Remaining Unmoved

Daily Reading: Daniel 11, Psalm 15

Psalm 15:5 "He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved"

First of all I had to look up what "usury" meant. I have read this a million times and had some idea what it meant but wasn't sure. It basically means to lend money at a high rate of interest that would cause someone to be indebted to you beyond their ability to repay. This verse is especially referring to the case of a relative or close friend.

I love the statement..."shall never be moved." The whole chapter leads up to this with qualifications of honesty, righteousness, justice, love and defense of others. I guess to sum it up you could say that a person who thinks of others more highly than him/herself will be stable, assured, confident and strong. They will not be compromisers, they will be committed and reliable...when the storm comes against them...they will not be moved. It doesn't say that they become stronger because they are good people, and it doesn't say that God will supernaturally give them strength. I believe that both are probably true though. It would make sense to me that someone who is a giver, a person who lifts others up, would in turn grow strong from the effort. It also makes sense to me that this person would be sensitive to God's voice and understand the working of the Holy Spirit in such a way that they would know how to be still and allow God to be their strength in tough times.

This reminds me of white water rafting. I've only been on one rafting trip and it was so much fun! The guide who steers the raft down the river, runs through the dangers, and disclaimers before you start out so you are made aware of what can happen and what to do about it. The current of course is very powerful and if you fall out of the boat it is easy to become frantic and react to the water. Where the water actually "falls" the current sort of rotates and holds you in one place. If you flail about and kick frantically you will drown, but if you curl up, holding your knees to your chest, and hold still the current will bounce you out of the water like a ball. Likewise, when I try to remove myself from circumstances by kicking and screaming, I'm only holding myself under the circumstances longer...but if I curl up in a fetal position...ya know that whole "like a child" thing, the power of the current will draw me out of the water where I am safe and free. True freedom comes from submission, not to the circumstances (or the water as it were) but to the Creator (the powerful current). He moves us, He carries us, and the cool thing is, He can use the high water to do it. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." All things. Mmmm...that's good stuff.