Psalm 112:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 112:7  

“He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” – Psalm 112:7      

One of the things we need to always remember, as Christians, is that we have nothing to fear when we trust in the Lord.  Lets look at the verses prior to this to fully understand the context by which our focus verse is written.  For if we understand and apply its message, we can live in peace no matter our circumstances. 

The author starts with, “Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.” Psalm 112:1-3.  He is saying here that blessed, or happy, is the one who fears the Lord, who love to obey His commandments and delights in His ways.  We see this same idea in psalm one, where the writer states, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2.  Those who fear God and follow His ways are blessed of the Lord. 

Next, we read, “Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever.”  Psalm 112:4-6.  When hard times come, which they will, God will save him through the difficult times, not necessarily from them.  The righteous may still get sick or be bereaved by the loss of someone close.  Or they may lose property either by  theft or legal issues.  However, all will work out to those who trust in the Lord.  Paul put it this way in his letter to the Romans.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.  And also, the righteous will be gracious and helpful whenever needed, with God providing the means of the assistance he will provide.

And because of all this, if we delight in Him and His laws and commands, the fact is we are blessed by God almighty, He will be with us and protect us no matter what happens.  And even though things do not look good, we must go beyond how we perceive our situation and trust God has it under control.  As our focus verse states, “He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:7.  We have no reason to fear evil that comes our way because God has this.  Our hearts should be steadfast in the reality that we can trust Him that He is taking care of us, no matter what it looks like.  We should do as the writer of Proverbs put it.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Proverbs 15:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 15:16 

“Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.” – Proverbs 15:16  

This verse sometimes has been looked at in the wrong way.  It is not saying the poverty is better the affluence.  I have heard of many wealthy individuals who are quite content with humble goods.  The founder of Walmart, Sam Walton is a great example of what I am referring to. He was considered one of the richest, if not the richest man. In the United States.  At the time of his death in 1992, he had a net worth was around 6 billion dollars.  That was a good chunk of change back then.  However, it is said that he did not flaunt it.  He would drive a pickup around, many times simply wearing jeans and a shirt.  And, he served as an Elder and Sunday School teacher at his church, teaching high school age students.  And it is said he also was very generous in his giving, too.

Now, too often, people look at what they have and are discontent because they do not have all that they want.  Many times, however, they can be discontent not have all that others have as well.  I have known many people who desire to be seen as rich, and therefore spend an exorbitant amount of money in the process.  Unfortunately, the really do not have the money, so they go deeply into debt.  They buy a Jaguar instead of a Chevrolet, and a mansion instead of a simple house.  What does this do?  It causes them to be anxious as the bills start to pile up, and many times they are unable to retire at a reasonable age because of the immense debt they have compiled.

This is what the writer of our focus verse is speaking about.  “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and turmoil with it.” Proverbs 15:16.  It is not wealth and affluence that truly satisfies, it is communion and fellowship with God, living a life pleasing to Him, and giving Him the praise and worship, He is worthy of.  Things may satisfy for a season, bur soon they lose their luster, and we need to get more things to satisfy us again.  And this goes on and on and on.  Unless we choose to find our satisfaction in the one who made us, loves us, and has an incredible eternal future planned for us which we cannot even begin to understand.  As Paul said, “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9.  And He has already revealed them to us through His Spirit. “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10.  However, we must have our eyes open to what God is telling us. 

Worldly treasures can be good, as long as they are kept in their place.  They should never usurp God’s place in our lives.  They can never satisfy us the way He can.  In fact, they can be the cause of many troubles in our life.  So, keep this is mind as you go about your business.  Having a few things with the love and fear of God in your life, is far better than a life without Him. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.