Tuesday, July 13, 2021

The Crowd Around Me

 

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Hear my cry, for I am very low.  Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.  Bring me out of prison so I can thank you.  The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”  Psalm 142:6-7

This, according to the marginal notes in the text, is David’s reflection of what he felt while hiding in a cave to escape a relentless pursuit by King Saul.  David was very low in spirit, surrounded by those under orders to kill him…a whole army of professional killers.  They were too strong a force for anyone to withstand.  David felt as if he were the death-row inmate, and the last appeal had been denied.

And so the prayer lifted for release from the prison is our prayer when we are also “low”, depressed, defeated, diseased, disenfranchised, duped, and dying in spirit.  We pray for the safety net to lift us out of the pit.  The Psalmist (King David) expresses for us the greatest truth about what God intended for the church – to be the safety net of His goodness. 

The crowd of the godly to which David points is God’s family, godly compassionate souls who are ready to stand together.  This is more than an army; this is the two or three of which Jesus spoke; when they gather around, they are a crowd no earthly force can defeat.

To be sure, the church is made up of people who have been lifted out of their own prison of sin.  That certainly makes them imperfect, and we can be a messy bunch, sometimes making incredibly unwise, or unhealthy decisions.  But, there is one truth that cannot be denied – when God placed you in the church, He meant it for good, and what God means for good will turn out for good.

At times I have seen (in myself and others) the doubt of believing the circumstances we face being anything close to God-ordained.  We imagine tough times are always Satan’s work.  We feel like David in the cave, perhaps.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, is always working things together for good for those who are His.[1]  Sometimes the dilemma in which you are bogged down is engineered in Heaven.  And it is not God “testing” you to find out if you’ll stand.  Rather, the tests of God go beyond that; He already knows how much you can stand; you’re being tested so YOU will know you CAN stand, if you’ll stand in His strength alone.

For You Today

So, what’s on your plate?  Got troubles by the truckload?  Got a decision to make that you’re hesitating to pull the trigger for fear of what others might think or say?  Got a relationship that’s a little rocky?  Job in jeopardy?  Kids getting into stuff?  Doctor still hasn’t called about that test?

The church is more than that place of obligation on Sunday, or the ritual chest, or a porch to discuss the ball game; it’s God’s safety net for you, that crowd around you and me. 

And you’re part of it that someone else needs. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©    

No comments:

Post a Comment