"The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their trouble. 18. The Lord is near unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. 19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.”
As I read these verses I became keenly aware that there are many advantages to being a child of God. In verses 17 and 19, David refers to “the righteous.” This is not referring to people who are perfect, or who are legalistic and mean-spirited. (One thinks of the Pharisees here.) “The righteous” are not so religious that they are above getting their hands dirty in their service for the Lord. In fact, they are not “religious” at all; they are dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, not a religion. Looking at this text from the standpoint of the New Testament, “the righteous” are people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, are living for Him and it shows in their lives. The promise in this text is that the Lord should be the basis of our security and hope. Initially, I need to point out that Christians are not promised that everything will always go their way. In verse 17, David mentions that God delivers His people from trouble. This means, of course, that like all other human beings, God’s people will have troubles. In verse 19, David wrote: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous…” When you read the Bible, you become aware that even the great men of God, like Moses, David and Daniel, had to go through some hardships, struggles and afflictions. It concerns me that many people want to walk away from their commitment to God when they encounter troubles, as though God has broken some promise to them that they would never have to endure sorrows and troubles. That is definitely not a biblical promise. What then are the advantages of being a child of God? In verses 17 and 19 David wrote about the deliverance of God. Though we go through trials and troubles, dark days and troublesome times, God is aware of what is going on in our lives and is set to deliver us from them. We do not have to read self-help books, or go running to the world’s counselors to help us get through hard times, because we have the Lord, who has promised to deliver us. Please consider that whatever dark moment you might be experiencing right now, God is already at work on your deliverance. When you have learned what you need to learn, and have grown sufficiently in your dependence on His grace, God is ready to deliver you just as He delivered people in the Bible. In my mind, verse 18 has the promise that we need to hold tenaciously to when we encounter hardships and troubles: “The Lord is near unto them that are of a broken spirit and contrite heart.” The promise is that God is near us when we belong to Him. In Psalm 23:4 David wrote: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” David did not blame God that he had to walk through “the valley of the shadow of death;” rather he praised God that He did not abandon him while he went through it. The same is true for you, for God has not changed. He is still near us. When our spirits are broken, instead of pouting and complaining, we need to be “contrite in heart” and realize that we are dependent on God. David wrote in Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” This does not mean that we should be depressed all of the time. It does mean that we are to remember that God is near us and will deliver us from, or through, whatever it is we have to endure. Whatever you are dealing with in your life right now, remember the promise of God and go to Him, totally depending on Him to deliver you. I should emphasize that the great men and women of God in the Bible were made stronger in their faith, and in their love for God through their struggles and troubles! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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