Bible Studies

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We are in a precarious position here. We have found just enough energy to enlist in the battle against evil. It would make slaves of us if we let it, but in some ways we are worse off than before. We have declared our position where before we were hidden. We have gained an enemy where once we were neutral and we have become a threat that will no longer go unnoticed.

We will need more energy to survive in this environment. We are seeds and the ground is stony but there is no turning back. There is no more time for preparation, so we must do the best we can with what we have and trust that we will be given what we need by the path itself. Whether we trust our faith or not does not change anything, we must go on. It is a kind of freedom that can be gained in no other way, and it is only the beginning.





31. The Lifelong Path

Lord, I put my trust in You. You will never let me down and your truth will show me the way. Hear me in my trouble and deliver me quick, for You are my strength and my safe refuge. You are the rock that I stand on and my fortress. For the glory of your name lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the traps they have set for me, for only You have the strength.

I put my life in your hands, O Lord, and You energized me with the truth. I can’t abide those who lie for their own gain, my only trust is in You. I will be glad and rejoice always, for in your mercy You remembered me in my time of trouble. You did not allow my enemies to hold me, You set me free and showed me the glory of your power.

Have mercy on me Lord, I am in trouble again. I am so sorry that my grief is consuming me. My life is used up with it, for years I have suffered. My energy fails because of my weakness, my bones won’t hold me up. All my enemies said I was wrong and my friends did too. They turned the other way when they saw me coming. They have put me out of their thoughts like a broken jar or a dead person.

I have listened to their slander and seen their fear. They have talked about me and devised ways to change my way of life. But I have trusted in You, O Lord. You are my God. Who and what I am is in your hands and my time is coming. Free me from the power of my enemies and from those who trouble me. Make your face visible to your servant and let me be a shining example of the power of your mercy.

Don’t let me down, Lord, for I have called on You. Let the wicked be ashamed and make them silent in their graves. Stop their lying lips from proudly wounding the righteous who speak the truth. You have stored great power and virtue for those who fear your strength, which You have saved for those who trust You above all men.

You shall make us safe in your hidden presence from the pride of men. Our home shall be in your hidden pavilion where lies and trouble do not come. Great is the Lord who showed me his strong city. I was in a hurry and was afraid You might not see my need but there was no cause for worry, You heard my prayer.

Love the Lord, all you who would do his will, for He preserves the faithful and gives great reward to those who work hard for Him. Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart, all who wait for Him.






We are weak and will always be weak. We cannot grow or even survive by our own power. We do well for a time and gain a little, then think we can stand on our own. By our failures we learn the lesson over and over again. “For the glory of your name lead me and guide me,” it says, like in Psalm 23 where we are led in paths of rightousness for His name’s sake. We become a shining example of what being near to God affords but our friends put us out of their thinking like a dead person or a broken jar. We gain access by trust but it seems like nobody wants to hear about it and we feel betrayed.

The power comes to us and all we need to feel is the joy of praising the One who gives it. This is not the kind of power they know: they only care about the power over one another that desire and fear can produce. They nurture human weakness, they pander to it so they can exploit it for their gain.

We are working to overcome weakness and are gaining the power to control our actions. We are still in the cycles of three with each leading into the next, and this lesson is about the feelings that produce actions. We trust God’s strength; it is our refuge and we appeal to Him by upholding the glory of his name. Our Father’s will is to interact with his people and by our combined will we praise him and declare the truth of his power. Things begin to happen in the lives of those who trust that others cannot understand and there is no need to speak of them. We begin to build up a body of experience that cannot be denied.

Those who choose to disregard Him may flourish for a while at the expense of other men, but without the truth they cannot escape their graves. We are safe and feel secure when we are hidden from the pride of men, especially our own. In that hidden pavilion the lies and trouble of this world do not come. It is a private place of prayer and joyous praise and once you go there, a small part of yourself will never leave it. Like a cool sunrise at your favorite beach or a place among the trees of your youth it will always be a part of your long home. Love the One who makes it possible.

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