PSALM 11
"In the Lord I take refuge and put my trust;
how can you say to me, Flee like a bird to your mountain?
Rocky Mountain Landscape
(1870)
Albert Bierstadt
(1830-1902)
For see, the wicked are bending the bow; they make ready their arrow
upon the strong, that they furtively in darkness may shoot at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed, what can the unyieldingly righteous do,
or what has He, the Righteous One, wrought or accomplished?
The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven. His
eyes behold; His eyelids test and prove the children of men.
The Lord tests and proves the unyieldingly righteous, but His soul
abhors the wicked and him who loves violence.
Upon the wicked He will rain quick burning coals or snares;
fire, brimstone, and a dreadful scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is rigidly righteous, He loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold His face, He beholds the upright.
The beautiful mountain landscape painting by American artist,
Albert Bierstadt is currently on display in the White House.
It not only reminds me of the majesty of God's creation, but
that the Lord is a mighty Fortress of comfort and strength
in the heart of the believer, especially in these troubling times
in our nation today. As an avid gardener, I know that taking special
care to protect the root systems of the flowers and other plants
in my garden is paramount to their survival. I believe the
same can be said for the roots, or foundation of a nation too.
America was founded on the Word of God.
The first bands of Christian refugees who struggled ashore
here after weeks of uncertainty crossing the stormy waters of the
Atlantic from England several centuries ago were the first settlers
to plant seeds of praise and humble thanksgiving to our
Heavenly Father upon reaching dry land again.
It was the unshakable faith in the hearts of these men and
women, many of whom remain unknown to history, which
constructed the complex, yet, sturdy root system that would
one day uphold what became the United States of America.
In his famous sermon, "A Model Of Christian Charity"
the Reverend John Winthrop, a leading figure in the Massachusetts
Bay Colony admonished his listeners: "For we must Consider
that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all peoples are
upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work
we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help
from us, we shall be made a story and byword through the world."
I can almost believe that this man's words were a prophetic vision,
a glimpse of the future reality of America, for what he wrote,
especially in regards to our nation being, "a byword through the world"
has a definite ring of truth in these ever increasing dark days.
There is talk of a "resistance movement" against our current president and
his administration. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, the time
is now for the "resistance" to be met head on by the "remnant"
or those who know that it can only be a mighty resurgence of the true,
Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-led faith that will save our nation
from spiritual and physical decay at the hands of our enemies.
Our pilgrim ancestors were steeped in the necessity of the power of intercessory
prayer. They relied on the daily instruction and wisdom found in God's Word
in order to build the foundation of the greatest nation on the face of the earth.
We need to make their necessity our own.
"Do not be misled, my beloved brethren. Every good gift is
from above; it comes down from the Father of all that gives light,
in the shining of Whom there can be no variation, rising or setting,
or shadow cast by His turning as in an eclipse.
And it was of His own free will that He gave us birth
as children by His Word of Truth, so that we should be
a kind of firstfruits of His creatures, a sample of
what He created to be consecrated to Himself."
James 1:16-18
Fall On Your Knees
Zemer Levav
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