“SEVEN THINGS GOD WILL DO FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM”
A short time before he died, Adolphe Monod, the French evangelical minister stated, “I have strength for nothing more than to think about the love of God. He has loved us – that is the whole of dogmatics; let us love Him – that is the sum-total of the ethics of the Gospel.”
In Psalm 91:14 – 16, God speaks of seven things He will do for those who love Him. He states, “Because he has set his love upon Me.” This speaks of unbroken, continuing action, a state of the heart that continues unchanged. The Hebrew expresses the strongest attachment. Because of this, God says, “Therefore,” and gives seven things. They are:
1. DELIVERANCE. “I will deliver you,” verse 14, and again in verse 15, “I will deliver you.” In Psalm 44, we read of the joy of the present and the hope of the future, because of the facts of the past. He, who delivered in the past, can and will deliver in the future. Vance Havner assured,“When you get to a place where you don’t know what to do, give God the benefit of the doubt. He will clear the track.”
2. SET YOU ON HIGH. “I will set him on high,” meaning, “I will acknowledge you as my own and treat you accordingly.” Psalm 27:10, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.”
3. ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him.” An English proverb declares, “Prayers should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.”
4. BE WITH YOU IN TROUBLE. “I will be with him in trouble.” Psalm 46:1, “God is...a very present help in trouble.” Chuck Swindoll wrote, “The word ‘trouble’ in the Hebrew means, ‘to be restricted, to be tied up in a narrow, cramped place’.” Notice that the promise is to be “WITH US in trouble.” An old infidel had a motto in his room that read, “GOD IS NOWHERE.” His little granddaughter came to see him, read the motto, and said, “Look, granddaddy, it says, “GOD IS NOW HERE!”
5. REWARD YOU. “And will honor him.” In 1 Corinthians 3:14, Paul, speaking of the faithful believer, says, “He shall receive a reward.” The word translated “reward” is an old Greek word that denotes “pay, salary,” or “reward.” In other words, Christ will make sure you are “well compensated,” and “rewarded,” for all your faithfulness.
6. SATISFY WITH A LONG LIFE. “With long life will I satisfy him.” Zechariah 8:4 reveals that long life is a sign of God’s favor and blessing.
7. ETERNAL LIFE. “And will show him my salvation.” 1 Peter 1:4 promises that we “have an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven.” As a dear old saint lay dying, he said to his friends as they stood weeping around his bed, “Weep not for me; I go to change my place, but not my company. I have walked with God on earth, and He is calling me to walk with Him in heaven.
“How Thou canst think so well of me,
And be the God Thou art,
Is darkness to my intellect,
But sunshine to my heart.”
Dave Arnold, Pastor, Gulf Coast Worship Center, New Port Richey, Florida
www.davidarnoldonline.org
1 comment:
Very comforting.
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