I NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS TRUE!
READ PSALM 89
Psalm 89:46-48
How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself
forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity you have created all the
children of man!
What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of
Sheol? Selah
The author of this psalm, even after
spending much time rehearsing the greatness of God and remembering His
character and faithfulness, is overwhelmed by the reality of the situation
David’s kingdom is in at this time.
God is punishing Israel. Yet His covenant with
David was sure, so now the writer is confused. God had foretold that the wicked
kings would be punished, but now the author watches a situation that seems
hopeless for Israel.
As we read this psalm, we have a great
advantage because we know that Christ came to earth and that He is the eternal
King who sits on the throne of David. We know from scripture that one day God will
reestablish a physical kingdom. But at that time, the writer could only deal
with the present, and he needed to address all the questions that came to his
mind.
Had God forsaken them? Was His love gone
forever? Would they ever be restored?
The writer could only base his evaluation
on what he knew for sure: God was faithful and merciful, the people had been
unfaithful, having broken the statutes of God, and were being rightly punished,
just as God had promised. He knew that God would remain faithful and that the
Lord would keep His word.
How long this season would last was not for
him to know; all he could do was cry out to God and trust Him.
Dear friends, sometimes we find ourselves
in very similar situations. Our circumstances are difficult and we have no idea
how long they will last. We must do the same as the psalmist, and trust God.
We must rehearse the character of God.
We must rehearse the promises of God.
We must review our lives to see if there is sin to
confess.
We must wait upon God.
We must remember what the Bible teaches
about trials:
- They always have an eternal purpose.
- They never last longer than what we can endure.
- They are never harder than what we can bear.
- They are never meant to crush us.
- They are meant to drive us to God.
- They are always driven by God’s eternal love for us.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9
But
we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power
belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck
down, but not destroyed;
We are frail; God knows what we can bear.
We must rely on His power, and at the end His glory will shine through our
submissive trust in Him. That must be our only desire.
Psalm 89:52
Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.
We will finish well, like the writer of this Psalm. May our lives bless the Lord. May those who come alongside us see God shining in and through us.
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