Trusting in God
1 My child, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing.
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Set your heart straight, be steadfast, and don't act hastily in a time of distress.
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Hold fast to God and don't keep your distance from him, so that you may find strength at your end.
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Accept whatever happens to you, and be patient when you suffer humiliation,
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because gold is tested with fire, and acceptable people are tested in the furnace of humiliation.
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Trust him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him.
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You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy, and don't turn aside or else you might fall.
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You who fear the Lord, trust him, and you won't lose your reward.
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You who fear the Lord, hope for good things, for unending joy and mercy.
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Look at the people from long ago and see: Who trusted in the Lord and was put to shame? Or who remained firm in godly fear and was left behind? Or who called upon the Lord, and the Lord overlooked him?
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After all, the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and rescues people in a time of hardship.
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How terrible it will be for cowardly hearts and idle hands and for a sinner who sets foot upon two paths.
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How terrible it will be for the timid heart. Because it doesn't trust, therefore it won't be protected.
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How terrible it will be for you who have lost your stamina. What will you do when the Lord comes for his inspection?
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Those who fear the Lord won't disobey his words, and those who love him will keep his ways.
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Those who fear the Lord will try to please him, and those who love him will be fully occupied with observing the Law.
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Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and they will humble themselves before him.
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May we fall into the hands of the Lord and not into the hands of human beings, because his mercy is equal to his greatness.