October 24 - Psalm 118

October 24 - Psalm 118

Let the nations say, “His love endures forever.”

When I cried out, the Lord’s answer was to set me free (Psalm 118:5).

He is with me, so I won’t be afraid.  It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.  He is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

This Psalm is filled with words we find throughout the rest of scripture, words I have sung in praise songs throughout my life, and words which continue to inspire me to place my unfettered trust in the Lord.

I made the choice at the age of thirteen to commit my life to Jesus Christ. I thought there would be some huge, life-changing epiphany, but it was just a quiet moment between me and God.  I wrote the date down in the flyleaf of my Bible and continued to live my life.  I really wasn't all that different.  Before that day, I’d been a pretty good girl and had always known that I was a Christian, so it actually wasn't as big of a pronouncement as it had been for others.

See, I had known people who transformed their lives completely. I knew one woman who went down to the altar one week and when I saw her the next week in church, I didn't recognize her.  Everything about her was different: the way she carried herself, the hardness on her face was gone, an overwhelming amount of makeup was gone, her hair was different, and her clothing seemed different.  She was unrecognizable and the new person was better … much better. She had been set free of so much when she called out to the Lord. And she was now free to love. The Lord became her strength and her song ... He became her salvation.

I was a few years younger and still pretty naive about the world and didn't have all that much which would be outwardly visible as I released it.  What happened for me that day was the beginning of a life of trust. I think that moment was the beginning of me transferring my complete trust away from my parents to the Lord.  While they were always going to care for me and take care of me; I recognized that a lifelong relationship had begun … one which would be mine long after my parents were gone.

Through the years, I have had to release things which would bind me and each time, the Lord’s answer to me was freedom.  It is the Lord whom I trust. It is the Lord in whom I take refuge. I will trust His words and His way and His will long before I trust any human. I listen for Him as He fills my heart with song and my soul with strength. He will always be my salvation.

His love endures forever.