Circumstances
Posted by Esther Stewart on Monday, August 9, 2010
The Lord says "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name." Psalm 91:14.
For most of my Christian walk I have taken Psalm 91 with a pinch of salt. I imagined that the psalmist must have written it from a burst of grateful emotion. He was expressing what he felt he should express. To me, it seemed an exaggeration or an ideal.
Lately, God has challenged me to read Psalm 91 out loud, declaring it as if it were true. I have been doing this every day for three weeks, and I have learned so much!
It is all true, the entire psalm from beginning to end, and now I am beginning to see it.
My life has not been ideal. Things have happened to me that would appear to belie the promises made in Psalm 91, and I have struggled for a long time to reconcile them. This has caused me a lot of pain and confusion. I have had many 'arguements' with God. But as I have read Psalm 91, the truth has begun to seep in. I had been viewing my life solely with regards to circumstances and the strength of my pain. I had not exaggerated the extent of my suffering, in fact often I had played it down. My problem was that I could not see where God was in my circumstances. I felt abandoned, and my suffering increased.
As I read Psalm 91, I began to view my circumstances differently. At times I realised that I had been completely wrong in my interpretation of events, and what they meant for me. At other times I felt the force of God's anger at injustice done to me, and also His clear promise that He would return to me what had been taken, and bless me because of my suffering.
This has not been an over-night thing. It will probably be a life long journey of getting to know God and His love for me. I am so grateful that I can now read Psalm 91 and believe it. I am happier as a result. I don't need to argue with God any more. I know He is for me, and my confidence in this truth continues to increase. I begin to see that I am safe with Him, and circumstances will not rule me. God is always in control. He always has a plan, and He is good beyond what we can hope or imagine. Trust Him.
For most of my Christian walk I have taken Psalm 91 with a pinch of salt. I imagined that the psalmist must have written it from a burst of grateful emotion. He was expressing what he felt he should express. To me, it seemed an exaggeration or an ideal.
Lately, God has challenged me to read Psalm 91 out loud, declaring it as if it were true. I have been doing this every day for three weeks, and I have learned so much!
It is all true, the entire psalm from beginning to end, and now I am beginning to see it.
My life has not been ideal. Things have happened to me that would appear to belie the promises made in Psalm 91, and I have struggled for a long time to reconcile them. This has caused me a lot of pain and confusion. I have had many 'arguements' with God. But as I have read Psalm 91, the truth has begun to seep in. I had been viewing my life solely with regards to circumstances and the strength of my pain. I had not exaggerated the extent of my suffering, in fact often I had played it down. My problem was that I could not see where God was in my circumstances. I felt abandoned, and my suffering increased.
As I read Psalm 91, I began to view my circumstances differently. At times I realised that I had been completely wrong in my interpretation of events, and what they meant for me. At other times I felt the force of God's anger at injustice done to me, and also His clear promise that He would return to me what had been taken, and bless me because of my suffering.
This has not been an over-night thing. It will probably be a life long journey of getting to know God and His love for me. I am so grateful that I can now read Psalm 91 and believe it. I am happier as a result. I don't need to argue with God any more. I know He is for me, and my confidence in this truth continues to increase. I begin to see that I am safe with Him, and circumstances will not rule me. God is always in control. He always has a plan, and He is good beyond what we can hope or imagine. Trust Him.
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