This is a very popular Psalm. We often hear people quote verses 1-2 (I will lift up my eyes to the hills From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.) Notice that the writer asks the question "From whence comes my help?" Then he answers the question "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth".7 The Lord shall preserce you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in. From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Like us, we often talk to ourselves even when others are around. We see even during this time it was normal. David knew exactly where his help came from. In all situations he knew how to position himself in acknowledging where to look and who to look to for help.
Today I want to focus on the last two verses of this scripture because I am not sure we understand the depth of "preservation".
In verse 7, David says "The Lord shall preserve you from all eveil; He shall preserve your soul. Now, I did a little research on preserving and I found out how awesome it is that God will preserve us from evil and preserve our soul. Let's look at the preservation process for clarity.
"The process of preserving food prevents the perishable food from getting spoiled. Food preservation stops the growth of food bacteria, fungi and also slows the oxidation of fat foods such as butter and cheese. The preserved foods need to be sealed to prevent it from being contaminated by (sin) microbes. This is known as food canning. Canned foods stay fresh for a longer period." (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/food-processing.html)As you can see, this process keeps the food from becoming contamintated and spoiled. God takes us through a preservation process to keep us from being contaminated by sin. He will preserve us from all evil through his preservation process. Preserving foot means put it through all kinds of tests. Storing it in jars or cans under pressure keeps it fresh and edible for later periods. The same goes for us, we have to be put under pressure so that we can be used later and still be as fresh and effective prior to canning. We often wonder why we go through certain things, why we have to be scandelized, why we have to cry and hurt, well it's because we are preserved for God's usage.
Verse 8 says "The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forevermore." Again, we are protected from the enemy when we go out and come in. He has already provided a fence around us that keeps us from harms way. The best way for us to let God is to let him have his way as we are preserved by him.
God I thank you for taking the time to preserve my heart, mind and spirit. I thank you for keeping me protected from myself and the enemy. I am grateful that you chose to preserve me for your purpose. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
