July 24, 2015
Psalm 40:1-4; Isaiah 40:28-31
(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)
I know, the title, Getting High With Jesus! sounds kinda controversial – especially with the increasing legalization of marijuana. But it’s just the title – and I wanted to get your attention. It has nothing to do with drugs or alcohol. But stick with me in this blog. I hope you find it more exciting than any high this world can offer!
In this blog and the next we are going to look at four scriptures, each one showing an increasing height we can achieve in Getting High With Jesus!
• The first is Psalm 40:1 through 4:
I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my
feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my
mouth — praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the
LORD. Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust….
We are in the depths of sin before we come to Jesus as our Savior! David describes it as “…a horrible pit…the miry clay…” in verse 2. I have worked on construction projects where I had to stomp around in miry clay. The clay is like glue sticking to your boots. In short order, the accumulation of clay seems to add at least five pounds to each boot! But what is described here is worse – it is not only miry clay, but that clay is at the bottom of a horrible pit !
It reminds me of what Jeremiah experienced in Jeremiah 38:6. The prophet’s enemies were upset with him because Jeremiah was prophesying that, because of the Jew’s sins, Babylon would conquer and destroy Jerusalem, taking the king into exile.
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah, the
king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah
down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So
Jeremiah sank in the mire.
If it wasn’t for Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian eunuch who rescued him, Jeremiah would have died in the miry clay of that horrible pit !
Continuing on in verse 2, it says “…He also brought me up…and set my feet upon a rock….” A rock in scripture is often a symbolic picture of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 16:18, I Corinthians 10:4). So when we are brought up out of the entrapment of sin, we are set upon the Rock, Jesus Christ! It is only through Christ that we can escape sin! (See Isaiah 53:6, 8, 10, 12; John 14:6; Colossians 1:14; I Peter 2:24; I John 1:9).
At the end of verse 2, it says, “He…established my steps.” This refers to living your life after you have been delivered from the depths of sin and have been placed on the rock – in Jesus! We are then to live our lives for Him, following Him as our Lord! As Paul admonished us in Colossians 1:10: “…that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God….” That kind of living – in a close relationship with Jesus Christ, will certainly “… put a new song in…[our] mouth — praise to our God…” (verse 3). And such a testimony will result in “…many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.” (verse 3). Is it any wonder David added this in verse 4: “Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust….”
• The second height we can reach by Getting High With Jesus! is found in Isaiah 40:28 through 31:
…the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth…gives
power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall
walk and not faint.
This is a description of living the life of faith (see II Corinthians 5:7) – keeping our eyes on Jesus (see Hebrews 11:1; 12:1, 2). So many people are under the weight of life’s problems and challenges – seemingly just crawling along! God wants us to run, walk upright, and even fly with wings like eagles!
How high can eagles fly? More than one website says that eagles are known to reach altitudes of 15,000 feet or more (about three miles)! They can cruise at about 75 miles per hour, and in a dive for prey can reach 200 mph! That’s high and fast! And God will give us that ability to rise above our problems and troubles, “…mount[ing] up with wings like eagles….” One more observation (from an eagle’s point of view!) – Down here the problems of life can seem overwhelming! But from three miles up, the perspective is a lot different! Big problems look rather small and insignificant – when you have an eagle’s perspective!
So, Get High With Jesus! He will lift you out of sin, and above the trails of life!