His Faithful Love

Dripping with references to Christ the Messiah and containing many often-quoted verses, Psalm 118 gives us words and reasons to praise God. We can praise him for what he’s done, is doing and will do. The Psalm also has quite a lot to say about relieving tension.

“The Lord is for me, so I will not be afraid.” (Psalm 118:6)

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in people.” (Psalm 118:8)

“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.” (Psalm 118:14-15)

How do these truths apply specifically within our lives and the tension we so often experience?

Focus Determines Reality

God’s faithful love relieves tension in my life as my faith in his activity increases. This means realizing some specific truths on which I can focus when life threatens tension. Those include:

  • God works for my good, so there is no reason for tension caused by fear.
  • People will let me down, but God never will. Fully trusting him relieves tension caused by disappointment.
  • A godly life results in joy and victory because God gives strength and reason to celebrate. Joy is a sure antidote for tension.

God’s faithful love working in my life relieves and even prevents tension caused by fear, disappointment, and defeat. Focus determines reality, and focusing on God’s faithful love leads to a reality free from tension.

This does not mean that tension won’t exist. It just means that we don’t have to be chained down by it anymore. It means that when tension enters our lives, we can defeat it by refocusing on God and his tension-relieving plan for our lives.