The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 69:1-3,
"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God."
In this psalm David speaks of the dire circumstances the Lord has placed him in. Later, in verse 26, where he speaks of those who mock him due to the Lord's treatment of him, David makes clear it is the Lord who has caused David's plight, "For they persecute those you [God] wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt."
The desperation in David's language makes clear how effective and firm the Lord's treatment of him is, "I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched." We also see how effective God's careful and precision treatment of David is, as he gains David's attention, "My eyes fail, looking for my God."
We read in Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." We read the same thing in Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19.
The writer of Hebrews helps us understand what it is the Lord is accomplishing in our lives when we find ourselves in this crucible of the Lord, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7-11.
Just as David, we who have embraced Jesus Christ as our Savior undergo this same experience as David three millennia ago. But... notice the desperation in David's language! There is pain involved! When the Lord works in our lives it is effective enough to bring about life changes. We must be prepared for those things that transcend what the faint of heart may be able to bear. But we need the confidence to know the Lord is right there with us at every point and will see us through it.
Those who portray our relationship with God as a total lovey-dovey affair do a real disservice to God's people. God does bless his people overwhelmingly, But, when God brings those life-altering hardships into our lives and we are unprepared or fail to understand the purpose of them we just may feel abandoned or rejected by God. Nothing could be further from the truth- God is treating us "as his children."
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God."
In this psalm David speaks of the dire circumstances the Lord has placed him in. Later, in verse 26, where he speaks of those who mock him due to the Lord's treatment of him, David makes clear it is the Lord who has caused David's plight, "For they persecute those you [God] wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt."
The desperation in David's language makes clear how effective and firm the Lord's treatment of him is, "I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched." We also see how effective God's careful and precision treatment of David is, as he gains David's attention, "My eyes fail, looking for my God."
We read in Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." We read the same thing in Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19.
The writer of Hebrews helps us understand what it is the Lord is accomplishing in our lives when we find ourselves in this crucible of the Lord, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7-11.
Just as David, we who have embraced Jesus Christ as our Savior undergo this same experience as David three millennia ago. But... notice the desperation in David's language! There is pain involved! When the Lord works in our lives it is effective enough to bring about life changes. We must be prepared for those things that transcend what the faint of heart may be able to bear. But we need the confidence to know the Lord is right there with us at every point and will see us through it.
Those who portray our relationship with God as a total lovey-dovey affair do a real disservice to God's people. God does bless his people overwhelmingly, But, when God brings those life-altering hardships into our lives and we are unprepared or fail to understand the purpose of them we just may feel abandoned or rejected by God. Nothing could be further from the truth- God is treating us "as his children."
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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