The Ohio Independent Baptist, October 2001

The NewsletterPromotingInt:erdependence Within The OhioAssociationofRegularBaptistChitrches Vol. 74 No. 5 October 2001 here Can We Go But To The Lord? In recent days our country has bent low in the winds of serious adversity. We have all been troubled by the terrorism, by man ' s inhumanity to man by the loss of human life, by the pain of surviving family members and fri end , by the mass destruction of publi c buildings, and by the conundrum ofwhat to do next in response. Political rhetoric and military strategy offer little in personal comfort and assurance. Financial help may rebuild buildings but cannot restore people to life and cannot prevent the life changes now forced on those bereaved of loved ones. One wonders how far all of thi s wiII go before the Lord 1--limself returns and makes all things right. Many questions press for an answer: How could this have happened here in our own country? I-l ow can people be so ruthle~s and "sold out" to fa lsehood? What other terrorism plans are being hatched aga inst us? I low wil I we ever find those responsible and bring then1 to j ustJce? But the 1no&t pressing questi on of all i&simply, ·· Where can ~t e go but to the l or<i "" That 's reall y not so irre levant or nai ve a question as 1t fir~t n1ight appear. Where can we: go to find personal peace, real safety, ult in1ate f r1endsh1p, lasting stability, wisdon1 to face a hostile environ1nent? And how about that ulti1natc cnen1y that stalk '-; all of u~which the New · csta1l1enl labels ai,, the .. last enen1y' '- death 1t se lJ'! r)oes the go, crn– n1ent or the n1il ita1y or our An1cr1can ..way of l i fe" supply an~\\ ers to the~e ulun1ute 4uc~lions? F'or these bu~ic 1cal1ltcs, ·If here can He go but Iv the l,4or,I? '' Such was David' mentali ty when he faced the fearsome and sen ele s rebellion of his own son, Ab atom. Feeling completely "at ri k" and abandoned, he turn to the Lord and rerninds himselfof all that the Lord 1neant to him. Hence we, too, in a s imilar ituation, take comfort in the words he penned in Psalm 27. The Lord is the ans~ver to our fears, 27:1-3. David certainly had cau e for fea r- hi kingdom was cn1mbl ing around him, a was hi s fami ly. His heart wa broken and hi life wa in real danger. Dav id ' s enen1ic seemed to be getting stronger and tronger: "the wicked came...an am1y n1ay encamp...wa r n1ay ri e again t me." In other word , th ing eem to be going fron1 bad to wor e. Troub le were mult iplyi ng beyond irnagination. E en so David was confi dent that the Lord was the trength of hi life and that He would deliver hin1 from hi ' foes. "The Lore/ is Ill) ' lighL a,ui JJIJ ' sal, •ation; Whon1 shall I.fear! The Lor(/ is the s treng th oj .ntJ' 1(/e; Qf\,•hon1 shall I be a/i·aicl'! .. This is the c ·encc of peace, is it not? We can have a quiet confidence in the Lord despit e our in1n1ed iate circu1nstanccs. I like to think of it as a deep sense or "()K/\Yncss" \Vhich undcrgirds all other crnotion \Ve are feeling. Jl ac tually docs pa s a ll our unc.lcrstand1ng and buoys up our !:ipirtt in the n1idsl or danger. 1 he l.ord I l1 n1self allay~ our fears b 1 111~ pcr~onal prcsl!ncc \Vi th u~. TJ,e Lt>rtl i., tl, e 111,s•••er t,, ,,,, r i11sec11rif) 1, 2 7:4-6. We fear becaui.,c \\ C lcc l that ,, c arc dl 11~k; ,vc ,He C}.. poi.,cd and\ ulncrablc and need a h1d1ng plal:e . (>nl y the l nrd 111111-..cl I tan p1 otcct us lr on1 danger l,nd p10\ tJt• that place of safety we o de peratel y need and long for. Dav id longed to dwel l in the hou e of the Lord all hi day . "One thing have 1 llesire(,/ o.f .tl,e Lord. That 1ivill I eek; That I n1aJ 1 clivell in the hou e ofthe Lore/ all the daJ ·s o.f'n1_1 · li(e. To heholcl the beau I) ' o.f the Lore/, ancl to inquire in His ternple. For in the tin1e of· trouble H e shall hicle ,ne in His /Javilion,· In the secret of His tabernacle He shall hide nze; He shall set ,ne high ll/JOn a rock." He en ed tha t at the Te111ple in Jeru alem wa a afe harbor, an a 'ylun1 frorn life' s dangers, a place ,vhcrc God hawed Hi 111 elf trong on bchal f of those ,vho e heart were perfect to,vard Hin1. To be placed " high upon a rock" wa ' to be protected, to ga in the advan– tage over hi enen1ie ·. ucce · ful ,varfa rc in that tin1c depended on ,vho posse. scd the top. of the hills overlooking the vall eys. Those hi gh po. it ions could be defended fron1 a. sault and fron1 thcn1 the n1oven1cnt s of the cncn1y in the , aIlc 1 bclo, could be obscr cd an<l countered . Da, id fe lt that the Lord had pl aced h1 n1 111 such a po~1tion of strength. I le ,, as sc ·urc because the Lord had n1,1<lc h1n1 secure. The lJo rd had Ii ltcd up hi~ hc,1d abo, c his cncn1ics nll around hin1 . 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