1 Chronicles 3-4, Psalm 125, Luke 7:18-35, Colossians 1:15-29

Psalm 125:

Some people seem as if they could withstand anything. They have an inner calm and resilience that seems to belie any attacks against them and gives them a rugged true grit that is admirable. Christians are meant to be people who are loving and kind, but also strong. We are to be those who love our neighbors, but also those who resist evil and can be counted on to act with self-control and self-discipline. We are to have the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.), and also the armor of God (the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, etc.).

What is the secret to being the kind of Christian who can stand firm even when under attack, and who has the kind of resilience that can keep going even in the midst of the storm? According to this psalm, it all comes down to trust. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever” (125:1).

In the next two verses, the psalm then describes the impenetrable fortress that is Mount Zion. It’s like a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier with supporting battle group. It’s not going to get into trouble when faced by a squall of wind and waves or by a gun-running rickety motorboat. The psalmist is saying that those who trust in the Lord are like that. That is, by trusting God they are aligning themselves to his purpose for his people. And his purpose for his people is unshakeable.

The last two verses then outline the choice: trust in God (do “good”) or “turn aside” to “crooked ways” (125:4-5). In short, then, when faced with difficulties, the Christian has a choice: to trust or to turn aside to crooked ways. Which will you do?

Once you trust, whole new vistas of confidence open up before you. Security like Mount Zion is secure. Take a moment now to trust God with that dynamic, that issue, that person, that problem that so troubles you. Turn it over to him in prayer. Trust that God has a plan. Trust him with that issue.

And more actually trust Him. Lean on him in prayer—trust him for your past (that he is weaving together all the ups and downs of your personal history into a pattern that makes sense); for your present (that the unknown of the immediate now is all under the tutelage of his sovereign care); and also for your future (that the “what ifs” of the unknown still to come are overcome by the “what will be” of the future hope of glory with God). Trust God.