“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”
Psalms 27:1-6 NKJV
Pounding
The gentle clippitty clop of horse hooves, until recently, heard afar off in the distance, are much more pronounced now, for they have become the rapid pounding of hooves, as the riders of the apocalypse are getting closer by the day.
I have to admit, I have been more than a bit agitated over the last few days, as the news of violence, deepening war, looming nuclear annihilation, and all manner of upheaval have filled my conscious thoughts. It is in these moments that I rejoice that I know the Lord.
It was a delight to be reminded that the Lord is in control as I read Psalm twenty seven this morning. In the darkness of my mind, made all the more dark by melancholia, I found great relief given me in the word of God. This Psalm, one of the many messianic psalms, reminds me, one saved by the blood of Jesus, that through Him I have salvation.
The Lord Jesus is the light of my salvation, for He was determined to die for my sins and those of the world from the foundation of the earth. I rejoice in the knowledge that before I ever had my worst days, the Lord had ordained my best day, when I said yes to Jesus.
Because I know that He is for me, I can live with no fear, for if even the worst thing possible were to happen, it is for my benefit. The Lord takes the hard things of this world, and world them out for good for those He has called.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
Romans 8:28-30 NKJV
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31 NKJV
The Lord is working out all things for His glory and for my refinement, that I be made a more effective servant. I proceed through each day, enduring what may come, with the knowledge that there is no downside. Because there is no downside, I can be bold and trust the Lord, being willing to do as He has called.
“Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.”
Brothers and sisters, let us remember that our Lord Jesus endured those who encamped about Him, those who campaigned and eventually brought about His death, and yet still He fulfilled His ministry and went to the cross. Just when the evil one thought he had won, the victory belonged to the Lord.
It was not just His victory, but in His rising again, we too have the victory, for we have been saved from our past sins, are being saved from our present sins, and will be saved, ultimately, from future sin when we are glorified and spend eternity with the Lord.
As things seem all the more dire let us be mindful that the Lord is greater than anyone in the world. Those that oppose us, are of the antichrist, that is not of Christ, for their leader is the god of this world. Let us seek to know the word of God, being reminded daily that we know who the Lord is.
“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
I John 4:2-4 NKJV
In the coming days, weeks, months, or perhaps…years, we will see many who will come purportedly in the name of the Lord. We must test them. Let us do so with great confidence for the Lord grass left us His word, and the Holy Spirit to help us in our discernment.
Let us also be mindful that nothing can separate us from the love of our most gracious Savior.
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:32-39 NKJV
May we be eager and waiting for others hooves to come pounding, as the Lord Jesus comes on His white horse, bounding through the stratosphere with His saints and and angels to reclaim the world.
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV
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Musings from an idle mind 
I am grateful, and it is an answer to prayer, my friend, that you are rejoicing during your suffering. Thank you for faithfully following our Lord Jesus.
Amen! There is truly, “no downside.” Thank you so much, my friend!
“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”
1 Peter 3:13-14, 17-18
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