Facing Reality While Standing on the Word of God - Psalm 18:31-36 Episode 128

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Well hey there! Hello to ya today. Welcome back to the podcast, I’m incredibly grateful for all who listen. And I gotta say, a couple of episodes ago I think I must have touched on something that maybe a whole lot of believers are dealing with right now. I talked about James chapter 4, and how God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, and really I looked at several verses from that portion of the Bible. I was pretty blunt, I guess you might say, and I was honestly a bit concerned that I might offend some listeners. But the opposite seemed to happen - I had some record setting download days, new listeners in record numbers, and a reach globally for that particular episode that went far, far beyond the norm for this show. 

 

That is very interesting to me. I am guessing that people are feeling the same way all around the world. We just need more and more of Jesus as this world gets darker and darker. And I am presuming that’s why that episode, on James chapter four, was listened to in record numbers.

 

I think people want the straight truth from God’s Word, not all prettied up, but just what does it say and how can I live a life of belief, pray big and bold prayers based on God’s Word in this day and age. Because we don’t need to hear that it’s all gonna be okay just wait for the next election or the next economic boom or the next whatever that this world has to offer. We need to know that Jesus is always, always the answer, whatever the problem might be. We need encouragement from the Word of God because these last couple of years have been so incredibly hard, in ways we have not experienced hardship before. On a global scale. And so much of what changed in 2020 has not gone back to “normal”. I do not honestly think we are going to get that old life back. We are here now, and as it was in Daniel’s time, the writing is on the wall.

 

What we do with the reality we face now, well, that’s up to us. But as disciples of the Lord Jesus, I think we need to to stand firmly on the Word of God and we don’t need it sugar coated or gussied up or added to. We need Jesus, we need the Spirit of the Living God guiding us daily, moment by moment, we need the truths we find in the pages of our Bible, and we need to be a people of prayer. That’s what we need. And I think I caught a glimpse of how needed that is when I saw the response to episode number 126 of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show.

 

So I gotta follow where the Holy Spirit is leading, and I’m gonna do that. 

 

Today’s episode is step one of me following. More steps come after that. 

 

I don’t want to serve up things that are not what is most needed in your life right now. 

So, I’m going to share God’s Word via this show. And I’m praying about a second podcast, tentatively called The Prayer Podcast with Jan L. Burt (because that is kind of a broad title for a show and in case it’s already another podcast title I think I will add my name to kind of not step on someone else’s toes.) I think God is calling me, at this point in time, to keep on hosting TBNES and talking about God’s promises in a way that will be frank and honest and helpful in this day and age, with the particular struggles and hardships we are facing right now, and add a second podcast to share Bible verses and to pray, like actually just pray on that podcast, very specific things based on the Word of God.

 

I’d love to hear from you about this, what you think, and you leave a comment directly on the podcast (I don’t get notifications from all the varied platforms, but you can leave a comment on the podbean page for TBNES or email me your thoughts at JanLBurt at outlook . com).

 

Looking forward to hearing from you, and looking forward to praying for you on the new show. But this show, it’s not going anywhere. Okay, let’s dig into Psalm 18, sound good? 

 

You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing in the Edifi app. This is episode number 128.

 

I’m going to read verses 31 thru 36 from Psalm 18, and I am referencing the Amplified Bible today. Listen as I read and then let’s dive deep into these verses. 

 

31 

 

For who is God, but the Lord?

Or who is a rock, except our God,

32 

 

The God who encircles me with strength

And makes my way blameless?

33 

 

He makes my feet like [c]hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble];

He sets me [securely] upon my high places.

34 

 

He trains my hands for war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 

 

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,

And Your right hand upholds and sustains me;

Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great.

36 

 

You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure,

So that my feet will not slip.

 

These verses pull no punches when they state that there is one God, He is a rock for us. The only God is the God of the Bible. That is offensive to a whole of people today. But I am pretty sure it has kind of always been offensive. We want, by nature, to have the approval of others when we go our own way, do our own thing. The God of the Bible does not allow us that luxury. For who is God but the Lord? 

 

If He is Lord, then isn’t there lordship? 

 

There is territory under His jurisdiction. That territory is the whole of our lives, and the whole of our hearts. That’s just the way it is when we follow Jesus. Lordship matters. It’s not a terrible idea to regularly remind ourselves that Jesus is Lord of all, and that we most certainly are not. Then, live like that’s the truth. 

 

When you bump up against something, a desire or some speck of greed or selfishness, remember who is Lord and who is not. 

 

Our God is our rock and He encircles us with strength and makes our way blameless. 

That doesn’t really happen when we are living in our own strength…because then God isn't encircling us with His strength, ya know? 

 

I want my way to be blameless, especially the older I get and the ickier this world gets. When I study Matthew 24 and Mark 13, for example, and I see things that for sure fit the description Jesus gave as birth pangs, I don’t read those chapters and think, “Gee, I wonder if I can goof around and not take the Word of God seriously and just do my own thing and put my head in the sand and not dig in and pray with fervency, not keep short accounts with the Lord, I wonder if I can dawdle and refuse to see that the things Jesus described are happening right now. Gee, I wonder if I can read my Bible and then totally flake out on what it actually says? Gee, can I do that and still expect God to make my way blameless?” 

No. No I cannot. 

 

If I want God to make my way, which is the entirety of my life, the whole of all the individual parts of my actual life the way that I am living it, for God to make my way blameless, I can’t refuse to believe the Bible. I just can’t. I can’t lapse in my praying, my communication with God Most High. I cannot forsake the gathering together of the saints. I cannot run around sinning sinning all day long, blatantly thumbing my nose at my Savior, and think I am gonna get this blameless life kind of guidance.

 

What do we really want, like, the most? 

Some people really want success, comfort, prosperity, things that may not be God’s ideal for them. Do we want holiness unto the Lord? Do we want to know the Word of God so well that any attempt at deception will be noticed right away? Do we want His church to grow, to thrive, to mature? Or do we mostly want things that are all about us? The all about me myself and I lifestyle really does not fit well with Jesus' call on our lives, does it? 

 

You want God to lead you in the way that is blameless? I hope so! I believe God wants us to want that, and that’s why it’s in the Bible for us to read and to apply. Like, we read it and it changes us because God intends for us to be continually bettered and made more like His Son Jesus. We are being sanctified, or at least hopefully that’s the goal. 

 

Okay, verse 33… oh we’ve got a promise here. This is good, good stuff for us, right now, in this funky kind of world since 2020 and things turned upside down and have not turned right side up again. This is the kind of promise we need, like oxygen we gotta have it, and whaddya know, God provides what we really, really need. 

He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble];

He sets me [securely] upon my high places.

 

Yeah, that’s what we need. To be made steady and firm, sure footed, in the way that only our God can do. My prayer as I’ve been working on this episode is that you, and I, will be given hinds feet, that we will be able to stand firmly, not wavering, not waffling, not unsteady in any way, shape or form, but steadied and standing steady because God makes us that way. Treading safely on paths that can only be called difficult, paths of testing and trouble. Sound familiar at all? It does to me! Sounds like life on planet earth these days. Did ya blink? Well, wouldn’t ya know it, more bad news. 

If I am going to stand in faith and pray big, bold, daring prayers for my friends and family in their hard places, I have to be able to stand firmly and tread safely. This is the promise of verse 33 from Psalm 18. It’s a keeper, isn’t it? Yeah, yeah it sure is. 

 

And it goes on to say that God sets us securely on our high places. . That is the need of the hour, isn’t it? And as always, God shows up, shows off, shows out and meets our needs. I’ve said this before, but it is worth saying again as a reminder: God has not abdicated His throne. He is large and in charge and is not going to give any quarter to the enemy. He intends to make our feet like hinds feet. We will be able to handle this stuff because He will equip us. The Holy Spirit is never going to lie down on the job. You are in good hands, my friend, and thank God that doesn’t just mean you have Allstate insurance. The hands with the nail scars are the hands you are in. You will be set securely upon your high places. Things will be under your feet because the Lord has put you securely atop them. 

 

Verse 34 says God trains your hands for war so your arms can bend a bow of bronze. He’ll equip you for the fight, and there is a fight, of course, because Satan is on the prowl seeking whom he may devour. Not whom he may snarl at, but devour. So God gets us ready and gives us promises and strengthens us. He never abandons us or forgets about us. If He is doing the work of training your hands for war, let Him. Let Him do that work in you. How do you become a prayer warrior? By warring in prayer. And that really only happens in hard times. You don’t start battling in prayer if life is a breeze. Let yourself be readied for the fight. Run your race. But run it well, ya know what I mean? Don’t apply the loser's limp as soon as it gets hard and say, “Oh I did the best I could but I just, oh, it’s hard and I’m not feeling it.” Run so as to win the prize, it says in the New Testament. Run your race. And I’ll be here spurring you on, reminding you that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. 

 

35 

 

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,

And Your right hand upholds and sustains me;

Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great.

36 

 

You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure,

So that my feet will not slip.

 

The last two verses we’ll look at today - and aren’t they encouraging? 

He has promised to give us the shield of His salvation - never forget just how wonderful it is to be saved. Jesus’ gift of salvation is the gift that keeps on giving, this ain’t the jelly of the month club and aren’t you thankful? His right hand upholds and sustains you - there’s a promise worth remembering! His gentleness, His gracious response when you pray, makes you great. 

 

I may have, at times, wanted to be some kind of great… I am such an introvert, that this probably is like great at being the world’s best ever sit in your own home and read books as my form or great. But isn’t it wild to consider that God wants to make His people great? He has a form of greatness for each one of us, and we can attain it when we let Him be God and we get on out of His way. Let Him work. Let Him act on your behalf. Expert the Holy Spirit to counsel you, guide you, instruct you, remind you what the Word of God says, bless you, shore you up, strengthen you daily, and lead you on, step by step. He is literally walking you home. He wants it to be a wonderful long walk home. Let Him do His work in your life with the least possible resistance from you. Because your Father knows best. And He only wants the very best for you. Let Him make you great, whatever that looks like. 

 

And He promises to enlarge the path beneath us and make our steps secure. Why? So that our feet will not slip. 

 

Let’s start praying this verse and believing God will answer this prayer, like, over and over again. Lord, enlarge the path beneath me. If it is where You intended for me to be walking, as in living out my daily life, would you enlarge the path where my feet trod, just as Your Word says you will do? Will you make my steps secure? If I am not in Your will, would You show me and direct me to the right path? And will you keep me from any and all missteps. May my feet never slip, no stones in my path, no rocks in my shoes, no twisted ankles, no potholes on the path of my life. 

 

That’s a good prayer, because it’s based on the Word of God. He put it in the Bible for us to read, and to believe. We show our level of belief when we pray. Did you know that? Your level of belief shows up in the way that you pray. That’s just the way it is. No way around it. If you don’t really believe what God has said in His Word, that becomes very evident when you pray. 

 

Let’s pray with belief, with hope, with expectation, with trust, and with hearts that truly love the Lord our God more and more and more, as we get closer to eternity. 

 

I’m going to go ahead and wrap this up today, but I do want to mention that if you’d like any info about the launch of the upcoming podcast, The Prayer Podcast with Jan L. Burt, you can sign up on my email list and I’ll share two ways to do that. One is a quiz, which promise from the Bible is your promise, that link will be at the bottom of the show notes and also right at the very top. And the other way is via my website, that first page you land on, an invite to sign up is right there and I am going to change the wording for that sign up place to mention the new podcast so you’ll know you’re in the right place. And I don’t over email, I am not a hyper emailer, so don’t expect to get a whole lot from me when you sign up. But I am planning on sending out a link to each new episode of the new podcast, and maybe this podcast too, so that’s my big plan. 

 

Pray some big, bold, daring prayers this week, and I’d love to hear how God moves in answer to your prayers. See ya next time!

 

Jan L. Burt

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Jan is the author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon).  Find Jan on Instagram: @JanLBurt, TikTok @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.