God bears you up

 Psalm 68:19–27 (ESV):  

19  Blessed be the Lord, 

who daily bears us up; 

God is our salvation. Selah 

20  Our God is a God of salvation, 

and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. 

21  But God will strike the heads of his enemies, 

the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways. 

22  The Lord said, 

“I will bring them back from Bashan, 

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 

23  that you may strike your feet in their blood, 

that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” 

24  Your procession is seen, O God, 

the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 

25  the singers in front, the musicians last, 

between them virgins playing tambourines: 

26  “Bless God in the great congregation, 

the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” 

27  There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, 

the princes of Judah in their throng, 

the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 

I like how this section begins, by reminding us that God is our salvation, no-one else. There is no other way - only God can save you. No resolution, diet, workout, plan, or change of mindset will actually save you. They may help you, give you intermittent or even sustained relief, but they cannot save you. Only God is salvation. If you want your life to change and you want to be saved from trouble, you need God and you can freely approach Him to ask Him to save you from your circumstances and from sin - He can and He will. Other things may give you relief, comfort, a bit of help for a while, but ultimate salvation comes from God, are you relying on Him for it?

Verse 19 also tells us that God, ‘daily bears us up’. He not only does the great work of saving you from disaster, despair and sin, but He bears you up, every day. This means that God supports, helps and encourages you, providing the bravery, resolve and inspiration needed each and every day. God does that for you, everyday He bears you up! I think we often overlook the incredible privilege of being beared up and the strength that it takes to do that. We can glory in the great miracle of salvation, signs and wonders, but do you express gratitude for the everyday miracle of being; held, supported, encouraged, emboldened and inspired? God does these things for you everyday. Take a moment to consider the last few days - how have you managed to get through them? What everyday occurrences and strength have you received from God Most High to help you? Where has God guided you, strengthened you, inspired you and given you courage or support? God has been bearing you up. Can you imagine what life would be like without Him doing so? 

God has lived through every day that has already been, and He is invested in your life today, so who better to rely upon each day?! This small section of psalm 68 tells us that God, ‘bears us up’, has delivered us from eternal death (v20), returns things to their rightful place (v22), strikes enemies and puts in front those who were once the least (v27). What an incredible God! One who does what seems to be impossible, who changes the order of things, who honours those who are overlooked and changes things around. This is the God who brings you salvation and bears you up! What an incredible privilege to do life with Him.

If you are waiting for transformation, situations to change, or righteousness to be seen, keep waiting. God ensures that His will and works prevail and He will bring you salvation and keep you going through the waiting too. So, keep blessing and honouring Him with your words and your works (v26). Worship Him as God Most High, as The King, for He brings about His purposes and whilst you wait for those to be seen, He will bear you up.

Zechariah 4:10 says, ‘Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin’. If you have been feeling disheartened, or been praying and waiting a long time for change, or life seems a bit dreary or difficult, be grateful and joyful for the ‘small beginnings’, the little, everyday impact that God has in your life. Thank Him for His salvation and bearing you up. God is doing small and big things, make sure you look out for them and develop gratitude for the small as well as the great. Whether it is having the energy to do something, inspiration in a project, time to complete something, a minute change in circumstances, or the strength to stand up for an issue or a person, God is helping you in each of these things. I know that sometimes I have felt exhausted and not known how to get through the day, so I have prayed that God give me the energy, strength and stamina that I have needed to get through. Do you know what? Every time God delivered! It may seem a small thing to you, but I am grateful that God has answered these prayers, and at the end of the day I thank Him for it, because I know that He has borne me up by supporting and strengthening me to do what was needed in my everyday life. He does the same for each of us.

Which ‘small beginnings’ are you grateful to God for today? Look out for how God bears you up today.