“Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Ps 107:19-21 AV)
The theme of this psalm is the history of God meeting Israel in their
distress. The LORD pulls them from these
distresses again and again. Although
there is some reference to the time of the Judges, the overall history is somewhat
vague. The point of the psalm is more
about God’s mercy and faithfulness than it is about specific failures of the
nation of Israel. What jumped out at me
this morning was verse twenty-one in the context of the preceding verses. It is easy to forget the deliverance of God
in past distresses when one is currently going though trouble. It is easy to set one’s eyes on the trouble
at hand and completely forget the LORD had delivered from so much more. This is the point of verse twenty-one. We can choose to either allow the current
distress to overwhelm us, or we can remember how faithful God has been in the
past as our strength to endure the present.
I have had a few medical challenges alone my journey and I am sure
these things have only begun. I have had
a bone spur in my back that put me down for a few years way back in my early
twenties. I have had several concussions, tonsillitis, a couple of broken bones, pneumonia, shoulder surgery, and plantar fasciitis. I’ve also found out that I have a genetic
condition of the brain that makes life a bit more challenging. The last diagnosis is perhaps the most
difficult of the previously mentioned hurdles.
In a lot of ways, it mimics MS. There
are other symptoms that arise especially when I am fatigued. When I have bad days, it is easy to forget
all that God has brought me through. From
a three day stint in the hospital as an adolescent, without my Mom or dad
spending that time with me, do recovering from surgery, the LORD gave me all I
needed to get through those times. He
has given me the correct treatment and the ability to adapt to my situation so
that I can still effectively serve Him.
There have been many trying times in ministry. Times when I didn’t think I was going to make
it. Times of church splits, churches dissolving,
or church politics that made ministry a nightmare. Now, the common situation among many churches
is declining membership and few conversions.
COVID hastened the inevitable. Or
so it seems. But through all those times
of challenge, God was still there. He saw
us through some of the hardest times and through it all, the faithful were
spiritually made stronger.
Then there are personal issues like the loss of loved ones. Or your family growing up and leaving
home. Or battles over sin that seem to
never get any better. These personal
issues may be the worst to deal with. These
issues reflect who we are as a person and a child of God. We tend to look at some of these things a bit
more critically than we should. What
should be seen as a success is sometimes seen as a failure. Yet, the LORD it there. He has always been there. He goes through this with us. The Spirit of God uses the word of God as a
source of comfort and encouragement. He
sends others along who have experienced the same things as a testament to His
faithfulness. God has delivered and will
always deliver. The answer is to
remember His deliverance in the past as a way to get through the present. One day, our pilgrimage will be over and all
these things will be forgotten. The LORD
will permanently deliver when we stand before Him. Our battle will be over. Christ will win! Guaranteed.
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