“The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You” (Psalm 9:9 & 10).

Psalm 9

 

I hired the defensive coordinator of my college football team to come to Missouri to help me run our summer sports camp just after I graduated. I was so young and inexperienced. I knew he could bring some much needed wisdom and discipline to our staff. Coach Utley was the toughest coach I’d ever met, but he was loved by our team for his contagious personality and his caring heart for the players on his defensive front.

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“Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth” (Psalm 80:1).

 

Psalm 8

 

Through the reverence of your imagination, hit the pause button of your mind and go on a journey with me. Travel to the ancient holy land and ascend to the side of a rugged mountain, halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho in the desolate, arid wilderness of southern Israel. Then, on one of the hillsides, you will notice a small herd of sheep and a faithful shepherd keeping watch over the flock in the late hour of the quite and peaceful night. As the lambs rest faithfully in one of the rare grassy patches of nutrition and comfort, the shepherd looks up into the autumn sky and beholds the magnitude and majesty of the billboard above him.

In the vast expanse of stars, planets and darkness, the shepherd sees the signature of God as the Creator displays His wonder in the giant billboard in the sky.

The shepherd begins to sing in amazement, “Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth Who have displayed your splendor above the heavens! God of wonders beyond our galaxy, You are holy, holy. The universe displays Your majesty, You are holy, holy.”

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“My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart” (Psalm 7:10).

 

Psalm 7

The lyrics to Erik Nieder’s well-known worship chorus opens a picture window into a room filled with valuable heirlooms and treasures from the pages of scripture antiquity. The feature of the priceless treasury is a map to The Shepherd’s heart of protection for the lambs in His personally-adopted flock of believers.

 

“Faithful”

Where can I go from your spirit

Where can I hide from your face

Where can I flee from your presence

Where would I go, where would I go

If I rise to the heavens you’re with me

If I fall to the depths of the sea

Even there it’s your hand that will lead me

Wherever I go, wherever I go

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“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

 

Psalm 4

 

One cold and rainy night, a dear friend found a two-or-three-day-old fawn lost, and probably dying, in a drainage ditch. My friend knew of my heart for wounded and orphaned animals and came to me with the wet, shivering, helpless spotted doe. I warmed a bottle of goat milk and tried to place it into the terrified baby deer’s mouth. The fawn let out a deafening cry of horror as, drop-by-drop, I forced the healing formula in her system.

Three days later, the little, spotted girl was following me like a puppy dog and downing bottles of life-giving milk like a hungry child. Four months later, I set her free to join the wild herd that lives in the woods near my house.

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“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

Psalm 3

The successful football coach knows that the best offense is a good defense. The mission of the defense is to protect your goal line from your opponent’s aggression. The best way to prepare for a football game is to study the tactics of your opponent by watching film from his previous performances.

As it is in football, so it is in life. The adversary of our soul is in relentless pursuit of our demise in life and eternity. His attacks are repeated endlessly through the lust of our eyes and the bitterness, fear and anxiety of our heart. Our only sure defense is The Great Defender Of Our Soul – Jesus, our Shepherd and Warrior for our eternal salvation.

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“Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:10-11).

Psalm 2

Charles Wesley took this exhortation seriously. Indeed, he worshipped The Shepherd with almost every breath that entered his lungs. Wesley wrote 8,989 hymns by writing an average of 10 lines of verse every day for 50 years. His songs of praise included such favorites as “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”, “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”, and “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”. Adoration, admiration and appreciation are the bedrocks upon which worship stands. Praise, thanksgiving and biblically-focused singing are the pillars of worshipful expression.

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Folks, it’s Christmastime again! Christmas means celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s also a time of renewed hope for a spiritual rebirth for those we love who do not yet know Him as their personal Savior. It’s a time when even the secular media are full of songs like “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” It’s, likewise, a time when even folks who rarely darken the door of a church are more willing to attend.

Maybe you have loved ones you’ve been praying for and have been trying to show the love of Christ for years. And maybe their continual rejection of Him has you discouraged and wondering if you should even try to interest them in the gospel story again this year.

If that’s your situation—and I believe it is for many of you reading this—I have a two-word message for you: Perseverance pays.

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