Skip to main content

Devotional 10.10.25

 

October 10, 2025 - Hold Fast to Him in Love


2 Thessalonians 3:3,5 – The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

 

Scripture Reading – Psalm 91

 

We don’t know the author of Psalm 91, but we do know it’s someone who is giving testimony of the hope he has of dwelling, abiding, living, and resting with the Most High. In doing so, the psalmist is acknowledging that the LORD has provided shelter, protection, refuge and deliverance for him.

 

The dramatic ending of Psalm 91 is God himself sharing the hope and promise for the one who “holds fast to him in love” (v. 14). This phrase is translated differently “because he has his heart set on me” (CSB); “because he loves me” (NIV). The Hebrew word translated here is Ḥāšaq, meaning to love, desire, or be attached to. It conveys a strong sense of delight or longing.

 

Why would anyone give their full love, desire, attachment, delight and longing to this God? Because not only does he promise to protect, to answer in times of trouble and rescue, but he ultimately offers complete and eternal satisfaction through His salvation (v. 16). That is only possible because of the great sacrifice that God made on our behalf through his Son, Jesus Christ. And, he’s done this because he is a personal, relational, loving God who speaks to us through his Spirit and word, desiring for us to dwell with him forever. This is worthy of all honor, praise and worship.

 

On Sunday we’ll sing to our “Everlasting God,” who is our hope, our strong deliverer; defender of the weak; comfort to those in need. “Build My Life” is an opportunity to pray for God to open my eyes in wonder and show me who You are. Fill me with Your heart and lead me in Your love to those around me. And I will build my life upon Your love. It is a firm foundation. Further, in “Speak O Lord,” we are reminded, and by grace, we’ll stand on Your promises. And by faith, we’ll walk as You walk with us. Finally, “And Can It Be” is a proclamation about our personal, loving God: amazing love! How can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me. This is why we Ḥāšaq, hold fast to him in love.


Further reading: Psalm 84:1-4; John 3:16-17; Romans 8:31-39; 1 John 4:10-16

 

Reflection Questions:

1.     What are you holding fast to? Is there anything distracting you from fully setting your heart on God?

2.     How do you respond to having complete and eternal satisfaction through His salvation?

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for being my refuge and fortress, my rescuer in this life and for eternity. Help me to keep from being distracted from fully and completely setting my heart on you alone. Lord, thank you for not just saving me, but for saving me to commune with you forever. You alone are worthy of all praise and I long to hold fast to you in love. Amen.


A playlist of our morning worship songs can be listened to here.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Devotional.1.5.25

Devotional on   Ephesians 2:4–7, Psalm 51 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus  (Eph. 2:4-7) .   This Sunday we will gather for the first time of this New Year, 2025 and will be returning to our sermon series  Psalms: Heart, Soul, and Mind , beginning with Psalm 51. The New Year brings an opportunity for new beginnings, new goals, and a sense of a fresh start. Psalm 51 is a great chapter to focus on in the beginning of a new year because it is a prayer of repentance, confession, and praise. David, having been convicted of his sin with Bathsheba, pours out his heart to God, asking for forgiveness and mercy. He recognizes...
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional 7.11.25

July 11, 2025 – Tell The Story Matthew 28:18-20:  And Jesus came and said to them,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.   Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”   Scripture Reading – Psalm 78   What’s your story? What is God’s redemptive story? Do those intersect for you? This week is a good time to reflect on those questions. The writer of Psalm 78 is recounting the lessons from Israel’s past. Asaph is doing this to remind them of who God is, the mighty and faithful acts he’s done, and that Israel (the tribe of Judah, v. 68) are God’s chosen people. The psalmist’s desire is that they not only repent of their sin and unbelief (v. 32), but that their transformation and turning back to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional. 1.10.25

  Devotional on  Hebrews 3:1-3, Psalm 52   Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,   2  who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house.   3  For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.    This Sunday we will continue in our sermon series  Psalms: Heart, Soul, and Mind  with Psalm 52. As I was reading this psalm, with the lyrics of our morning worship songs playing in my head, I was struck by the awareness of choice. David is writing during a very difficult and dangerous time, and yet chooses worship instead of despair.    God gave us the gift of free will, the ability to make choices and to have discernment. Many of us have started 2025 with goals, or resolutions. How are...
Post a Comment
Read more