Down, but Not Out

I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. Psalm 31:6-8

God has seen all of it. All of your hesitations. Your unbelief. Your drama.

God has seen all of your afflictions and distress deep down in your soul.

YET – He has chosen to keep you close.

He has chosen to keep you safe.

He has kept His commitment to you.

What afflictions are we talking about? What distress? The Psalm doesn’t say.

It could be literal physical sickness. It could be enemies surrounding the camp.

It could be death building within his heart. The affliction could be wrapped up in unbelief deep within.

But it doesn’t matter. The reasons don’t exist or matter because God chooses to keep his servant close.

He does not deliver him into the hand of the enemy even though afflictions and distress present themselves.

Not only does God keep him safe, he increases his safety by setting his feet in a secure place.

Making him even more secure.

This truth is yours, too.

Look around. God has protected you from so much.

You could have wandered away from Him, but here you sit.

He has protected your very soul from death!

The enemy is not victorious, but crushed.

God has won, is winning, and will win.

Thank Him for seeing your afflictions. The distress deep within.

And thank Him for keeping you close, raising you up out of it all.

How has God set your feet in a broad place, despite the afflictions of your heart?

Photos by Pascal Debrunner, Jordan WhittBen Hartley, & Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash

Not for Sale

With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes. Psalm 108:13

Seen the movie Sound of Freedom yet?

It was new this past week. Opened on July 4th.

That’s when we saw it. Powerful film.

It’s a true story about saving trafficked children.

The first one he saves at the U.S. border.

Shocking our beloved country is one of the top 3 destinations for child trafficking.

Worldwide, it’s a 150 billion dollar yearly business.

Ever chosen to attend a movie that begs for respect?

Like not your typical movie?

Read about a young reporter once, who attended a Holocaust movie premier with several survivors.

He was questioned about bringing popcorn to munch as the topic was horrific.

That was me the other day.

Sitting in the movie Sound of Freedom, my husband and I brought nothing.

Water, yes, but that was it. I just couldn’t imagine enjoying food while viewing what I was about to see.

The older couple beside us had a giant container of popcorn and two sodas.

To hear them crunching popcorn while watching the big screen swallow children into oblivion was a stunning contrast.

At one point, the older lady simply said, “Wow”.

I agree.

While I’m not here to judge anyone eating popcorn at a movie, it speaks to something larger.

What is your reaction to sin?

To the injustice of over 1.2 million children trafficked each year, adding to the already insane numbers?

Is your reaction to pat yourself on the back, knowing you are not participating?

Or is it to support the movie, forgetting about it when the credits roll?

Or will you allow it to change you, causing you to seek ways to make a difference?

As Psalm 108 reminds us, when we partner with God, He will destroy our foes.

I for one, have seen enough.

Partner with God to trample not only the enemies we see, but the ones we know exist.

Joined together, we can echo the truth God’s children are not for sale.

Sound of Freedom trailer link

Tim Ballard apple podcast link (movie is about his true story)

Get involved options link

Photos by Annie SprattSusie Ho, Nehal Patel, & Aaron Burden on Unsplash