“[Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.” (Ps 71:20 AV)
God’s deliverance does not mean the absence of all troubles. If it did, there would be no need for deliverance. David is summarizing his life. He remembers the good and the bad. When it comes to the bad, the king thinks of God’s deliverance. He does not dwell on the baggage that troubles can produce. David is also relying on the faithfulness of God to bring him out of all troubles that are yet to come. The verse above suggests David is facing troubles and that because God has delivered him before, He will deliver him again. Because this is the second to last of David’s psalms in what is called the book of psalms, he could very well be referring to his illness and impending death. (There are more Davidic psalms that appear after psalm 72. But psalms.1-72 are all David’s. That is why the ‘book of David’s psalms’ ends at 72) Because David uses ‘hast’ which is past tense and ‘shalt’ which is future tense, he is in the middle of times of troubles anticipating more ahead. The point is simple. If we are children of God by faith, then our Father will never abandon us. No matter what troubles come; and they will come; God will be there.
It is unrealistic and immature to think that life can be trouble-free. Those who pursue such a life will be disappointed. Those who think it possible will never grow up. Troubles are part of life. Even if mankind had never sinned, faith would still need to be learned and grown. For faith to grow, there must be risk. Risk is a form of trouble. So, to think that life can be free from all anxiety is naïve at best. Foolish at worst. Note also that David uses the words ‘great’ and ‘sore’. Troubles are not meant to be easy. They are not meant to be infrequent. The problem with being human is that we are human. We do not learn lessons all that easy. Discipline and obedience are not in our nature. Faith is not natural. These things come by the hardness of life. Faith and obedience, however, are the only means to a blessed life. Have you ever met someone who was steeped in rebellion or doubt who was completely happy?
Today, Psalm 107 was in my daily reading schedule. I was going to write regarding the last verse of this psalm. It reads, “Whoso [is] wise, and will observe these [things], even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” (Ps 107:43 AV) I had written of it before and it is a theme that has repeated itself several times over the last few months. Observation is what determines the effectiveness of God’s lovingkindness and not the presence of it. The presence of it is constant and unending. If God’s love is ineffective, it is only because we do not see it. What gives bones to this truth is the context in which it is found. The psalm rehearses Israel’s history of doubt and disobedience answered by God’s mercy and provision. Even when they did not live to please God, He never gave up on them. He repeatedly delivered them even if their situation was self-inflicted. That is the God who saved us and loved us. Yes, troubles came and will come. They will be many and sore. But out of them all will the LORD deliver those who love and trust Him.
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