My times are in Thy hand

 ¹In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

 ²Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

 ³For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

 ⁴Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.

 ⁵Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

 ⁶I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.

 ⁷I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

 ⁸And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

 ⁹Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

 ¹⁰For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

 ¹¹I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

 ¹²I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

 ¹³For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

 ¹⁴But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.

 ¹⁵My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

 ¹⁶Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.

 ¹⁷Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

 ¹⁸Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

 ¹⁹Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

 ²⁰Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

 ²¹Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.

 ²²For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

 ²³O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

 ²⁴Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Psalm 31

 

To have faith is to have a rock upon which to stand at the worst of times. When the waves are higher than you’ve ever seen them. So high they block out the sun. When your world is in darkness. We’ve all been there or somewhere near haven’t we? On what do you rely at such times? Where do you find your rest? Your relief? What are you sure of? Friends? Family? Workmates? Your banker? Insurance? Your stock? Your laywer? The judge? The president? The pope? The rebel?

Who?

Only the Lord can help you. These days it’s ‘disrespectful’ to talk to people about what is probably the most important discussion of our existence. Our civilization has it such that it’s almost taboo to talk about something so important. Something so dear. Life. So when i say ‘only the Lord can help you’, many will frown and fold their faces. i only say it because it is the truth. A truth you can search for yourself, for free. A truth that is also a blessing, also free. My prayer is that all our eyes be opened more and more each day. To see things as they really are. To shatter the mirrors and freeze the images. Only the Lord can truly help you. All else is vanity. No one has loved you more. No one has even come close, but they do not want you to know this. They want you to frown at a divine love offered to all. To shun it and cast it away, as a foul tasting meal. To spit it out and rinse your mouths. Ha! The great lie.

But of course this is not by accident. These are the times we live in. As for me, my times are in Thy hand.