Leaning On The Lord

 

Leaning On The Lord

The biggest thing to remember when going through trials and afflictions is to stay focussed on the Lord, and continually renew our minds with His precious promises. Doubt and discouragement come when we forget His perspective and we start looking at our situations through the eyes of fear, not faith.

A) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: Isaiah 26:3-4

"Stayed" in verse 3 means "to prop (literally or figuratively); reflexively, to lean upon or take hold of". It is a choice to lean on the Lord and stay focussed on Him. Take hold of Jesus and trust Him with your struggles, for it is in Him that you will find the strength you need, and the perfect peace that only comes through prayer.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

"Careful" means "anxious or worried." The word "keep" in verse 7 means, "to mount guard as a sentinel; to hem in, protect." If you consider that Satan's greatest attacks are against our minds, then the promise of God's perfect (complete) peace protecting and guarding our hearts and minds is a powerful promise indeed. The solution to discouragement, fretting, and worrying, is to give them all to the Lord in prayer, trusting in Him to answer them according to His perfect will.

B) Another passage that uses the same word in Hebrew (and same definition) as the word "stayed" above is: The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in His way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand. Psalm 37:23-24

The word "upholdeth" in verse 24 has the same meaning. If you let the Lord order and arrange your life, then even if you stumble or fall, the Lord will uphold you. You can trust the Lord with the good and bad in your life because, if you are His child, He is working all things together for your good. Because the Lord is working everything for your good, you can rejoice and be thankful for everything, even the trials in your life. (See Romans 8:28 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

C) When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. Psalm 94:18

The word "held" here means "support." The Lord's mercy is able to hold you up, to support you.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

The word "help" in verse 16 means literally to "run to the cry". Jesus has gone through the same types of trials and temptations that we all face, and therefore can sympathize with everything we could ever go through. If we will just cry out to Him in our time of need, He will run to our aid and provide the mercy and grace we need to persevere under this trial.

D) They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. Psalm 18:18

The word for "stay" here means "a support; a protector or sustenance." The Lord is our protector, our sustenance, and our support in times of calamity. Wait on Jesus to provide the strength you need to go through this calamity.

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

"Mount up" means "to rise, to ascend." If you wait on the Lord in prayer, He will give you the strength to rise above your problems, and to soar in the heavenly places with Him.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2

E) Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

"Cast" means "to throw out, down or away". Quit holding on to your burdens and trying to control the circumstances that are in your life. Instead, throw your burdens on the Lord Jesus because He loves you and knows what's best for you, even if you can't understand the reasons He allows certain trials into your life.

Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Throw your worries on the Lord and let Him deal with them. When doubts and fears knock on the door of your heart, send Jesus to answer them!

F) Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

The word here for "uphold" means to "sustain." Trust in the Lord, wait on Him in prayer, and He promises to give you the strength you need to sustain you and uphold you.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14

G) Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of Mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. Isaiah 50:10-11

The word "stay" in verse 10 means "to support one's self; lean, rely on, rest on." If you want perfect peace even in the midst of trials - when your way is dark and you can't understand why the Lord is allowing certain afflictions in your life - don't make your own way. Instead, look to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. Then trust in Him and lean on Him. The verse says "trust in the name of the LORD." In the Bible, a name is who a person is, what they represent. In the King James Bible, every time all the letters in the word LORD are capitalized, it means "Jehovah" - "I Am" - the eternal, self-existent God. (Exodus 3:14-15) The name of the LORD is I Am. Let Jesus be your everything. Let Him be your peace, your strength, your refuge, your shield, and your fortress. Let Him be your LORD!

When you are struggling, meditate on the nine compound names of Jehovah in the Old Testament and Jesus' seven I Am statements in the Gospel of John, and marvel at how the LORD meets every need you could possibly ever face.

The nine compound names and their translations into English are as follows:

1) Jehovah-Jireh, The LORD my Provider (Genesis 22:8,13-14)
2) Jehovah-Rapha, The LORD my Healer (Exodus 15:26)
3) Jehovah-Nissi, The LORD is my Banner (Exodus 17:15)
4) Jehovah-Qadash, The LORD thy Sanctifier (Exodus 31:13)
5) Jehovah-Shalom, The LORD our Peace (Judges 6:23-24)
6) Jehovah-Raah, The LORD my Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
7) Jehovah-Sabaoth, The LORD of Hosts (Isaiah 6:3)
8) Jehovah-Tsidkenu, The LORD our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)
9) Jehovah-Shammah, The LORD Is There (ie. Present) (Ezekiel 48:35)

The name "Jesus" means "the LORD our Salvation," a further revelation of the magnitude of the LORD.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Jesus' seven I Am statements are:

1) I Am the Bread of Life (John 6:35,48,51)
2) I Am the Light of the World (John 8:12)
3) I Am the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7,9)
4) I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-14)
5) I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
6) I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)
7) I Am the True Vine (John 15:1,5)

By the way, the number seven in the Bible represents perfection, fullness, completion. Just thought you should know Jesus is all you need!

Keep leaning on the Lord!

March 29th, 2001
Jerry Bouey