February 12, 2009

LOOKING BACK, GROWING FORWARD

Psalm 31

Drew Landis
Thursday's Devo

February 12, 2009

Thursday's Devo

February 12, 2009

Central Truth

Funny how hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20! Only after tough trials do you begin to see the joy and blessings from God and begin to understand God's love for you and His desire for you to grow in Him. GIVE HIM PRAISE FOR IT!

Key Verse | Psalm 31:21

The Lord deserves praise for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies. (Psalm 31:21)

Psalm 31

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    in your righteousness deliver me!
Incline your ear to me;
    rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
    a strong fortress to save me!

For you are my rock and my fortress;
    and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me;
you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
    for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
    you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

I hate 1 31:6 Masoretic Text; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
    but I trust in the LORD.
I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
    because you have seen my affliction;
    you have known the distress of my soul,
and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
    you have set my feet in a broad place.

Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
    my eye is wasted from grief;
    my soul and my body also.
10  For my life is spent with sorrow,
    and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
    and my bones waste away.

11  Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,
    especially to my neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
    those who see me in the street flee from me.
12  I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
    I have become like a broken vessel.
13  For I hear the whispering of many—
    terror on every side!—
as they scheme together against me,
    as they plot to take my life.

14  But I trust in you, O LORD;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15  My times are in your hand;
    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16  Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!
17  O LORD, let me not be put to shame,
    for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
    let them go silently to Sheol.
18  Let the lying lips be mute,
    which speak insolently against the righteous
    in pride and contempt.

19  Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
    which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
    in the sight of the children of mankind!
20  In the cover of your presence you hide them
    from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
    from the strife of tongues.

21  Blessed be the LORD,
    for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
    when I was in a besieged city.
22  I had said in my alarm, 2 31:22 Or in my haste
    “I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
    when I cried to you for help.

23  Love the LORD, all you his saints!
    The LORD preserves the faithful
    but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
24  Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the LORD!

Footnotes

[1] 31:6 Masoretic Text; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome You hate
[2] 31:22 Or in my haste

Dive Deeper | Psalm 31

Have you ever been hit in the head with a verse? Well, this one did it for me. Last year was a banner year for the Landis family and a fabulous opportunity for us to grow, and while I would like to say that I seized every moment, that wouldn't be the truth. When I read this verse, I immediately identified the "enemies" as trials that equate to the core struggles I face each day as a believer. I am a believer in Christ who struggles with control, anger, impatience, and making the world what Drew wants it to be. Let me elaborate by the following table of trials and associated struggles:

2008 Trials                                                                                
Truck transmission, fuel filter, water pump, radiator (all in two weeks)
Struggle: all of my issues (described above)
House plumbing (sewage coming up every drain)
Struggle: all of my issues
Our son Brandon's medical stuff
Struggle: all of my issues
TOPPER! Mother-in-law's brain cancer
Struggle: all of my issues

I must admit that when these storms hit, my first reaction wasn't to sit there and think, "Thank you God for giving me this opportunity to grow"! I failed miserably at being a model of what Christ wants me to be around my wife and my two precious children (sponges). NOT A PRETTY SIGHT. It was during one of these trials that I received great counsel from a friend. He said to laugh at it because "God certainly believes you can handle it." I wanted to raise my fist at God and yell, "What are You thinking? I can't take any more!" Instead, I am learning to be still and listen, which is not easy for me. The Psalms are amazing to read—it is easy to relate to the struggles that the psalmist faced, as well as the praise and adoration he felt toward God. 

What spoke to me about this psalm is that life, good and bad, is a gift. It greatly depends upon how you unwrap it that matters most to God. Be thankful and seize the moment He gave you to grow in Him.

Discussion Questions

1. What "enemies" do you have that are keeping you from experiencing growth in Christ?

2. Looking back, how did you react to your latest trial?

3. Did you give God praise in the midst of your storm?