When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? – Psalm 56:3-4
This final question, “What can flesh do to me,” reminds me of Jesus’ words, when He tells His disciples that man can destroy your body, but God can destroy both body and soul in Hell. The reason Jesus said those words was to give His disciples perspective. In essence, humans can do quite a bit. Flesh can actually kill flesh. Humans can do a lot of damage, right? We can be robbed or beaten. We can be hated and mocked. We can be fired and rejected. There are plenty of things to worry about. But Jesus’ statement puts everything into perspective.
When we have a clear picture of eternity in our minds, we begin to realize that anything that happens in this life pales in comparison to what is going to happen in the next. Yes, man can kill us, but God remains faithful. His promises are true. He will never leave us nor forsake us. And, actually, the Bible says that everything (including the sin in this world) submits to God’s ultimate and good plan for His children. Therefore, we can trust the Lord! What encouragement this should bring us!
Man can’t take away God’s good intentions. We see this in the life of Christ, don’t we? Though people planned to murder Him, and though they took Him to the cross, they couldn’t take away the joy set before Him. Now He is exalted on high, and all who trust in Him have the hope of being with God forever, in His presence where there is fullness of joy! Jesus came to pay an immense price for His children so that they do not need to fear eternity, but look forward to it. Praise God for His grace!
Pastor Timothy Durey