Slipping Feet Trusting Faith

            “If the Lord had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If I should say, ‘My foot has slipped,’ Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When My anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul” (Ps. 94:17-19).

The comfort of God’s abiding presence is a frequent theme in the psalms of David. When our lives are crowded with worry and it seems like we are helplessly slipping into a chasm, God will provide help to sustain us. David lived an unusual life, fraught with peril. His rise to power was marked by danger as King Saul frequently sought his life. And, when he finally took the throne, his reign was characterized by wars and conflict. He knew the threat of death from foreign enemies as well as from members of his own household. He experienced the heartache of betrayal. His own son, Absalom, usurped his throne. But, in spite of all its violence and hardship, David was able to look back and describe his life as one that had been blessed by the preventative grace of God. He writes, “If the Lord had not been by help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.”

We should be humbly grateful for the providential working of God in our lives—for those times when He rescued us from temptation or delivered us from trial. Some see God as far away—detached and disinterested. But, the true picture of God—the portrait He has painted for us in the Bible—reveals a God who wants to be our companion, helper, and friend. Admonishing us to trust in God rather than money, the author of Hebrews quotes David, saying, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid” (Heb. 13:6).

In the fullest sense, God can be our friend only as we seek to be His. Until such is our desire, friendship with God cannot be enjoyed. God expressed His desire for friendship with us by sending His only Son to die for us on the cross. How can we express our desire to be His friend? By obeying His teaching. Jesus says, “You are My friends, if you do what I command you” (Jn. 15:14).

God’s grace is available to everyone, but enjoyed only by those who place their trust in Him. Paul explains that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). Trusting faith places us in a position where we have access to God’s help and provision. When feeling overwhelmed, we should remember what God can do. Then, trust Him and seek in Him a friend who will never let us down.

~Glen Eliot