Psalms 34:15-19 ESV
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Now you may presently be going through a trial, and so you
may read this and not find it comforting, for you have prayed for the Lord to
deliver you, but to you, he hasn’t, for you are still going through the same
trial. Have you ever felt that way? I have! I would read these Old Testament
Scriptures with so many promises of deliverance, but then I wasn’t rescued from
my trial, and sometimes the trials just got worse. So, where was God?
Now, David went through lots of trials, and he wasn’t always
physically delivered from them, at least not immediately. And the prophets of
the Old Testament went through lots of trials which they endured for many
years. I can recall reading where Jeremiah lamented to the Lord, perhaps more
than once, regarding his enemies who hated him and regarding how he was being
treated. And then look at the New Testament, too.
Jesus was treated badly by the Jewish leaders, and they
hounded him for years. And eventually they arrested him, gave him a mock trial,
beat him beyond recognition, and hung him on a cross to die, although he had
done no wrong. And then look at the life of Paul and all his persecutions, and
they were many, and the life of the other apostles, and then go back to the Old
Testament and read the book of Job.
Then go back to the New Testament and read all the
Scriptures which talk about trials and tribulations and persecutions and you
will realize that we are destined for such as these, and that they are for our
good, to train us to be holy people, and to teach us perseverance, and to
mature us in our walks of faith, and to prune and to purify us, and so we will
share in God’s holiness, and so we will bear the fruit of righteousness in our
lives.
So, we aren’t always rescued from our physical trials. Some people
live in those trials all of their lives, like those who were born with physical
handicaps or those who were injured and are now living in wheelchairs, some of
whom have to have others bathe and dress them and feed them. But God can turn
those trials into a blessing, and God can use us in other people’s lives
because of what he is doing in our lives through our trials.
So, if you are reading these psalms which talk about how God
delivers us out of trials, and you have been praying for deliverance, but the
trial has not ended, please do not be disheartened. For, even if the Lord
allows us to go through physical trials which test our faith, he has not
abandoned us, and the trials are not being wasted. And he will deliver us
through them if we put our faith and trust in him, and if we do not lose heart
and give up.
God has not forsaken you. There is something he wants you to
learn from what you are going through, and there is something he wants to do in
your life through what he is taking you through. So, don’t get discouraged.
Rest in him, and trust him with your life, and believe that he is working this
out for good in your life if your trust is in him. And he may be preparing you
for a ministry you have not even thought of, and this trial is preparation.
The eyes of the Lord are still toward the righteous, and his
ears are still attentive to our cries, and when we cry for help, he hears us,
and he will help us, but we have to surrender our wills to his will, and we
have to submit to his purposes, and accept his sovereignty over our lives, and
believe that he has our best in mind. And he may deliver us physically out of
the trials, but he will deliver us spiritually and emotionally, if we will let
him.
Hear my Voice
An Original Work /
July 9, 2012
Based off Psalm 27
The Lord is my great
salvation.
He’s the stronghold
of my life.
When my enemies
attack me,
My heart will not
fear at all.
Though a war break
out against me,
Confident in Christ I’ll
be.
Of the Lord, I ask
that I may
Live with Him
eternally.
Hear my voice, Lord,
when I call you.
Merciful to me
You’ll be.
Though my relatives
forsake me,
My Lord God will
receive me.
Teach me Your way, O
my Jesus.
Lead me in Your
righteousness.
I will sacrifice to
my Lord.
I will sing with
joyfulness.
I am confident that
I will
See the goodness of
the Lord.
All the richness of
His blessings,
My Lord has for me
in store.
He asks me to be of
courage;
To be strong and to
take heart,
Patiently as I wait
for Him,
And from Him to
ne’er depart.
No comments:
Post a Comment