This morning I reached Psalm 125 in my study of the Psalms of Ascent in Stepping Up:
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion.
It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.
Jerusalem—the mountains surround her.
And the LORD surrounds His people,
both now and forever.The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.
Do what is good, LORD, to the good,
to those whose hearts are upright.
But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the LORD will banish them with the evildoers.Peace be with Israel. (HCSB)
Those who "trust" in the LORD are like mountains that cannot be shaken. Beth tells us that the Hebrew word translated as "trust" is batach. It is defined as being "confident, secure, sure."
Security is a big thing for Beth. More accurately, insecurity is a big thing for her, and it is a big thing for me, too. For her it was abuse as a child; for me it was growing up without a father (he died when I was 4 months old). Insecurity has led me down many a wrong path as I looked to feel secure. Beth says:
"You would be surprised to know how many people who seem to have it all together are chronically insecure. Though insecurity can be rooted in all sorts of experiences, I have a feeling that many of us share the same one. When key people in your formative years were supposed to bring you security but brought insecurity instead, you inherit a tremor in your soul that is impossible to naturally still. Add to it all the times you let yourself down and fail to measure up like I did, and naturally speaking, you’re a piece of earth in a constant quake."
In the natural, I suffer from insecurity a lot. It shows up most often in relation to my writing. It doesn’t matter how many books I’ve written, I continue to be unsure of my abilities, to feel myself on unsteady grounds. The slightest thing can knock me for a loop, even though I know that I know that I know that God called me to write for Him. Brandilyn Collins has written a seven part post on her blog about the book, Art & Fear. I bought it and hope to find time to read it as soon as I’m finished judging books for the RITA Award.
Do you suffer from insecurity in some area or areas of your life? If so this exercise might be of help to you as it was for me. Take the first verse of Psalm 125 and replace "trust" with each of the definitions (confident, secure, sure), then describe what that means in the Lord. Here are my answers:
- Those who [are confident] in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.
- Describe confidence in the Lord: Trusting Him no matter my circumstances.
- Those who [are secure] in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.
- Describe security in the Lord: Feeling safe, knowing He watches over me.
- Those who [are sure] in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.
- Describe being sure about the Lord: Knowing without a doubt that He will do what He says He will do and that He is who He says He is.
I praise God this morning for these reminders. Trusting in Him makes me into a mountain that cannot be shaken. I pray that I will remember this the next time the enemy tries to tempt me to go down the insecurity path. God has proven Himself able to stop the quaking earth when I look to Him with trust, in confidence, with security, and in absolute assurance.
In the grip of His grace,
Robin
