In September of 2019, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking to the General Assembly said, “We are living in a world of disquiet.” How do we then, as believers of another kingdom, live in this world of disquiet with an interior quiet, a peace that settles and hold us steadfast? I believe this comes as we are deeply established in the Lord, firmly fastened to Him.
In Deuteronomy 30:15-19 God presents the stark contrast of choosing life or death, prosperity or adversity. Then the Lord declares that the means to life and prosperity is to love Him, obey His voice and hold fast to Him as our very existence.
Hold fast to him! I love that phrase. In Song of Songs 3:4 (TPT) the Shulamite maiden says: “I found the one I adore! I caught him and fastened myself to him, refusing to be feeble in my heart again.” And the king’s response to her is found in 4:12: “My darling bride … fastened to my heart.” And later she implores him: “Fasten me upon your heart as a seal of fire forevermore” (8:6). This is the love story between the bride and her king, fastened to one another by cords of love.
Fasten, by definition, means to attach securely, hold in place, join, affix, connect and clasp. It’s a beautiful picture of two being joined firmly, intimately and securely together. As we look at the New Testament, we find strong exhortations to fasten our thoughts onto the Lord, fasten our hearts into his love, fasten our faith and hope in Him alone, fasten His Word firmly in our hearts and fervently fasten our gaze on Jesus. Some of these Scriptures:
Fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God … (Phil. 4:8).
Fasten your thoughts fully onto Jesus … (Hebr. 3:1).
Fasten your hearts to the love of God … (Jude 1:21).
Fasten your faith and hope in God alone (1 Pet. 1:21).
They have fastened your Word firmly to their hearts … (Jn. 17:6).
We fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us … (Hebr. 12:2).
These are encouragements indeed to continue to choose life, to flourish by fastening ourselves in His love, His word and His Presence, to set Him before us and gaze upon Him continually. As we do we become more and more established in the faith and in unbroken communion with the One who is our very life.
