And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
- Matthew 14:23
While enjoying a rare time of complete privacy, it occurred to me how valuable such time is and how unwise it is that we spend so little time alone. We might think it a terrible waste of time for the Lord to be totally separated from all company. We tend to think the Lord’s every moment would be better spent in teaching or healing; and surely if any man should ever live without time to himself, it would be our Savior.
Perhaps we consider our time wasted if we are not engaged in some activities which promote something to our profit or entertainment. We live life in the fast lane; after all it’s the 21st century. We justify ourselves by thinking we don’t have time to think slowly and methodically.
Thousands of decisions are made every day, and sadly most of them are made without any thought. It is impossible to give due consideration to anything without this precious alone time. Peter committed a grave error of which he considered himself incapable, and it was not until he thought thereon that he saw his deeds in their true perspective and wept – Mark 14:72.
King David said I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies – Psalms 119:59. How different things would be if we took time alone for prayerful thought as Jesus did. Our Lord was not a hermit and neither are His people. He went about everywhere doing good – Matthew 4:23, and tirelessly conducted His Father’s business saying, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work – John 9:4.
We also have business to attend to, but how we ought to prize, as He did, the opportunity to commune with our Father in heaven. We enjoy worshiping publicly, but more private worship would greatly improve our public worship. It was when Jacob was left alone, Genesis 34:24 that he met the Son of God and was never the same again.
We hear of the precious Lord Jesus Christ who shed His priceless blood to wash us from our sins, yet how seldom do we quietly meditate upon His Person and grace without distraction or interruption and sweetly commune with Him? Surely He is worthy of our alone time, and we are our own enemy if we neglect the thing that will enrich all other hours.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.
Tags: Accountibility, Baptists, Beliefs, Bible, Christianity, Church Growth, Church Planters, Doctrine, Eternal Life, Expository Preaching, Faith, Family, Family Values, God, Godly Faithfulness, Landmark Baptists, Godly Responsibility, God’s Word, Pastors, Pastor’s Wives, Preachers, Religion, Scripture, Separation, The Cross, The Cross of Christ, Theology, Worship
A Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
- Psalms 27:1 (KJV)
God blessed Israel during the reign of David, and she was established as a world power during his reign. David was a mighty man among men, and could have chosen the course of self-exaltation like many of Israel’s kings who followed him. David was an accomplished man, but he was even more accomplished spiritually.
We should take note of the spiritual condition of our own lives on a daily basis, and some direction is given in this verse to help us find the foundation for a successful and positive outlook. Although David was a powerful man, he remained humble during his reign.
David praises the Lord for his courage, and gives Jehovah all of the credit. David proclaims the Lord is his light, his salvation, and the strength of his life. In this verse, David praises God and attributes three primary blessings he has received from God. These blessings are the basis for a positive outlook in our service to God.
The Lord is the author of our light. The Hebrew word for “light” literally means illumination in every sense, including the sun, lightning, and happiness. In Revelation 22:16 we read, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” We see ironically enough that Jesus comes through the lineage of David, and Jesus is the bright and morning star. He gives us a clear path, a lighted one, when we seek His guidance. The Lord is our light of understanding when we lose our way. In Psalms 119:103-104 we learn, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” The Lord is our light of hope when we are in despair. The Lord is our light of happiness. The only true happiness is an intimate relationship with God. We can look for happiness in status, money, and pleasing man; but we will only find true happiness in pleasing God. We find in Proverbs 3:13, “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”
The Lord is the author of our salvation. Surely our own goodness cannot be our salvation. This salvation comes by the grace of God. The writer of Hebrews described Jesus in chapter five and verse nine, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” Surely we have nothing to fear if we possess the salvation of the Lord for it is eternal. It is often taught by many false teachers that salvation is a work in progress, but in this verse we find salvation is not dependent upon any work we may undertake. The Bible does not present any guidelines for attaining salvation apart from believing God gave his Son as a substitute for our sins. Here we find the Lord is my salvation. Faith and trust in Jesus as your Saviour intimates an obedience and diligence to do His will while we live on this earth. If it were not for the Lord and the great things He has done, penitents would have no salvation. The Hebrew word for salvation literally means deliverance, safety, or prosperity. We are delivered from condemnation through the Lord. Salvation is a word of finality. Salvation can be compared to a rescue in that once someone is rescued, they are secured. David did not say, “My great army is my salvation!” On the contrary David said, “The Lord is my salvation!” We learn the effect of salvation is courage to face many of life’s difficult challenges.
The Lord is the author of the strength of our lives. We are all driven by something which gives us our strength. Many want to rely on their family, career, or possessions for the strength of their lives. We will see later in this chapter an example of how unreliable our family can be compared to the reliability of God. David did not say, “My royal status is the strength of my life”, but he said, “The Lord is the strength of my life.” As mentioned earlier, David was a powerful man, and he owed this strength to God. We find in Jeremiah 17:5, “Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.”
For these things, who or what should we fear? Here is a great application for any believer. When we have the Lord as our light, salvation, and strength, we have nothing to fear. God gives us a clear path to carry us in our daily walk. God gives salvation to any that make such a request. Paul wrote in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Salvation gives us the contentment we many times need when we fear what lies beyond death. In addition, salvation will give us the reassurance of a purposeful life. God gives us strength in our life we cannot receive from any other source. Our friends and family may abandon us, but God gives us the strength to persevere when we are weak in body and spirit. David possessed these three attributes because of the grace of God. Believers should thank God everyday for the simple things which are often overlooked. Many times these simple things are taken for granted, and believers forget God is on their side. What have I to fear?
Post Author: John J. Bagby, II