His Encouragement #224

---

Welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.

---

A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be rescued by great strength. The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power.

But look, the LORD keeps His eye on those who fear Him — those who depend on His faithful love to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine.

Psalm 33:16-19 (CSB)

We, humans, get caught up in our might. Nations believe themselves invincible because of their mighty leaders, their powerful warriors, and the quantity of weapons they have access to. In David’s day, there were powerful kings with exceptional armies, war horses ridden by the fiercest soldiers, and weapons that caused mass destruction. I am sure that in David’s day, as in our day today, there were many, many people who believed their leader, their military, their weapons, and their walls were enough to protect them and their families from any kind of harm.

It is easy to forget WHO is responsible for man’s safety. As David explains in Psalm 33, it’s not the current rulers of the day, it’s not the soldiers in the military, and it’s not the guns and knives who protect man. It is only the LORD who saves, who protects.

To fear, in the way it is used in this Psalm, means a mixed feeling of dread and reverence. Dread means to anticipate with great apprehension, and reverence means deep respect. So, to fear God means to anticipate His wrath against us (because we deserve it), but to also deeply respect God as God. God is the Boss. He puts leaders in position of power for a purpose, He allows all things for a purpose (Daniel 2:21). If someone has power and might right now, it is for a purpose. AND God can take it away, too. Because God is the Boss. When we get this and honor this fact, we are deeply respecting God.

But it’s not just about respectfully fearing God. It’s also about DEPENDING on God’s love. Yes, we should fear God. He is God. He can wipe us out with the mere snap of His fingers, but He is not cruel. God is LOVE. And not just any regular sort of human love — no, God’s love is FAITHFUL (loyal and steadfast) and that is why we can depend on His love because it will never go away. It will always be there for us as long as we fear and respect Him.

What does God’s love do for those who fear and respect Him? God’s love rescues us from DEATH (thank You, Jesus!) and keeps us alive during times of FAMINE (remember the Our Father: God gives us our daily bread…again, thank You, Jesus!).

So, the Truth is simple: trust in self, trust in human leaders, trust in human might, trust in human weapons and you will fall. BUT if your trust in God, if you fear and respect Him, if you depend on His love, then you’ll be just fine.

---

NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN!

WHAT BIBLICAL VERSE IS ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY?