PHM Monthly Connect | Feb 2020

“So God has given us both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence/” (Hebrews 6:18 NLT).

The two unchangeable things are the promises of God (for it is impossible for God to lie) and the oath by which God’s promises are confirmed. Our hope and sustained peace is fixed after the eternal order of God. In God’s order, His promises are made in perpetuity to His people. They have been secured for believers by Jesus Christ.

How often, in difficult times have we heard someone say, “I need hope. I feel unsettled. So much is going on. What will happen if…?” How many times have we surrendered our peace to “if”? John Calvin, the reformist of the early sixteenth century wrote, “As the anchor joins the vessel with the earth, so the truth of God is a bond that connects us with Him. Thus when united to God, though we struggle with storms, we are still beyond the peril of shipwreck.”

“The Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalms 119:105). The Fenton translation reads, “lights my steps and enlightens my paths.” The BB translation says, “…ever shining on my way.” The Psalmist makes an excellent point in this verse. A lamp is used at night; a light (sun) shines in the day. The Word covers both situations. We must always focus on God’s truth when our paths are uncertain. The Word will show us the way. We love to have formulas for solving our problems; six steps to …. or twelve steps to… But when our peace is threatened, our focus is blurred and we forget those six or twelve steps, the Word will always light our paths.

In times or uncertainty, we need to rely on God’s truth. The Word we read last year will not sustain us in a current trial or storm. Just as we need to walk life’s path daily, we must also be shining or applying the light of God’s Word to that path every day. That light, God’s Word in the darkness of uncertainty, is the light, we will be directed by His Word, drawn into His presence, sustained by His peace, and filled with His hope. The storms of life may come, but we will have sustaining peace because we are anchored to an immovable object- the throne of God. We will be held fast by His presence, His peace, and His Word.