The Bottom Line

In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? Ps56.4 NKJV

It is interesting that after the question, “What can flesh do to me,“ the psalmist immediately lists a few activities. “All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.
they gather together, they hide, they mark my steps, they lie in wait for my life.”
I think the question is rhetorical and that the writer is saying that people may do any number of things against me but because God is my trust, all the evil they would do is in effect nothing. What can they do to me? Nothing really.
This is a kind of bottom line thinking. Because God is my trust and He allows some evil against me, and He is always working all things for my good, what could anyone possibly do, that could undo His goodness? Nothing really? This of course is not to say that Christians cannot be robbed or raped or slandered or murdered. But it is saying that in the ultimate sense, God will have the final say regarding the life of those who trust in Him and that word, will be a good one. So, the bottom line is no matter what evil others do to me, God will override it for my eternal good.
I think that whether we are afraid or not afraid at any given moment, is greatly determined by our ability to focus on this bottom line. I know that every time I am rock climbing, I have to mentally go through this kind of reasoning. I may be nervous, fearful that I may fall, but when I ask myself what is the worst thing that could truthfully happen, I know that because I am securely roped, that I am truly secure. That’s the bottom line. In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. 5/30/07 ts