A Steadfast Woman in a Shifting World: MY God
by Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. -Psalm 62:5-7 ESV
“Trust in God” is a platitude we offer to hurting people that can evoke hope or despair. If the person has a love affair with Jesus, then our reminder to trust God might help remind them of His faithful love demonstrated through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus. If their relationship with God is superficial, our words might add to their pain because trusting God sounds ludicrous.
David confidently exhorts his soul to trust God because he has a personal relationship with God. Note how many personal pronouns he uses in Today’s Treasure:
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. -Psalm 62:5-7 ESV
Nine times David uses the words my and I. He also names God or refers to Him with the pronouns Him or He five times in these Scriptures alone. David taps into this personal intimacy with his “holy other God” and roots his trust in God’s past gracious faithfulness. God is David’s personal Rock, his personal salvation, his personal fortress, his personal rescue, and his personal hope.
This is not a one and done conversation with himself. He struggles to walk a steady path while the earth shakes beneath his feet, and slowly but surely, his personal relationship with God bears fruit as he moves from fear to trust. His trust is rooted in relationship.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Jesus offers us a similar path to peace:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” -Matthew 11:28-30 The Message
David’s personal, intimate relationship with God that led to peace in the middle of chaos is a reflection of the peace we can experience in our relationship with Jesus. David learned to trust God more and more as he experienced His faithfulness through sinful choices, war, conflict, and betrayal. “Put your trust in God” is an empty phrase, unless it is driven by a personal relationship to Jesus. It’s possible to be religious without knowing Jesus. Jesus offers us peace when the earth shakes beneath our feet. Do you have that intimacy with Him? Are you longing for more? Accept His invitation to come to Him in repentance for your personal sin. Receive His forgiveness. When you do, He promises to live within you, to never leave you or forsake you. Because of His love, your heart will want to follow and obey Him. This is the true pathway to peace.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non-profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, and fourteen grandchildren.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Monday, 20 September 2021.
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