May 30 Daily Devotional

Valiant for Truth: A Meditation on the Eleventh Psalm

Psalm 11

1 In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

Devotional

Man is given to despair when his affairs seem to be hopeless. There are few who trust in God at all times. True faith is that which still hopes in God even when all is lost. It is easy enough to trust in God when all is well.

What timid and fearful souls there are in the world! At the first sign of danger to their persons, they are ready, with the swiftness of a bird, to flee from duty. When the struggle looks hard, they abandon the good fight of faith. And at the suggestion of the least pain, they are prepared to surrender to the enemy of souls and to silence their testimony for God and His Word.

Timid or Firm

Who has not seen this in the land of the living? Many there are who have shut themselves up in their mountain. Men consider only their earthly well-being and not the cause of God. The reason is that they have not identified themselves with God. They abide not in Him and therefore cannot bring forth the fruits of righteousness. Even those whom men have considered strong and mighty in former times often hide in a place out of the way of battle. There they are inactive. They do neither harm nor good.

To yield to circumstances is to obey the voice of the natural heart, which is a selfish, cowardly, and wicked thing. The perverse heart of man asks not what is right in God's sight, but what is safe and to personal advantage. He who thus thinks and acts may be likened to the man who put his hand to the plough and then looked back. Our Lord said of such a one that he is not worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Heavenly or Worldly Wisdom

Human prudence is not the wisdom of God. Even "the foolishness of God is wiser than men." Then why should a soul be unfaithful to heavenly commands and obligations in order to serve some fleshly purpose? It is the path of the highest wisdom to obey when God says, "This is the way, walk ye in it."

In yielding to worldly-wise policies that are based on the fears of men, do not even unbelievers see that such have not faith in God? Do not our actions speak louder than our words? The path of duty is plain when our disobedience causes even unbelievers to wonder at us. If the foundations of truth and honor be destroyed, thus cutting off every hope of security, the rjghteous have only one course open to them. They are to take the path that pleases Him and to trust Him for the consequences. With boldness they are to face the danger and commit the whole matter to God.

(to be continued)