October 19 – Being Like a Tree

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”  Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV)

After warning against depending on human efforts and abilities, God makes these promises through his prophet Jeremiah. Very similar to a promise given in Psalm 1:3.  The roots of a tree grow out to find where the moisture is.  If the tree is close to a stream its roods will grow out in that direction and they will not be disappointed. They will draw in the moisture.  This is us as we trust in the Lord and from Him we have this trust.  Our faith reaches out toward Him and we will not be disappointed. There will be results. As we trust in the Lord we will survive the difficult times of heat and drought without fear.  We will continue by God's grace to produce the fruit of faith and trust. There will be these blessings from the Lord 

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August 5 – Perfect Peace

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”  Isaiah 26:3 -   (ESV)

Is there a benefit to reading these daily promises of God?  Is knowing these promises and thinking about them worth while?  Yes, there is and it is.  Who of us does not desire a life filled with peace and free from anxiety, doubt, and fear?  Our verse today gives us a promise of that perfect peace.  But, there is a requisite condition.  As believers we have unconditional peace with God as far as the consequences of sin.  God has provided that for us in the human, earthly life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.  But peace of mind and heart that settles us and drives away the doubt and fears that pester us from so many circumstances, is available to those who decide to trust in God's promises.  This perfect peace comes to those who have fixed their minds on the promises of God and trust those promises to be true, because God has said they are true. 

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July 1 – Trust Brings Help

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.” Psalm 28:7 (NASB)

This expression of praise to God was written by David the psalmist but we are sure that since then many many believers have found that it describes their experience too.  It is a promise from God for protection and strength as we trust in Him. We believe that many of those who follow this blog have found help to trust the Lord. The reason that we find that it helps to trust the Lord is because He does help us when we trust Him.  Yes, when He is aware that we are trusting Him He responds by getting involved in our problems and our activities.  He become the source of our strength and of our abilities.  By what He provides for us each day we are able to face any challenges from the world or in our work place.  Let's respond when God helps us and lets give Him our thanks and sing His praises.  

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July 1 – Heart Help

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.”  Psalm 28:7 (NASB)

This is a beautiful testimony by the psalmist David. He had learned a very special lesson and he wanted others to learn it too. That's why he sang these words and made his song available for others to sing it too.  We don't sing the psalms much in our time but that was how they were shared in the time they were written. These words expressed David's faith and an experience that we can have in our Christian lives today.  I'm thinking especially of what happens when we trust the Lord with our whole heart.  As we trust Him He responds by giving us the help we need.  We may sometimes need spiritual strength to face some special problems. If we trust the Lord for this strength He does help. Or, it may be we need help and protection just for everyday living. Believers are under assault more than ever.  We can always say with David, “My heart trusts in Him and I am helped.”  It is a promise, that He is our strength and shield.

June 13 – Solid, Sure, and Precious

“For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.” 1 Peter 2:6-7a (NIV)

There are many prophesies in the Old Testament predicting the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Our verse today is a quote by the apostle Peter from such a prediction in the book of Isaiah. In the New Testament we have this and other reminders of how the prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus when He lived on the earth. The prediction that Isaiah wrote and that Peter quoted was that Jesus the Messiah would be a precious cornerstone and it reminds us that this is true for us who believe.  Jesus is the foundation of our faith. As we trust Him He does become precious to us. When we face uncertainty we can trust the promise that He is our cornerstone and we really wouldn't want to try to live without Him in our lives. Today, whatever is ahead of us and whatever challenges we are facing, whatever news might cause us to despair remember and think that what we believe is built upon this cornerstone – the Truth of Jesus our Savior.

February 26 – Perfect Peace

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

We receive a very marvelous promise in our verse today. It is a promise that proves itself through the difficult times we encounter.  Our God is one who never changes. He is a God who keeps His promises and we can always depend on Him to meet our needs every day, in every situation.  Although our situations change from pleasant to challenging God never changes. That is why the secret of true peace in our hearts and minds is to fix our thoughts and our aspirations on our unchanging God – not on our own understanding. Trusting in God is like building on an unshakable foundation and keeping our mind anchored in the truth we learn from God and His Word. So, let's base our thoughts on God's faithfulness. Our verse says that this will give us perfect peace. Who can improve on that?  Of course, nobody can. Trust in God – He will keep you in perfect peace no matter what you might face today, or tomorrow or ever in your future.  

February 23 – Strength and Shield

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

This is David's testimony but it can also be our testimony as well. We have the same Lord that David had and we are made like he was too. It is with our hearts that we trust  our God. When we say that, we mean that it is with our inner beings that we rely on God who loves us. David said that when he trusted the Lord he was helped. We can think of this in two ways. When we put our trust in God we are helped because feelings of uncertainty go away. Our mental attitude changes. We are motivated to respond with praise as joy fills our hearts. But more important is the help that God provides directly when we trust Him. He acts in our behalf when we rely on Him. So we trust that your heart is trusting in the Lord and you have a heart that just wants to leap for joy. It begins with trust in Him.

February 11 – Strong Roots

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” Jeremiah 17:7-8a (NIV)

Our verse and promise today is given to us in a word picture - a common way the Bible teaches us truth. We all know what the roots of a tree do to keep the tree alive, to keep it growing and to help it produce fruit and stand firm in the face of adverse winds.  A tree planted close  to a stream will certainly take advantage of the location. The roots will be there drawing in the moisture provided by the stream which is a sure source of needed water.  Our Lord is a sure source of what we need to live the Christian life. So how do we take advantage of what our Lord supplies? By trusting in Him and directing our faith and confidence in Him. The promise is that our faith will serve as our roots to draw strength from our Lord. Let's keep trusting in this promise today and always. 

October 15 – Trust Brings Help

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

The words in this verse today which are especially attractive to us are the words, “my heart trusts in him and he helps me.” For those who have trusted in the Lord can agree with these words. We may have needed help in many different situations in our lives and have then trusted God for help and He has provided what we need. We can remember how at challenging times we have sensed a change and we believe that God has helped us. When we need strength and protection of this sort it comes to us from God, not from anything we can generate on our own. Let's be sure that we acknowledge God as our source of help and give Him joyful thanksgiving and praise. 

May 1 – Perfect Peace

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”  Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

These may be familiar words to you but they may be just the promise you need to hear today. We believe that we all need to be reminded often of these truths. There are so many influences and distractions in this world to interrupt our thinking and to disturb our peace.  We notice that the words in our verse are addressed to God. He is the author of true peace. And, who is it that benefits from God's peace? It is the person who trusts in God. Those who trust in God focus their thinking on God's faithfulness and this gives their minds a real steadfastness. Steady thinking is really a part of real peace. Let's keep our minds steady today, trusting the Lord. 

March 10 – Trusting Heart

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

This psalm was written as were the other psalms as one way of expressing joy in song. We realize that many people down through the centuries have sung this song to give thanks to God. We can join with the writer of this song to express the feelings of our heart. David said that his heart was trusting in the Lord. He put his confidence in the Lord and relied on Him to meet his needs. This effort was not in vain because God knew his heart and God responded. David said, “and He helps me.” All this can happen in our lives too. Why not trust the Lord today my friend and experience God’s response. Then we can say as David did, “my heart trusts in Him and He helps me.” The help from God is ours if we acknowledge Him and ask for it from Him. 

February 22 - Unfailing Love

“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.” Psalm 32:10 (NIV)

There are times in our reading of Bible verses when certain words impress us with the pictures which they portray. That is true in the verse chosen for today. The word that strikes us is the one about the Lord’s unfailing love. We read that God’s love surrounds the believer. That of course means that no matter which way we look we should be able to see God’s love involved in our lives. His love is above us, beneath us, behind us and ahead of us. Nothing can get to us without going through God’s love. As we look back on our lives we can see where His love worked for us. As we look ahead we can see His love gong ahead of us. He will always be loving us no matter what the situation is. Let us not forget the truth of our verse – unfailing love that surrounds the one who trusts in Him. 

August 29

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” Proverbs 16:20 (NIV)

There is a great benefit that comes to those who put their trust in the Lord. We read that to rely on the Lord brings a blessing. It is well for us to remember that the word translated “blessed” can also be translated “happy.” We can also read the verse as follows: “Happy is he or she who trusts in the Lord.” That is what trusting in the Lord produces in our lives. It produces happiness and satisfaction. As we trust in Him for all our needs, the burdens we have carried and the uncertainties of life are taken care of. We then have the assurance that our loving Almighty God will care for us. Is not that a source of happiness?