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]
See Romans
8:28
