Hold Fast
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16)
Are you holding fast to the Lord? What does it mean to hold fast? In Hebrew, to hold fast means to be diligent, cling to, or take a firm hold of. In English, hold fast is a nautical term that has its origins from the Dutch word “houd vast” which translate to “hold tight” in regards to holding securely to ships ropes and rigging. In Psalm 91, the Lord speaks of our need to hold fast to Him, which means to continue to trust in who He is, obey His word, and believe His promises to us, especially in difficult times. Specifically, the Lord speaks of those who hold fast to Him in love.
To hold fast to the Lord, you must know His love. The apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Psalm 91 goes on to explain that God delivers and protects those who know His name. So, to hold fast to the Lord in love, we must know His name, we must know who He is, and we must know specifically His love which was most gloriously displayed on the cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). Moreover, to those of us who hold fast to Him in love and know His name, the Lord promises, "When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble..." (Psalm 91:15).
To illustrate what it means to hold fast, Pastor Ruben Fields shared: "While running through a field, a man fell down into a hole (an abandoned well) in the ground that was covered with a board and some leaves. When he landed, his feet sunk into the quick sand like mud and his arms were stuck over his head. As he cried for help, a man that happened to be walking by heard his cries. He yelled down into the well, 'Is there someone down there?' The man cried, 'Yes, please help me—get me out of here.' After retrieving a rope, the rescuer tossed one end of it down to the man below and instructed him to tie it around his waist. The man, whose arms were stuck up in the air, responded, 'I can’t tie the rope around my waist. I’m stuck.' The rescuer above replied, 'Then just hold on to the rope.' While the rescuer above began to pull, the man below felt like his body was being painfully stretched and he cried, 'Stop; it hurts, it hurts.' The rescuer above responded, 'Keep holding on even if it hurts.'”
Likewise, in the painful experiences of life, to keep from sinking into despair, we must hold fast to what we know is true about God and the promises of His word. We must cling to the promise of God, “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble..." (Psalm 91:15).
I related the illustration of the man stuck in the hole to a friend who felt as though he was drowning in discouragement. And then I asked, “Do you have a hold of the rope?” He responded, “I’m not sure brother.” I replied, “You can be sure the Lord is holding fast to you. Even though it’s painful we can trust that when we call on Him, when we draw near to Him, when we stand on His promises, He will deliver us in and through the pain. But we must keep holding on even when it hurts. We must keep holding on to the rope of the hope that is Jesus.”
We are not alone in times of trouble. God is holding fast to us and He will never let us go. When we call, He will answer. He will deliver us from trouble, He will deliver us through trouble, and He will be with us in trouble. Peace is not the absence of trouble, it’s the presence of Jesus. The Psalmist also declared, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10).
The great British preacher Martin Lloyd Jones observed, “Do you realize that much of your unhappiness is due to listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself?” When we’re discouraged we need to learn to recall and reclaim the promises of God and preach them to ourselves and say with the Psalmist, “Hope thou in God…” (Psalms 42).
On life's ship we must hold fast to the Lord in love or we will wreck our lives. But we will not hold fast if we do not know or are not secure in the love of Jesus. Have you trusted Him as Savior and Lord? If you have, you must continue daily to grow in His grace and knowledge through prayer and the Word and in fellowship with other faithful believers. To hold fast is to know Him. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to obey Him and believe His promises. Hold fast to Him in love. He’s holding fast to you.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
Are you holding fast to the Lord? What does it mean to hold fast? In Hebrew, to hold fast means to be diligent, cling to, or take a firm hold of. In English, hold fast is a nautical term that has its origins from the Dutch word “houd vast” which translate to “hold tight” in regards to holding securely to ships ropes and rigging. In Psalm 91, the Lord speaks of our need to hold fast to Him, which means to continue to trust in who He is, obey His word, and believe His promises to us, especially in difficult times. Specifically, the Lord speaks of those who hold fast to Him in love.
To hold fast to the Lord, you must know His love. The apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Psalm 91 goes on to explain that God delivers and protects those who know His name. So, to hold fast to the Lord in love, we must know His name, we must know who He is, and we must know specifically His love which was most gloriously displayed on the cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). Moreover, to those of us who hold fast to Him in love and know His name, the Lord promises, "When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble..." (Psalm 91:15).
To illustrate what it means to hold fast, Pastor Ruben Fields shared: "While running through a field, a man fell down into a hole (an abandoned well) in the ground that was covered with a board and some leaves. When he landed, his feet sunk into the quick sand like mud and his arms were stuck over his head. As he cried for help, a man that happened to be walking by heard his cries. He yelled down into the well, 'Is there someone down there?' The man cried, 'Yes, please help me—get me out of here.' After retrieving a rope, the rescuer tossed one end of it down to the man below and instructed him to tie it around his waist. The man, whose arms were stuck up in the air, responded, 'I can’t tie the rope around my waist. I’m stuck.' The rescuer above replied, 'Then just hold on to the rope.' While the rescuer above began to pull, the man below felt like his body was being painfully stretched and he cried, 'Stop; it hurts, it hurts.' The rescuer above responded, 'Keep holding on even if it hurts.'”
Likewise, in the painful experiences of life, to keep from sinking into despair, we must hold fast to what we know is true about God and the promises of His word. We must cling to the promise of God, “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble..." (Psalm 91:15).
I related the illustration of the man stuck in the hole to a friend who felt as though he was drowning in discouragement. And then I asked, “Do you have a hold of the rope?” He responded, “I’m not sure brother.” I replied, “You can be sure the Lord is holding fast to you. Even though it’s painful we can trust that when we call on Him, when we draw near to Him, when we stand on His promises, He will deliver us in and through the pain. But we must keep holding on even when it hurts. We must keep holding on to the rope of the hope that is Jesus.”
We are not alone in times of trouble. God is holding fast to us and He will never let us go. When we call, He will answer. He will deliver us from trouble, He will deliver us through trouble, and He will be with us in trouble. Peace is not the absence of trouble, it’s the presence of Jesus. The Psalmist also declared, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10).
The great British preacher Martin Lloyd Jones observed, “Do you realize that much of your unhappiness is due to listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself?” When we’re discouraged we need to learn to recall and reclaim the promises of God and preach them to ourselves and say with the Psalmist, “Hope thou in God…” (Psalms 42).
On life's ship we must hold fast to the Lord in love or we will wreck our lives. But we will not hold fast if we do not know or are not secure in the love of Jesus. Have you trusted Him as Savior and Lord? If you have, you must continue daily to grow in His grace and knowledge through prayer and the Word and in fellowship with other faithful believers. To hold fast is to know Him. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to obey Him and believe His promises. Hold fast to Him in love. He’s holding fast to you.
In your service,
Pastor Marco