The Secret of Unshakeable Faith, Part 2
“I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”
Psalm 16:7-11 (NIV)
Would you like to have an unshakeable faith? The kind of trust a child has that is carefree with reckless abandon in your Heavenly Father, confident that regardless of the circumstances, He is in control and will work all things for your good as you remain rightly related to Him. This is what the Psalmist describes in Psalm 16:7-11 (NIV) when he writes, “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”
The secret to such unshakable faith is found here – “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” The reason our faith wavers is we shift our focus from Him to circumstances beyond our control. Yet, what is the worst that can happen? We die? Note that the Psalmists adds this promise, “You (God) will not abandon me to the realm of the dead….” Not even death can separate you from the care of Your Heavenly Father! How is that?
Paul, the apostle, used this same Messianic Psalm of David to prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in Acts 13:36-37 when he said, “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.”
The Old Testament offered only a shadow of the full light that Christ’s death and resurrection would reveal. This was the Good News of the New Covenant that transformed both Peter's and Paul’s lives and transforms ours today!
I love the way Dr. J. Vernon McGee outlines this Psalm:
In verse 8, we have the life of Christ. “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” That, my friend, was the pathway He followed down here, and it is the pathway I want to follow.
Then in verse 9 we have the death of Christ: “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.” He died there upon the cross, knowing that God would raise Him from the dead.
Then we have the resurrection of Christ in verse 10: “because You will not abandon Me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful one see decay.”
Then we have the ascension of Christ in verse 11: “You make known to Me the path of life; You will fill Me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”
What a comfort this Psalm brings to our hearts today! We can rest secure when we fix our eyes on Jesus, who died and rose again for us and one day is coming again to take us to our heavenly home! He is the central glory and joy of heaven! He will fill us with joy in His presence and eternal pleasures at His right hand! Until then, the Psalmist says, “You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory.” Psalm 73:24 (NIV)
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.