8 "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
We are given the example in Psalms about hiding God's Word in our hearts. Without the Word, we are vulnerable to the deception of the enemy. With the Word, we can be victorious over his schemes. We discover more about the Lord and get to know Him as we apply ourselves to study and meditation of God's Word. During this National Bible Week, we can be prompted to allow His truth to guide our lives and to appropriate the power of the "living and active" Word of God.
In Psalm 62, we find these encouraging words relative to God's presence as our refuge:
6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us...
We are continuing to see conflict in a variety of nations of the world - the Hong Kong situation continues to proliferate, as you have seen the emergence of a significant number of freedom fighters who are standing against the oppression of the massive Chinese government apparatus. There are protests against the heavy hand of the religious leaders in Iran.
And, recently, there is conflict in the South American nation of Bolivia, where the president, Evo Morales, resigned, setting off tensions between his supporters and law enforcement, according to a Faithwire story, which reports on an incident in the city of Yapacani, where police attempted to reduce the tension.
It involves a police officer who was on the receiving end of the firing of what was believed to be a 9mm round from a gun that was stolen from law enforcement. The article relates:
The officer was sent for medical testing, and was found to be without injury.
A little background on the turbulence there in Bolivia, from Faithwire:
One thing that is legitimate is that a small Bible intercepted a bullet that could have taken this police officer's life. The young policeman actually said that it was a miracle. So, we can give glory to God for the way that He has worked to preserve this man's life, and consider perhaps a life-threatening instance we may have encountered. Our survival can remind us that God has a purpose for us, and He preserves our lives so that we might be fulfill it.
There is also the symbolic aspect. The policeman took His Bible to work. Now, carrying a Bible to the workplace or to school is not necessarily a mandated measure of one's spirituality, but, hiding God's Word in our hearts can certainly testify to the presence of God in us. And, if we have the Word of God prevalent in our minds and hearts, then we can have His wisdom available to us in the decisions we have to make each day, and the Scriptures can help to determine our attitude toward all that we undertake.
In this case, a young Bolivian officer experienced God's protection, and it came in the form of the Scripture. We know that the truths of Scripture can help us to overcome various forces that are aligned against us. He will give us the ability to walk in freedom from the power of sin. His Word helps us to experience victory over fear, anxiety, and discouragement, and can help us to renew our minds so that we can think in a manner that pleases our Savior. He protects us from the power of the enemy, the philosophy of this world, and even from ourselves.
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In Psalm 62, we find these encouraging words relative to God's presence as our refuge:
6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us...
We are continuing to see conflict in a variety of nations of the world - the Hong Kong situation continues to proliferate, as you have seen the emergence of a significant number of freedom fighters who are standing against the oppression of the massive Chinese government apparatus. There are protests against the heavy hand of the religious leaders in Iran.
And, recently, there is conflict in the South American nation of Bolivia, where the president, Evo Morales, resigned, setting off tensions between his supporters and law enforcement, according to a Faithwire story, which reports on an incident in the city of Yapacani, where police attempted to reduce the tension.
It involves a police officer who was on the receiving end of the firing of what was believed to be a 9mm round from a gun that was stolen from law enforcement. The article relates:
Oscar Gutierrez, head of the Special Force of the Fight Against Crime of Santa Cruz, explained how his officer was shot in the chest but that the bullet did not hurt him because he “had a Bible that stopped the projectile.”
“Yes, it was a miracle,” the officer himself explained, according to the Daily Mail.Gutierrez also stated, “He is a young officer whose life was saved miraculously, he was shot by a projectile, I assume of 9mm calibre, and I know the weapons used were stolen from the Bolivian police..." The Faithwire and Daily Mail articles both actually have pictures of the Bible, which appears to be a pocket New Testament.
The officer was sent for medical testing, and was found to be without injury.
A little background on the turbulence there in Bolivia, from Faithwire:
Former President Evo Morales was forced out of power by the military after accusations of a rigged election which saw him take 47.1% of the vote. He has since been granted asylum in Mexico and Senator Jeanine Añez had declared herself as interim president — bizarrely, by brandishing massive leather-bound Bible.Already, not surprisingly, there is concern about her legitimacy.
One thing that is legitimate is that a small Bible intercepted a bullet that could have taken this police officer's life. The young policeman actually said that it was a miracle. So, we can give glory to God for the way that He has worked to preserve this man's life, and consider perhaps a life-threatening instance we may have encountered. Our survival can remind us that God has a purpose for us, and He preserves our lives so that we might be fulfill it.
There is also the symbolic aspect. The policeman took His Bible to work. Now, carrying a Bible to the workplace or to school is not necessarily a mandated measure of one's spirituality, but, hiding God's Word in our hearts can certainly testify to the presence of God in us. And, if we have the Word of God prevalent in our minds and hearts, then we can have His wisdom available to us in the decisions we have to make each day, and the Scriptures can help to determine our attitude toward all that we undertake.
In this case, a young Bolivian officer experienced God's protection, and it came in the form of the Scripture. We know that the truths of Scripture can help us to overcome various forces that are aligned against us. He will give us the ability to walk in freedom from the power of sin. His Word helps us to experience victory over fear, anxiety, and discouragement, and can help us to renew our minds so that we can think in a manner that pleases our Savior. He protects us from the power of the enemy, the philosophy of this world, and even from ourselves.
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