We have led many tours to Israel, and sometimes people are hesitant to go because they are fearful of terrorists and possible war in Israel. When they express those fears, Tom and I always share that we feel safer walking the streets of Jerusalem than we do walking the streets of Atlanta. There is a sense of God’s peace and presence in Israel that supersedes the threat of war and terrorism.
Psalm 125: 1-5 is one of the psalms of ascent that the Israelites sang as they made their pilgrimage three times a year to Jerusalem for the feasts of the Lord. This psalm especially expresses the security we have in the Lord, even though there may be trouble all around. Listen to these comforting words: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever” (v. 2).
We had the opportunity after the Scud missile crisis to have a Jewish couple share about their experiences during this time. They were living in Jerusalem, and they said they would speak Psalm 91 aloud during the times when the Scud missiles were soaring over Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
When all hell is breaking loose, we find ourselves trying to find comfort with heavenly thoughts. There are so many heavenly thoughts in the psalms that bring peace to us in the midst of troubled times. This psalm promises such security to all who put their trust in the Lord and abide in Him.
When we trust in the Lord we do not have to run in terror, and our hearts can be fixed upon the Lord. We do not have to fear evil tidings. Listen to these comforting words: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”
We are going through a time in history when everything that can be shaken is being shaken. There is a hiding place we can run to during these times. That hiding place is the presence of the Lord, and the path to this hiding place is the Word of God, praise and worship. We enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. A good way to do this is to begin to sing some of the psalms.
David was on the run most of his life, but he found a place of safety and security-a place where the shaking around him would not shake him. That place is a place of trust. He said, “When I am afraid, I will trust in the Lord.”
We all experience fearful times, but now we know how to overcome fear. We overcome fear by trusting in the Lord and remaining in His presence. Try singing some of the psalms today.
Lord, sometimes I get in a panic over things that are happening in my life. Forgive me. I choose today to put my trust in You instead of being afraid.
READ: Hosea 4:1-5:15; 2 John 1:1-13; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 29:9-11
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