"I call on the Lord in my distress,
and he answers me.
Save me, Lord,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues."
The psalmist calls out to the Lord in the midst of distress. Apparently he is facing those who are slandering him or the like. As he does so, he confidently acknowledges the Lord will answer him. He is assured the Lord will visit his enemies with punishment ("a warrior's sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush", verse 4).
Since the Lord was going to come to the psalmist's aid and deliver him from his enemies, and since the Lord knows everything that is going to happen before it does, why didn't the Lord just prevent the attacks from the psalmist's enemies before the psalmist suffered? Why did the Lord wait until the psalmist suffered and called out?
We read in Hebrews 12:7-11, "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."
It is apparent to me the Lord allows, and I'm quite certain, goes out of his way, to bring those things into our lives that remind us of our dependence on him. I know I need the reminder, at an experiential level, that the Lord is the One I need to call out to in the midst of difficulty. It is the Lord who has both the ability and the desire to rescue us. As he does so in these relatively minor ways, he is busy teaching us that he is faithful to save us in the major things as well… like the need we have to be saved from his judgment of us for our sins.
Practical lessons as the Lord works in our lives!
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!
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