"His Keeping”

The bright yellow summer sunshine has faded into the golden glow of autumn here in Pennsylvania. The cool air and changing colors are refreshing to the body and spirit! In an agricultural state, the fall months are historically seen as a time of harvest and preservation. The plants and vines and trees have borne fruit that must be kept. Psalm 121:5 says, “The Lord is thy Keeper.” What does it mean to be of the Lord’s keeping?

*In the Lord’s keeping, there is safety. “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” Psalm 121:3-4; 6-8.

*The Lord’s keeping is faithful. In John 17:12, Jesus prays to the Father “those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost.” “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations” Deut. 7:9. “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” 2 Thess. 3:3.

*That which is of God’s keeping is preserved. “For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever” Psalm 37:28a.

A search through Scriptures reveals several things that God keeps: His Creation, His Word, His People, and His Promises, to name a few. But there are also things we are instructed to keep:

“Keep yourselves in the love of God” Jude 1:21. We have a moral responsibility when it comes to our fellowship with God. Prov. 23:17b reminds us “… be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”

“Let thine heart keep my commandments” Prov. 3:1. We keep God’s Word by doing His commands: “Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them” Deut. 7:11.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence” Prov. 4:23. The spiritual condition of our heart is affected by the choices we make. Decisions determine direction. Therefore, “Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge” Prov. 23:12.

What is the difference between that which is of God’s keeping and those things that we keep? God’s keeping is Divine preservation; our keeping is a humble holding on. And finally, a promise for the hard days: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” Jude 1:24.

Hold on to God’s Word, dear friends! He will keep every promise!