Who Keeps Our Souls Alive? | Westside Eagle Observer

Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, Who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved. For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment. Psalm 66:8-12

While we may not think of it, it is the LORD God “who keeps our soul among the living.” He not only gives us physical life, but spiritual life and sustains us, not allowing our feet to be moved or our faith to be shaken. Through His Word, He continually works to strengthen and keep us in the true and saving faith.

He tests us and refines us as silver is refined (cf. 1 Pet. 1:3ff.). He is at work in our lives testing and purifying our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the psalm says: "You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment."

As Israel was tested and refined when afflicted in Egypt, led through the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years, so our God leads and guides us through life in such a way that He teaches us to trust only in Him and His mercy offered and given us in Christ Jesus. Little by little, He strips away all in which we might place false hopes until finally all we have and need is Christ and His innocent sufferings and death and glorious resurrection in our stead.

And when God leads us through the many trials and afflictions of this life, He brings us out to “rich fulfillment.”

Though the sufferings and heartaches may be difficult and troubling at the time, our gracious God has our good in mind and brings us through all these things to Himself, stronger in the faith and trusting in Jesus alone for forgiveness and the everlasting joys of heaven (cf. 2 Tim. 4:18).

O gracious and merciful God, You hold our lives in Your hand and have raised us up from spiritual darkness and death to faith in Christ Jesus,Your Son and our Savior. As You test us and lead us through the afflictions of this life, strengthen and preserve us in the true and saving faith and bring us out in rich fulfillment, trusting in You alone for forgiveness, life and eternal salvation. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture taken from the