Psalm 16:11

During the last few years, we have been busy starting a brand new church. It is an exciting time. We have learned the books of the Bible together and all the basics needed for Christian growth. Every month we learn a new verse together.

Memorizing is so important, but as I have watched the faces of our ladies and as I have had a bigger challenge memorizing verses in Portuguese, I have realized that memorizing isn't enough. We need to inculcate the truths of those verses.

I love the word inculcate. Whether used in English or Portuguese, it makes me sound intelligent. The root of inculcate comes from a Latin word which originally meant “to press into something with your heel.” Today Lexico.com defines the word as “to instill an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction." Dailywritingtips.com defined it as "to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions, to urge on or fix in the mind, to cause a person to become impressed or instilled with something."

Last month we learned one of my very favorite verses, Psalm 84:11: "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." This verse has a lot of special meaning for me, but what does it mean to a new believer? How do I inculcate these special promises to my dear sisters in Christ?

First, the psalmist describes who God is! "For the Lord God is a sun and shield.”

God is a sun.

I asked our ladies, “How is God a sun?” One said, “He is so big!” Yes, we sing that with our kids. “My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty. There is nothing my God cannot do!” We can think of big words here, like omniscient: God knows everything! God is omnipresent: He is in all places. God is omnipotent: He is all powerful.

As the planets, comets, asteroids, and satellites spin around the sun, so God is the center of everything. He is our creator. He brings order and light to a dark world and to a heart darkened with sin. He brings new life and hope for a new day.

He can also be compared to the sun in that He exposes what we are really made of. The closer we walk with the Lord, the more we realize how very wicked our hearts are and how very vulnerable we are. Here in Brazil, we are close to the Tropic of Capricorn. I have seen plastic crumble in my hand because of being stored in the heat. We need the protection of consistently wearing sun glasses and sunscreen. How very true of God! We cannot enter His presence without the righteousness of Jesus applied to our hearts at salvation.

God is a shield.

There is a vast difference in the size of the sun and the size of a shield carried by a human. Think of a shield as very specific protection for very specific parts of our bodies - like the heart or mind. God is a shield. If we let Him, He protects us from the lies of the devil and our own wickedness. Lies about our salvation, value, protection, and more. There is a whole book on lies women believe!

In Ephesians 6:16, we are told: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Satan, the enemy of our souls, is out to destroy. He hates God's beautiful creation, mankind. Once we are saved, we are safe within the hands of God. We cannot lose our salvation, but we can certainly lose our testimony. Death is our last enemy. We were made to live forever. Jesus conquered death and because of Him, we too will be resurrected! I Corinthians 15:57 says: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Next let's look at what God gives us.

God gives grace.

1. He gives grace by being approachable. In the book of Esther, we see that "when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near and touched the top of the sceptre." Remember if King Ahasuerus had not held out the golden sceptre, Esther would have perished! Again, because of Jesus, we can enter into the presence of a Holy God. When God looks at me, He doesn't see my sinful heart. He sees the breastplate of righteousness, which is Jesus.

2. He gives me "unmerited favor.” God gives each of us what we do not deserve. He gives power to do right when we are weak. He gives us unspeakable beauty in His creation and His blessing every single day. We could never be good enough to earn this grace. It is given freely.

God gives Glory.

I am sure when I get to heaven I am going to say, “Glory! I don't have a sin nature anymore!” I Corinthians 2:9 says, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." We cannot imagine the gift of glory! We need to live life with eternity in view, because that is what really counts.

What does God not give us?

No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

God wants to bless us. As a mom, I love to buy gifts for my kids. I pray about and look for ways to bless them and encourage them. This is just a small picture of the heart of God. He wants to bless us; He wants to encourage us. He gives us good gifts.

When I met my husband, there was an immediate attraction, but there were many complications. He was going to be a missionary to Japan, but I wanted to go to Brazil. I began to pray, “Lord, if this is a good thing and it is from You, please open that door. I know if you don't open that door, it is not a good thing for me.” It took some time, but the Lord continued to show that my wonderful husband was a "good thing."

Recently, I wanted to go see my newest Prince Charming - my second grandson who is one year old and my newest grandson who will be born any day. Any international travel is very complicated, but during this Covid time period, it is even more so. As my husband and I prayed about this, it became clear that the Lord was saying no. Right now, that is not a good thing.

Ladies, sometimes during certain time periods we may get a lot of “No!” We cannot get discouraged, but we can trust our Heavenly Father. After all, He is the Lord of Hosts, and He says in verse 12, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”

Looking at the very end of this verse, here is a promise to those that walk uprightly. What exactly does that mean? Do we measure up? Do you ever feel that you will never measure up? First, this is the person who is made righteous by the blood of Jesus. This is also a person who sees sin as God sees it. Do we mourn when we sin because we have offended a Holy God and possibly our brethren? Are we sincere in our walk with the Lord? Do we put a distance between ourselves and our sin? In Psalm 18:23, the psalmist says, "I have kept myself from my iniquity." Repentance is a mark of those who walk uprightly.

The Lord God is a sun and shield. He is God, glorious and big. He brings me order, light, and life. He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He protects my heart and mind, if I let Him. He wants to bless me. In HIs love, he opens doors that are good and closes doors that are not good for me at that time. Because of Jesus, I can trust in God, come right into His presence, and live a life of victory. Glory!