When I think of David—the shepherd, musician, poet, soldier, and king—I see an honorable man who put all of his hope in the right place. This place is also referred to as the “secret place” because it is not known to this world.¹ It is not a place that can be seen or touched; it is not a place where you find worldly riches. It is a place unrecognizable by the lost of this world, those blinded by Satan, the “god of this evil world,”² because, if the lost found the “secret place,”³ they would find nothing of this world.

David did not put his hope in finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow or the lottery ticket purchased at the gas station. He did not put his hope in his own strength, in his status or authority, or in his gifts or abilities. David did not put his hope in the size of his armies, the number of weapons, or the training of his soldiers. David, from the time he was a shepherd boy, knew that his hope could only be placed in the Person who knew him as His own, the Father of all creation, the Maker of heaven and earth and the only source of life, the Almighty God—who also created you. As a boy, David spent many days and nights shepherding his father’s sheep, protecting them from going astray and becoming lost, and keeping predators from them. David, when he encountered a bear attacking his flock, trusted in God for His strength to overcome this predator of life.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight this Philistine!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!”

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defiled the armies of the living God! The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!

Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the LORD be with you!”⁴

We encounter numerous predators of life in this world. Some are obvious that even a fool will avoid, others are disguised, “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”⁵ On the surface it looks benign, safe, or without malice, but underneath the glitz and marketing glamour, the predators of this world are as real and powerful as the bear that attacked David’s flock.

“Beware of false prophets, who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.”⁶

Most of us, however, ignore the reality of the consequences of letting these predators in our lives. Yet, it is these insidiously entrenched sources of perdition that we put our hope! Think about it! Where do the people of this world go for their entertainment in hope of finding joy? In what do we “invest” billions of dollars in hope of receiving abundance? To whom do we let our eyes observe in hope of finding fulfillment for the gaping hole of loneliness resulting from unloving and broken relationships? In whom do we revere, look up to, and use as guidelines for the values and moral standards of this world in hope of finding freedom? These are the predators of this world today, analogous to the bears of David’s shepherding days: Hollywood and its decadent sister, music and video entertainment; gambling and its thieving brother, the lottery; and pornography and its cunning cousin, “NC-17 - Adults Only” labeled movies.

Wait a minute! Do any of these predators have you our your children clutched at the throat, or are you about to blow it off by thinking, I’m not a victim of these things! And that thought—or any thought short of a lightening bolt of conviction and condemnation—is what the predators of today hope that we are trusting in to find love, joy, freedom and abundance. They continue to march through our lives and the lives of our children unnoticed as a wolf devouring the minds and hearts of God’s people—His creation.

Stop a moment! Collect yourself from reacting in defense of your lifestyle and ask yourself this question, If I were to die today and standing before God—my Creator—and He asked me this question, “Why should I let you in My heaven?” What would you say? How would you feel? If in your heart right now, your response to Him has the meaning of these words—I trusted in You and Your Son, Jesus, for my hope of eternal life in heaven with You, and while I lived in the world after I accepted Your Son, Jesus, as my Savior, I gave my life to Him and diligently pursued and removed the predators, the sin of my lifestyle, and I placed my hope for love, joy, freedom, and abundance in life in Christ Jesus, Your Son, my Lord—then you will not be ashamed.

A Psalm of David

A prayer for defense, guidance, and pardon.

As we trust in God, He grants these same requests for us.⁷

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

Indeed, let no one who waits on you be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Show me your ways, O LORD;

Teach me your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me.

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindness,

For they are from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;

According to Your mercy remember me,

For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD;

Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

The humble He guides in justice,

And the humble He teaches His way.

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,

To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

For Your name’s sake, O LORD,

Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

Who is the man that fears the LORD?

Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

He himself shall dwell in prosperity,

And his descendants shall inherit the earth.

The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him,

And He will show them His covenant.

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,

For I am desolate and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart have enlarged;

Bring me out of my distresses!

Look on my affliction and my pain,

And forgive all my sins.

Consider my enemies, for they are many;

And they hate me with cruel hatred.

Keep my soul, and deliver me;

Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I wait for You.

Praise to Our Father for the words He has given me. ~Jeff Cambridge

Written June 24, 2004

Footnotes

Verses marked NIV are Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society. “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by International Bible Society.

1. 2 Corinthians 2:7

2. 2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT

3. Matthew 13:11-17 NLT, Mark 4:11-12 NLT, Luke 8:10 NLT, 1 Corinthians 2:6-9 NLT

4. 1 Samuel 17:32-37 NLT italics added

5. 2 Corinthians 11:14

6. Matthew 7:15-20

7. Psalm 25

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Monday, February 22, 2016

In God We Trust

A Psalm of David

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