mosaic tiles, and expressive statues. I will let the pictures do the speaking and make small comments along the way.
The golden ceilings captivated our attention and demanded that our gaze be lifted upwards, symbolic of the beauty of heaven.
These Baroquean pillars are supposedly built directly on top of the Apostle Peter’s tomb after he was crucified upside-down by Emperor Nero in the AD 60’s. (Whether or not this is the real burial place of Peter is speculative). From here, the Pope also administers the Mass—and he is the only one who is allowed to do so from this spot.
Another view of Peter’s “tomb”
This is the main altar where they still hold Mass every afternoon at 5pm. Any priest can administer the Mass from here (and anyone can observe from behind the seats). One thing to notice about this area is the golden window in the middle (where the dove is, representing the Holy Spirit). Also take note of the statues of the saints on the left and right walls.
Saints like “Saint Veronica” line the walls of the Basilica. Apparently this is the woman who put the “shroud of Turin” around Jesus’ face when he was buried. (Again, whether this is true or not is speculative). For this action she is exonerated as a saint.
Though it looks plain, this was perhaps the most fascinating part of the Basilica. This wall is only used once every 50 years on the “Jubilee.” On this year, the Pope takes a hammer and breaks the wall down. Millions of pilgrims come to have all of their sins forgiven by taking the Mass and doing confession. This is called a plenary indulgence, as opposed to a regular indulgence, which only washes away the sins confessed in the moment. Therefore, this is one way in which Catholics believe they can have all of their sins forgiven—by the Pope on the Jubilee year. Last Jubilee, ~57 million people came to the Basilica.
This is a confession booth where one can speak with a priest and have their sins forgiven.
A Protestant Interpretation
There is no doubt that the Vatican is one of the most beautiful, historic, and renowned places in all the earth. However, as I walked through, I couldn’t help but be sad at how hidden the true gospel of Jesus Christ is from everyone who enters and leaves. And while the Basilica is a beautiful building on the inside, the gospel is obscured much like a thick layer of clouds darkens the sun. In fact, I am afraid that anyone who comes in wishing to meet God is actually met with an outward appearance of true religion masquerading under the guise of works and idol worship. Why do I say this? Well, somewhat ironically, I will use Paul’s letter to the Roman church to show why.
When Paul wrote to the Roman church, he declared that the “gospel is the power of salvation for everyone who believes…for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, ‘the righteous shall live by faith’” (Rm 1:16-17). And when Martin Luther, 1500 years after Paul, “rediscovered” the doctrine of “justification by faith alone” after it had been obscured under the dark cloud of sacramental theology, he found the essence of the gospel depended on one phrase: “the righteousness of God.”
The Problem with the Mass
For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church taught that the sacraments (of which there are 7) literally “infused” grace into one’s soul much like a medicinal vaccine infuses protection into one’s body. In this view, the Mass is central. The priest (ordained by God) is the only able to administer this “grace” to the masses. If one does not take Mass, he or she will not take injections of “grace,” and therefore will be damned. Thus, to be “righteous,” one must participate in the sacraments according to the Roman Catholic understanding.
More than this, the Roman Catholic Church (both in Luther’s time and still today) believes that the elements of the Mass (the bread and wine), literally become the body and blood, respectively, of Jesus Christ. In this sense, it makes it all the more important to partake of the Mass, for if you do not, you do not have “any part” with Jesus, who becomes the bread and wine.
So why is this problematic? When the Pope stands upon Peter’s tomb and administers the Mass, what is the big deal? Is he not just doing what Jesus said to do, to “remember” him? Well no, because it all comes back to Luther’s understanding of the “righteousness of God.”
Before Luther had his breakthrough with Romans 1:17, he struggled for years to believe he was “good enough” (righteous) before a holy God. For him, the “righteousness of God” meant God’s right justice and wrath against sinners like him. Thought he participated in the sacraments and had this temporary, “infused” grace, he never felt secure in his salvation. For him (and for millions today), the Catholic Church taught that to be “saved,” or “justified,” you must keep up your good standing as a Catholic.
Yet this is directly contradictory to what the Bible teaches. In fact, as I walked through the Vatican, I noticed how little Bible there actually was. Instead, the Basilica relied on images, statues, and the Mass to tell me what the “gospel” was—if there even was one. In the Roman building, sadly, there was a clear lack of the book of Romans, which contains the clearest presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ for sinners in need of salvation. The place where Paul longed to go those 2,000 years ago to preach the gospel now promotes a false one, one of which Paul would be appalled. Read the following verses from Romans to understand how one is “justified,” or saved, according to God’s Word:
“There is no one righteous, not even one” -Rm 3:10
“For no one will be justified in [God’s] sight by the works of the law” -Rm 3:20
“The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ” -Rm 3:22-24
“God presented [Jesus] to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be righteous and declare righteous (justify) the one who has faith in Jesus.” -Rm 3:26
So how is one “made righteous,” or “justified,” according to Paul? The answer lies in one phrase: faithin Jesus Christ. This was Luther’s breakthrough. After spending years in turmoil in the Roman Catholic Church trying to prove his own righteousness before God, he realized that he was never meant to berighteous himself. No, the answer has always been “faith in Jesus Christ,” who was put forward as an “atoning sacrifice” to wash away all our sin. In this way, God is righteous because Jesus paid for our sin, but He is also able to declare us as righteous because Jesus gave us his perfect account. So when one places his faith in Jesus’ work alone, God declares that sinner justified, or made right, before Him. This is the evangelical gospel, as opposed to the “infusion” of grace in the Mass which the Roman Church promotes today.
The Problem with the Pope, Saints & Mary
As if the central question of justiciation was not enough, the Catholic Church further obscures the gospel by their elevation (can I say worship?) of the Pope, Saints, and Mary.
The Catholic Church believes that the papacy is in direct succession to the Apostle Peter, who was apparently the first “bishop” of Rome in the early church. Because Peter was the “apostle of apostles” and the church’s foundation, the bishop of Rome is therefore the most important position in the church. Once the Roman Empire fell, the Church filled the vacancy of power by elevating the bishop of Rome to the title of “pope,” or “father.” Since then, this one man has received prestige, power, and position far superior to any other person on earth. And this has not come without consequence.
For instance, scroll back up to the picture of that door. Once every 50 years, the Pope breaks down this door to allow pilgrims to come into the Basilica and receive a plenary indulgence whereby ALL of their sins can be forgiven at his word. Does this sound strange? If one reads their Bible it should, for Paul tells Timothy there is only “one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tm 2:5-6). In other words, a sinner does not need to have a priest, pope, Mary or any other saint to forgive his sins; he only needs Jesus, who “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). We don’t need a pope to break down a door every 50 years to open up salvation; the door is Jesus Christ himself, who became sin for us, that we might become righteous before God. If one simply and humbly comes to God (who is the only one who can forgive sins), and looks to Jesus, who became the sacrifice for our sins on the cross, he or she can have assurance of forgiveness.
So here is the central problem with the pope, Mary, and all the other saints: they take the place of Jesus. If Romans 3:10 is true when it says “there is no one righteous,” then no man or woman (whether they are called a pope or saint) can be a mediator between God and sinners. Only Jesus, who is truly God and truly man, can save sinners. Let us go back to Paul’s words to the Romans: “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rm 5:1-2)
How does one obtain access to God in this verse? Not through the pope or a priest, or the intercession of the saints, but only by faith in Jesus. If you have been declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus, you have full access to God the Father. And this is good news.
If You Visit the Vatican…
To conclude, I said at the beginning of the post that visiting the Vatican was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” This is certainly true for the travel experience. The buildings are beautiful and the architecture is awe-inspiring. But for anyone seeking God, you don’t need to have this experience. You only need to visit Jesus, who is Himself more beautiful than a Basilica and more powerful than a pope. He says “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28). He also says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). And for final assurance, He declares “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).
I certainly am grateful for my visit to the Vatican, but walking through, I couldn’t help but think about all the people who walked through—people in need of grace and salvation just like me—who will never see the true gospel of Jesus Christ…and for that I am grieved.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
There is a two-fold wonder in these verses which should bring us to our knees in worship of our great God.
First, there is God’s transcendence—His complete otherness. This is noted in how wondrous and voluminous God’s creation is. Take this verse practically today. Join the psalmist in beholding the grandiosity of God’s creation. Go outside on a clear night and behold the moon and the stars; realize how small you are in comparison to the expanse of space. Or rise early and marvel at the explosion of a sunset; see the Master Artist strike the sky with scarlet and crimson. God placed us here in this big world that we, with the very eyes He gave us, might see the works of His fingers and worship. This one observation is true: when we behold creation, we are awe-struck; we know we stand in the work of our great Creator. There is One who is higher, mightier, wiser, more powerful than we. Like David, we bow in worship.
But there is something greater in this verse than God’s sheer power as Creator. The second of this two-fold wonder is God’s immanence—His nearness. David strikes the chord with a question: God, with all you have created, from the spinning galaxies to the beaming moon—with the seemingly infinite expanse that makes me a speck of dust in the universe—why do you still care for me?
Oh what a glorious truth! The question is not meant to be answered. For the answer is in our response: we are meant to worship. This powerful, completely-other-than God who created everything in our eye’s sight (and everything outside it) has drawn near to you and me. David says God is “mindful” of us. This means He is aware of us and knows our every need. Jesus teaches us the same: “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Mt 6:8). If God created the stars, moon and planets, holding them together with the gravity of His glory—how will he not also care for you, O child of God? There is nothing you need which He is not capable of providing, yet in His wisdom He knows how to provide in His timing. Rest in the perfect power and provision of our great God today. He is mindful of you.
But more than this: know He is near. David says God cares for you. But how is this true? How can the transcendent God draw near to such lowly creatures as ourselves? The answer is in Jesus. There is no greater proof that God cares for you than the coming of the God-man, Jesus Christ. “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9). Do you need comfort today? Jesus became like you in every way and sympathizes with your sorrow. Do you need rest today? Jesus says “come to me, all you who labor…and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Do you need peace today? The God-man says “my peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). If you ever doubt the nearness and care of God, you need look no further than Jesus Christ. The Creator entered the world as a man to seek and save the lost. The same hands which spun galaxies like a spider are the same hands which bore a splintered cross to save us from our sins. Oh God, who am I that you care for me? His love is proven in those nail-scarred hands.
So we have these two truths hanging together just as gravity holds together the galaxies: God is way too high for us to understand, but He has also drawn so near so we know He cares. The same God who knows all things—to the very depths of our being, the hidden things we dare not uncover—loves us to the highest heavens.
So look at the moon and the stars tonight: see how little you are in comparison to creation. Yet also look at Jesus Christ: in the eyes of God you are most precious—precious enough to be bought with the spotless blood of the lamb.
The elements in this verse should serve as frequent prayers for those who love the Lord. We will explore three ways to pray like David:
First, we should pray: let the evil of the wicked come to an end. In the Hebrew the request is more emphatic: “please let it cease!” David’s enemies were close around his neck; at any point those who disregarded God might have their way with his life. While we may never cross such direct evil or threats against our lives, there has always existed in man’s hearts a rebellion against those who seek after the Lord. Christ himself was no stranger to this evil. But what did he do in the face of his persecutors, the ones who sent him to the cross? He “did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten” (1 Pt 2:23). Are you tempted to enact revenge for yourself today? Like David you must entrust the evil in the world to the justice of God: Oh Lord, only You can make it cease once for all! But please, we pray, Your kingdom come!
Second, we should pray: God, may you establish the righteous! For David, righteousness meant a heart which sought the Lord and kept its way blameless—not necessarily perfect, but nonetheless sincere. Such an attitude of God-seekers can be found in Psalm 27:4: “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life…” Oh, how this prayer should be ours! God, establish in me a heart purely devoted to pursuing you. Keep me blameless in my love; rid my heart of any blemish which threatens a sincere and pure devotion to Christ! And when we fail in this regard, as those who stand on the other side of the cross and empty tomb, we trust that Christ’s perfect life has been accounted to us as righteousness. Oh God, establish more of your people who will seek and honor you in righteousness!
Lastly, we should pray for God to test our minds and hearts. This dual phrase “mind and heart” means the deepest parts of our being, the places where no one else can go but God. Therefore praying this last prayer will truly discern whether we are in the first category (the wicked), or the second (the righteous). To ask God to search your heart is indeed a frightful prayer—who knows what will be exposed? But it is necessary, for those who truly love Christ cannot stand their own sin; they need it exposed and eradicated by the cleansing power of the blood. Praise God the fountain is open and flowing full of grace!
Sadly, the wicked alway seek to hide their sin as one who obscures his deeds in the late hours of the night. As Paul says, “it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret” (Eph 5:11). Oh reader, please hear! God cannot be fooled. Either we run to the cross, bringing our darkness to light, knowing our sin separates us from a loving God yet Christ reconciles us; or we attempt to conceal it, standing under the judgment of a righteous God, avoiding the piercing eye of our Creator who calls all to account for everything said and done. Please do not be the latter. If there is sin in your heart today, let it be exposed.
I assure you, if you confess your sin, he is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:9).
Oh how there are times in our lives when we feel as if God is hidden from us! We try to pray, only to find a concrete wall as thick as our doubts. We go to church, only to question why others seem able to muster praise when we cannot. We try to read the Scriptures, only to be pierced by our endless shortcomings. Whatever the cause may be, take heart, struggling Christian! You are not alone in this agony. David felt this way too, and you can make his prayer your own today.
First, reach out to God: O Lord, please do not hide your face from me!Don’t cast me away! Don’t forsake me! This prayer is based in faith. You long for God; you are weary of life without His joy, presence, and peace. Take heart! If you find yourself praying this, you are a true believer—those who know Christ desire to be with Him, experience His presence, and seek His face (Ps 27:4). Though our fallen bodies and minds often make us feel otherwise, we are secure in Christ.
Second, remember His character: O you who have been my help! Notice this: you can only pray the first prayer above because this second phrase is true. God has been your help. Look back on your life. What has He delivered you from? What prayers of desperation has He answered? What gracious provision have you seen from His hand? Take heart! “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Mt. 6:8). Surely He sees you now—and He knows why He is allowing you to experience these feelings of forsakenness.
Finally, rest in His salvation: O God of my salvation! Whenever you feel forsaken by God, look to Christ. On the cross Christ was forsaken so you would never have to be. If the Father sent His Son as the most precious, costly gift to secure your salvation, then He will not turn His face from you now. Though there are times when your circumstances are grim, or your emotions speak lies, the bloody cross and the empty grave are the two greatest proofs of God’s love for you. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rm 8:1). If God gave His best to save you at your worst, there’ll never be a day He goes back on His word.
God will never forsake those whom He has chosen in Christ. Though you may feel forsaken, He is indeed very near. Take the gospel by faith today; grip these truths with all your spiritual might. And when the tempest of our emotions or the shipwreck of our circumstances attempt to pry our weary hands away from Christ—Oh believer!—Christ’s hands hold you tighter still.
There are three descriptions of who the Lord is for you in this verse.
First, He is a shield about you. David, the psalmist-King, knew the dangers and anxieties of war. Constantly escaping from evil, vulnerable to violence, he knew his only security came from the Lord’s sovereign protection. David knew the function of a shield—to be a wall of protection between him and an oncoming threat. This word-picture does not change for us: God is our shield, our fortress, our protection. As it is written elsewhere, we can hide “in the shadow of his wings” (Ps 17:8). Though God’s shielding of us is not physical, that is, seen with our eyes, it is nonetheless powerful. God, in infinite power and wisdom, is able to protect us through the working of His sovereign providence. If you are a child of God through Jesus Christ, “who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” (Rm 8:33). Though our enemies may look more like lies against our salvation, guilt from the devil, and persecution for living for Christ—God is our shield ever more.
Second, God is your glory. What reputations do we seek apart from the Lord? What securities do we build our lives upon that are not God? David knew that if everything was stripped away—his kingdom, how others perceived him, his family—he still had God as his glory. To have God as our glory is to know the infinite worth we have in Him despite what is happening around or within us. David knew God would vindicate him, for he did not place his worth in his own strength or abilities, but in the Creator Himself. Is all of your life set, fixated—obsessed—with being about God? Do you know who you are in Christ, all the promises laid out for you in Scripture? For God to be your glory, He must be your everything—or else He is secondary to another competing glory in your life.
Finally, God is the lifter of your head. What a tender promise we have here. There will surely be times we cannot lift our own heads from sorrow, despondency, fear, shame, anxiety, or grief. There will be times we tremble under panic, not knowing how to go one more day. But God—our great, merciful, slow-to-anger, and rich-in-love God—is the lifter of our heads. This is not something He only does once in a while; no, it is who He is. He is the lifter. It is what He does. Are you downcast today? It is ok; in due time the Lord will lift your eyes for you. Are you scared for your future? Do not fear; God has your days within His hands. His tender hand reaches down, softly pulls your chin up, so that you look at Him. God is in the business of reorienting our often-limited sight, lifting our heads to see Him, who He is for us in Christ, His everlasting love, protection, care, and security. Turn your eyes to Jesus today!
So whatever comes, God is your shield, your glory, and the lifter of your head. What encouragement we find in our great God!
Text: 1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
