Accept His Place For Your Firm Standing
God gives us a firm place to stand, but we have to decide we want to take it. John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,” but He doesn’t force anyone to take Him either. God is ever the Giver (see James 1:17) but, by His sovereign design, each individual gets to exercise the prerogative whether or not to be a taker.
We take the firm place He gives when we make up our minds and plant both our feet. That’s exactly what the Hebrew word translated “firm” in Psalm 40:2 means. In another psalm it is used to characterize man’s response to God. Psalm 78 speaks of a generation who:
would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.They would not be like their forefathers — a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him. — Psalm 78:7-8
You see that word “loyal”? It comes from the very same Hebrew word as “firm.” God’s complaint with the Israelites in Psalm 78 was their inability to make up their minds about Him. Were they with Him or not? Did they want a firm place to stand or an emergency room to visit? Like us, they wanted God when they were in trouble, but as soon as the pressure let up, they wanted to chart their own course and be their own boss. The momentary revelry of their rebellion turned into terrible bouts of captivity and consequences. They experienced what we do: the slide into the pit is the only thrill ride. From that point on, a pit’s just dirt.
At its very core, loyalty means a made-up mind. It means that certain questions are already answered before life asks them. Since it shares the same definition as “firm,” “loyal” in Psalm 78 means to be “sure... certain... ready... prepared... determined.” It means we’ve settled some things in advance of the inevitable temptation to revert or destructively scratch a temporary itch. It means we don’t wait until the heat of the moment to decide. You know what I’m talking about. A loyal spouse doesn’t wait until someone flirts with her at work to decide if she’s going to be faithful. She has already made the decision to stand by her man before a circumstance posed the question.
That’s how God is about you. He’sfirm. He’s loyal. He made up His mind about you before the foundation of the world. Regardless of who has betrayed you and what promises they didn’t keep, God is firm in His commitment to you. Circumstances don’t cause Him to rethink His position. Even if you, like me, have made multiple trips to the pit, His affection for you is unwavering. He’s all yours if you want Him.
God gives us a firm place to stand, but we have to decide we want to take it. John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,” but He doesn’t force anyone to take Him either. God is ever the Giver (see James 1:17) but, by His sovereign design, each individual gets to exercise the prerogative whether or not to be a taker.
We take the firm place He gives when we make up our minds and plant both our feet. That’s exactly what the Hebrew word translated “firm” in Psalm 40:2 means. In another psalm it is used to characterize man’s response to God. Psalm 78 speaks of a generation who:
would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.They would not be like their forefathers — a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him. — Psalm 78:7-8
You see that word “loyal”? It comes from the very same Hebrew word as “firm.” God’s complaint with the Israelites in Psalm 78 was their inability to make up their minds about Him. Were they with Him or not? Did they want a firm place to stand or an emergency room to visit? Like us, they wanted God when they were in trouble, but as soon as the pressure let up, they wanted to chart their own course and be their own boss. The momentary revelry of their rebellion turned into terrible bouts of captivity and consequences. They experienced what we do: the slide into the pit is the only thrill ride. From that point on, a pit’s just dirt.
At its very core, loyalty means a made-up mind. It means that certain questions are already answered before life asks them. Since it shares the same definition as “firm,” “loyal” in Psalm 78 means to be “sure... certain... ready... prepared... determined.” It means we’ve settled some things in advance of the inevitable temptation to revert or destructively scratch a temporary itch. It means we don’t wait until the heat of the moment to decide. You know what I’m talking about. A loyal spouse doesn’t wait until someone flirts with her at work to decide if she’s going to be faithful. She has already made the decision to stand by her man before a circumstance posed the question.
That’s how God is about you. He’sfirm. He’s loyal. He made up His mind about you before the foundation of the world. Regardless of who has betrayed you and what promises they didn’t keep, God is firm in His commitment to you. Circumstances don’t cause Him to rethink His position. Even if you, like me, have made multiple trips to the pit, His affection for you is unwavering. He’s all yours if you want Him.
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