¹⁷     If the Lord had not been my help, 

           my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. 

¹⁸  When I thought, “My foot slips,” 

your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. 

¹⁹  When the cares of my heart are many, 

your consolations cheer my soul.  (Ps. 94:17-19)

I am not currently in the midst of what the Psalmist was experiencing - that of evildoers at work against him - taunting and persecuting.  However, these words are so powerful and real.  "If the Lord had not been my help..." - but the amazing reality is that for the child of God, He is!!  He is our help.  He is our security.  He is our treasure.  His steadfast love holds us up.  His consolations do cheer the soul.  Think of what he has done for you child of God.  Ponder the grace that has been bestowed on you through the sacrificial love of Christ.  

As I have been preaching through 1 Peter it has been so refreshing to read how Peter encouraged his readers in the midst of severe trials.  He starts his letter in such a majestic manner.  The verses below are actually what inspired the name of our church plant.  Read through them slowly and ponder what Peter writes.  (If you want to hear my sermon on this go here and pick the one on 1 Peter 1:3-5)  

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (1 Peter 1:3-5)

We have been born again to a living hope, to an inheritance that will never and can never be destroyed, that has not and cannot be defiled, and that will never lose its majestic beauty.  Not only that but it is kept for believers, who themselves are guarded by the God of grace.  

Let these consolations cheer your soul daily.  Let the gospel bring refreshment all your days.