Book 3 of Musings Living by God’s Word

God speaks to us through the Bible.

Sometimes God's speaks to us personally in one manner or another. Of one thing we can be certain: the Words that God speaks are mighty rocks. They can be absolutely depended on. They are utterly reliable. We can base our life on them with no fear we will be shaken from our position.

We live in a world in turmoil. In many places people are being murdered for one reason or another. Truly mankind is as a restless sea, driven and tossed by the winds.

We hate to think of what the younger generation will face during the next decade.

There is an old hymn: "Where every prospect pleases, and only man is vile."

I have thought of that so many times.

We live in a beautiful area of the world, in Southern California. There is much lawlessness here. There are many fine families, but also a good deal of sin and violence.

What a relief it is to know there is as least one thing on which we can depend, and that is God's unchanging Word.

I have been trusting in the promises of God for many years, and can truthfully say that the Word always has been faithful and true. I know you have found the same.

Maybe this is part of what it means to overcome the accuser by the word of our testimony-when we declare that God's Word is unfailingly true.

The written Word shall be intact in the day the earth and heavens pass away with a great noise. God sometimes speaks a personal Word to us. When we really are hearing from the Lord, we know what has been stated shall come to pass regardless of how impossible it seems at the time.

God has established the world on the floods. There is nothing stable. Abraham was looking for a city that has foundations. That city is the glorified Church, the new Jerusalem.

But we are not physically in the new Jerusalem as yet, although we have come to it spiritually, according to the Book of Hebrews. Rather we are in a world filled with calamities and the prospect of more calamities. As Paul said, there are conflicts on the outside, fears within.

The Bible tells us that if our heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord, we shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Our strength shall be in quietness and confidence.

But if our heart is to be fixed, if we are to be quiet and confident, then we must know what God has said in His Word.

We have been advised to meditate in His Word day and night. When we go through a day with no time spent in His Word, we are weakened. We cannot afford to be weakened in these days.

I am writing these words on March 10, 2003. You may read them ten or fifteen years from now. I wonder what you will see as you look backward. My guess is the history of the next ten or fifteen years will be one of much trouble for our country.

This is why we must pray. This is why we must know God's promises and stand on them if we are going to save ourselves, our loved ones, and others who depend on us.

I know there is a current teaching of a "rapture" that will spare us. When you read my words you will see that no rapture took place, and that numerous Christian people suffered much pain.

Be sure to study the thirty-seventh Psalm carefully. Soak in the promises of God found in that passage. You will be told not to fret because of the certain destruction of the wicked. You will be told that you will not go hungry.

Soak in the promises of God in the ninety-first Psalm. You will discover if you are abiding in Christ you and your household will be spared in the day of catastrophe. You will be rescued and protected because you have put your trust in the Lord. God will set a table before you in the presence of your enemies.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." (Psalms 91:14-16)

But remember, these promises are conditional. If they are to apply to you, you must be abiding in Christ. You must have set your love on the Lord. You must acknowledge His name. You must call on Him in the day of trouble.

All of God's promises are conditional. As we meditate in the Bible we become aware of God's requirements, and of the promises He has put in writing for those who meet His requirements.

There is no other rock like our Rock.

No matter what the future holds for America, we know God will always remain true and faithful. His Word to us in writing, and also spoken to us personally, will stand secure when all else is shaking and unstable.

Let us trust in the Lord. If we do, He will prove His faithfulness during the darkest hours that come our way in America.

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? (Psalms 18:30-31)