Always Secure
Opening Prayer
Lord, fortify me as You have fortified Mt. Zion.
Read PSALM 125
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
4 Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How do you balance maintaining a confident faith in the face of the difficulties of life?
Security is a big issue today. If you phone your bank, you will be asked lots of security questions before your inquiry will be answered. There is much talk of national security, security cameras, security codes, etc. People want and need security—it is a desire deep within us. The question is, where can ultimate security be found?
God knows that the desire for security resides in believers and has from ancient times, so he gives to Israel and to us a great assurance that his people are totally secure. He surrounds his people just as the mountains surround Jerusalem (2). This is the protection the Lord gives his people—the Creator God himself always keeps his people! He wants us to revel in this secure love, which is everlasting.
We want to believe this is true, but how do we feel when so often life mistreats us and evil prospers—in the world or even in the church? That sort of reality is faced in verse 3, where we are told that these things prevail for now but will have their day—and so we can maintain hope in God’s righteous judgment.
Accordingly, we are given statements to believe (1–3), then told to petition the Lord for assurance that he remains in control and that the power of wickedness will not prevail over righteousness (4,5). So this song prays for what it teaches. We trust and we pray, all on the basis of the Lord and his faithfulness.
Apply
Ask God to renew your confidence in the security that is for all believers. Nothing can change this, as Jesus reminds us (John 10:28,29), whatever trials come our way.
Closing prayer
Lord, we hope in Your present faithfulness to us and in Your forthcoming justice to our oppressors.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.