IT HURTS, BUT NOT FOREVER!

GOD IS IN CONTROL, HE WILL PREVAIL

Psalm 129

“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—

let Israel now say—

“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,

yet they have not prevailed against me.

The plowers plowed upon my back;

they made long their furrows.”

The LORD is righteous;

he has cut the cords of the wicked.

May all who hate Zion

be put to shame and turned backward!

Let them be like the grass on the housetops,

which withers before it grows up,

with which the reaper does not fill his hand

nor the binder of sheaves his arms,

nor do those who pass by say,

“The blessing of the LORD be upon you!

We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

We don’t know who wrote this psalm or when it was written, but it is very possible that it was written after Israel’s Babylonian captivity. The writer recognizes that the Lord, in His righteousness, had freed the children of the captive generation.

It is wonderful that the writer of this psalm causes the later pilgrims to recognize that God had not allowed Israel’s enemies to prevail. He does not minimize their suffering, since the image of being plowed upon his back paints great distress in vivid colors, but not to the point of death.

We can learn to react correctly to trials from this psalm. Our reaction should not be to rebel or complain, but rather to point those who hear us toward the righteousness of God. The Israelites knew that it was their sin and rebellion that had brought them into captivity. But here we do not see any signs of rebellion, just total submission to God.

God’s righteousness required their punishment, but it was also His righteousness that caused the LORD to keep His promises faithfully.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

            Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Paul knew very well that God had long-reaching purposes for his trials. Every trial, every suffering was God’s careful preparation for ministry. Paul recognized the comfort of God and knew that it had prepared him to comfort others, in the same way.

If you are like me, you tend to ask yourself why you are going through a difficult time, since we desire to see the value of a situation. Well, here it is: it prepares you to help others. One thing is clear - that our focus should never be on ourselves, but first on God and then on how God will, because of it, use us in the lives of others.

Sometimes life is hard. Paul knew that in times of utter difficulty he needed to rely on God.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

            For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

           

Paul looked at the hard events in his life as the gentle nudging of God. He never forgot the importance of prayer. Paul’s desire was to be a testimony for Christ and, to that end, he asked the believers to pray for him.

Dear friends, don’t go through trials and difficulties alone! Ask others to pray for you! Remember that our major emphasis in praying should not be to escape the situation. Our prayers should be that God will be glorified by our response and attitude, that the trial would cause us to mature and become more like Christ, that we would become better instruments to meet the needs of others who go through trials like ours, and that others would grow in their faith.

The writer ends this psalm, relying on God to take care of those who had hurt Israel. He does not desire to carry out vengeance himself, but he asks God to do what is right.

At times, our trials are the consequence of people who want to harm us and who, many times, hate God. Let us remember that God is allowing them to do what they are doing, and that He will use it in our lives. And don’t forget that God will not leave sin unpunished. He will surely bring judgment at His right time.

Whatever situation you are in, remember: GOD WILL PREVAIL!