HUMBLE FAITH = CONFIDENT LIVING

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.  The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me (Psa. 116:5-6 NAS).  Often it’s in those times we are “low” and humbled that we see life in its simplest form.  And we realize that we’re responsible for some of its complications and some of our problems.  But it may be then that we are ready and willing to receive the Lord’s grace and compassion.  It’s when we’re low on answers, low on solutions, low on encouragement, low on strength – that we will look to the Lord to save us.  And He does.  Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you (Psa. 116:7 NAS).

I believed when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”  I said in my alarm, “All men are liars” (Psa. 116:10-11 NAS).  Choosing to believe God through the good times and the bad is the issue.  Our troubles and pain do not define our faith.  They refine it.  The palmist is saying that he still believed God when he was “greatly afflicted.”  He still believed God though he felt alarmed at the lack of integrity of people.  Dishonest people don’t make God a liar.  And our emotional response to trouble and dishonest people doesn’t define our faith in God. 

What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?  I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.  I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people (Psa. 116:12-14 NLT).  How can we thank the Lord for His goodness and salvation?  The psalmist mentions three things we can do:

1) Offer the cup of salvation to others.  Invite others to take the salvation Jesus offers.  Hand the cup to someone you know.

2) Praise the Lord.  Give credit to Him.  Worship Him in your daily living.  Call upon Him for continued strength from Him.

3) Keep our commitments to the Lord.  We choose to be faithful to God.  We choose to keep the commitments we’ve made to obey, to serve, to give.  Yes God expects us to make commitments.  It’s called trust.  God expects us to be responsible with what He entrusts to us, and for us to be responsible we must commit ourselves to it.  

And we are to be responsible with our commitment to the Lord “in the presence of all His people.”  We need one another in order to stay responsible and strong in our commitments.  Accountability and grace and truth, shared with one another, strengthen our resolve.  As we trust God by keeping the commitments we’ve made, we say “thank You” to Him.