Psalm
119: 67,68
67. Before I was
afflicted I went astray. Often, our trials act as a thorn hedge to
keep us in good pasture, and our prosperity is a gap through which we go
astray. The spiritual, who prize
growth in grace, will bless God that those dangerous days are over, for they
know that if the weather is stormy, it is also healthier. It is well when the mind is open and
candid. Perhaps David would never have
known and confessed his straying if he had not smarted under the rod. Let us join in his humble acknowledgments,
for doubtless we have imitated him in straying.
We must remember we can never rise to one world without the other world
descending.
But
now I keep Your Word. When there is no spiritual life,
affliction works no spiritual benefit.
But where the heart is sound, trouble awakens conscience, wandering is
confessed, and the soul becomes obedient to the command. Before his trouble
David wandered. But afterward, he kept
within the hedge of the Word and found good pasture for his soul. The trial tethered him to the proper place;
it kept him, and then he kept God's Word.
Sweet are the uses of adversity, which puts a bridle on transgression
and furnishes a spur for holiness. –above
quotes taken from Charles Spurgeon in Treasury of David
68.
You are good, and what You do is good; teach me Your decrees.
My
thoughts on Psalm 119:67,68
Everyone will have tests and trials, at least at
some point in their life. These tests and trials can be short term, very long
term, or a mixture of both. I believe
God has them special ordered for each of us according to our needs, and/or the
needs of others we are connected to in some way. We do not see these needs as we don't really
know the depths of our own heart as well as we might think. God searches our heart and knows exactly what
we need to build into us the character and love of His Son, Christ Jesus.
When our focus is on the things of the world and
what it offers, it is taken off Christ.
We depend on worldly things to entertain us, make us happy and to fill
our time. We desire to have more money
so we can buy more things. But is this
what God wants for us? He wants us to have some recreation and rest on a
regular basis, but does He want us to be filling our heart with movies or videos
that pollute our minds with instant sex, violence, and occultic themes, and
even worse, irreverent language that dishonors the name of Christ Jesus, who saved us. Would He
not rather have us watch wholesome movies, and even more importantly, to fill
our heart with His Word so that we will be prepared for every situation as the Holy
Spirit takes what we have stored up in our heart, and brings it to our
remembrance at any particular time of need?
In 2 Corinthians1:5-11 Paul tells the Corinthians that the sufferings they endured were so
that they would not rely on themselves, but on God. He also told them that through Christ, our
comfort would overflow to others experiencing the same things. In this way, God uses our sufferings for His
good, our good, and the good of others. You might ask, how does God use our
sufferings for our own good?
If God's purpose is to form the character and love
of Christ Jesus in us, we should take another look at the character and love of
Christ in action. What did Jesus teach us about relationship with the Father? The following are just a few things...
Jesus arose before daybreak every morning to go to
a solitary place to commune with His Father.
Before He started His day He wanted to be prepared and pre-prayed. He always listened to His Father, and did
what the Father wanted Him to do. He
watched to see where the Father was working and He joined Him. He
was also setting an example for us to follow. He did nothing on His own initiative. He gave
all glory to the Father. How often are
we listening to the Father? How often do
we do things on our own initiative? How
often are we watching to see where God is working around us? How are we doing about starting our day with
prayer regarding the day before us?
The
tests and trials are the tools God uses to build the character and love and all
else needed, such as a forgiving spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, see also 2 Peter 1:
3-11. This is the part that benefits us,
and thereby benefits others and pleases God.
This is what God uses to bring good changes in us and draws others
closer to desiring after Him.
All good things come from above. Tests and trials may be painful, but our
Sovereign God knows how to bring good out from any trial. We often don't see it until later, but it is
always there in the works. It works much
better if we rely on Him rather than ourselves.
Like a good parent He knows what is best for our eternal good.
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