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144 Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
O LORD, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!
(ESV)
David is physically and emotionally spent. He pleads with God to be rescued. This is a common and consistent theme in the Psalms. However, it’s also very relevant because we also struggle physically and emotionally.
Even with the advanced state of science and medical technology, we are struck down by disease, infections, cancer, and all kinds of daily aches and pains. On top of that, we are finite beings. It is a certain end for us physically speaking and we could literally leave this life at any moment.
Emotionally, we all struggle. All it really takes is one bad relationship or experience to leave a lifetime of pain. The recovery can be brutal. The treatment can only be spiritual. However, despite these physical and emotional shortcomings, we are still used in powerful ways to display Christ’s glory and bring his message to those in need.
It’s not a coincidence that we are given the analogy of a clay pot to describe our place in God’s kingdom.
Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 HCSB
Earthenware was formed in a potter’s hand, every detail imprinted by the hands of the maker. The resulting clay sculpture turns out to be exactly what the creator had wanted. If not, he simply puts it back on the spinning wheel and begins to form it to what he needs it to be.
After the clay is formed, what good is it for holding soup or for growing a plant? In its current form, it’s just soft clay. You can try and put soup in it, but it will not serve that purpose very well. What has to happen to the clay before it’s able to be used for the purpose it was created for? It has to be put into the fire.
There are some things that can only be learned in the fiery furnace. The misunderstanding of the Christian life is that if you are this super spiritual person, then you will experience victory in all phases of life. That was definitely not the case with David or the early church.
“…at the Nicene Council, an important church meeting in the 4th century A.D., of the 318 delegates attending, fewer than 12 had not lost an eye or lost a hand or did not limp on a leg lamed by torture for their Christian faith.”
Vance Havner
Jesus has proven that physical persecution and suffering result in spiritual growth and maturity. There are some people that completely resist and reject this kind of growth and assume it isn’t supposed to happen. Persecution and suffering are going to find you whether you trust in Jesus or not. Through the promises offered by God, believers can embrace suffering instead of rejecting it.