We Know God!

 You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. 

Psalm 18:27
 
God rescues the humble. According to Strong’s Concordance, the word humble here means depressed, in mind or circumstances, afflicted, humble, lowly, needy, poor. Perhaps, when we look at a Godless world, we should feel depressed, afflicted, humbled, lowly, needy, and poor. However, we do not live according to how we feel; instead, we live according to what we know. 
 
We know God and His plan, and we can choose to be in the middle of His plan. We can choose to be at peace in the middle of the pain. We can prosper when we are poor, be thankful when we are needy, and enjoy our unique position as children of the King when we are humbled.  God rescues the humble, making that a unique position of honor. 

Those who know God, walk with God.

 The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger. 

Psalm 18:4-7
 
But in my distress, I cried out. When there is nowhere to turn, there is somewhere to turn. When all hope is lost, there is hope. When we hit rock bottom, we can look up and see God ready to respond to our needs.
 
We are part of a broken world and live with its consequences every day. Yet, regardless of the consequences, we can turn to the one who is beyond our ordinary ,and know that our case has been heard and will be acted upon in due time.
 
Those who know God, walk with God, and talk with Him are never alone. 

Refuge

 

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3 (ESV)   In token of his gratitude to Jehovah for deliverance from Saul's malevolence, David wrote this Psalm, a glowing composition, in which martial similes abound. Thanksgiving is not only a national, but an individual duty. There are few today who seem to apprehend this obligation. With simple truthfulness it might be affirmed of most of us—"Prayers are many, thanks are rare. How many of us who, in critical moments and in sad emergencies, resorted to our God for deliverance and protection, sought His presence again when He heard our prayer and saw our tears?" Not without deep meaning and subtle experience of human perversity did David write, "I will pay Thee my vows which I spake with my mouth when I was in trouble." (Biblical Illustrator)

Observations

 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
 
"The ancient Thracians used to keep a box in their houses into which they dropped a white stone to mark the day when they were happy, as it was an event which so seldom occurred. Lord Nelson wrote to a friend, "I am persuaded there is no true happiness in this present state." Such was the mournful experience of one of the world's heroes, on whom plenty, pleasures and glory combined to wait and minister. Lord Byron writes to the poet Moore, "I have been counting over the days when I was happy since I was a boy, and cannot make them more than eleven, I wonder if I shall be able to make them a dozen before I die." (Biblical Illustrator)
 
Outside of the presence of God, there is no fullness, joy, or lasting pleasure in life. We can find that out by living life, or we can find that out by observing those who have lived and their conclusions about the life they lived.
 

Security

 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."

Psalm 16:1-2 (ESV)
 
I have no good apart from God? Is this correct? Yes. David continues.
 
"I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure."
Psalm 16:7-9 (ESV)
 
I do not think you can ever get to the point where you always set the Lord before you until you realize that you have no good in yourself apart from God. To put any confidence in this flesh is a waste of time and will prove futile.
 
It is not our flesh that we need to make glad; it is our heart, and our heart can only be glad when it is right with God. When our heart is glad, our flesh "feels" secure. Our only security comes from God.
 

Who Can Fix This?

 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15 (ESV)
 
Those who trust in God act like they trust in God. Those who do not trust in God find excuses as to why they must suffer such incurable mental anguish. Those who trust in God do not concern themselves with themselves, but are driven by opportunities to show others who God is.
Circumstances are good for showing who God is.
 
I cannot, and therefore, should not, spend my efforts trying to fix a broken world. I can show a broken world to my Father, who can fix it.
 

The First Step

 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Psalm 14:1-3 (ESV )
 
A fool is defined as someone who claims there is no God. That seems simple enough.
 
We seem to prefer a society and culture where definitions are not given so that we can believe what we wish. God's Word often defines its terms so we can know what He says.
 
Here, it is simple. Those who overtly claim there is no God, or live as if there is no God, are fools. This definition is simple, complete, and applicable to all.
 
Acknowledging God is the first step in moving away from foolishness. Anyone can begin the process.