Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Week Thirty - Deliberate Calculations

There’s a little two-word phrase scattered throughout Psalms that always catches my attention, “I will.”  It’s a deliberate choice.  It says, “In the face of whatever circumstance, I choose...” 

 

Let’s look at just a few. 

 

Psalm 5:3 – “I will look up.” 

Psalm 9:1 – “I will praise thee…I will shew forth all thy marvelous works.”

Psalm 9:2 – “I will be glad and rejoice…I will sing praise to thy name.”

Psalm 18:3 – “I will call upon the Lord.”

Psalm 34:1 – “I will bless the Lord at all times.”

Psalm 39:1 – “I will take heed to my ways.”

Psalm 55:17 – “I will pray  and cry aloud.”

Psalm 58:9 – “I will wait upon thee.”

Psalm 119:62 – “I will rise to give thanks unto thee.”

 

This type of deliberate calculation moves us into deeper faith.  Without it, we stand doubting, confused, or self-reliant.

 

Take time to peruse Psalms and mark all of the “I wills.”  You’ll find many more.  Then, look and see how you are doing.  Like one of the personality tests, add up the ones you practice and the ones you don’t and see how willing you are to deliberately calculate with God.

 

The “I will” of the Christian life is essential, especially in the circumstances we face today.  Unless we make a decided choice to continue following by faith, we risk getting side-tracked by the noise of the world and the threats of the enemy.  We need to deliberately calculate that the choice to believe God, follow His Word, and wait upon Him, adds up to the wisest path and the most secure future. 

 

Such was the choice of Daniel and the three Hebrew children.  Their “I will” said, “We will not defile ourselves.”  Or Isaiah, whose “I will” came as his heart melted with conviction and surrender at the vision of God.  “I will go,” he said.

 

“I will” takes you to amazing places.  It bows you in humility at the foot of the cross.  It lifts you up to soar with eagles.  It leads you to the sureness of His call and the great promise of Himself. God reveals His power, His love, and His beauty to the yielded heart. 

 

The walk of faith demands, “I will.”  Isaiah 50:7 reads, “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall (will) I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall (will) not be ashamed.”  Isaiah is saying, “I choose to follow, no matter what.”  What about you?

 

“I will” is why I am where I am today.  Not just serving in England, but also spiritually and in ministry.  I am walking by faith in what He has revealed to me.  If the course needs alteration at any time, He will make the adjustment, and I will know it adds up to my yieldedness to His superior calculations.

 

The walk of faith is not a blind walk.  It is a confident, assured stride based on the knowledge of God’s word, character, and promises.  It is a walk that says, with deliberate calculation, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6).

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