So, I've been feeling pretty sorry for myself for the past few weeks. And then God set Psalm 73 before me several times in the past few days.
But first, more about my pitiful self. I've been overwhelmed with marriages and babies, and what to do with myself on the weekends since I have no single friends near by. In the midst of that pity party, I learned of various friends and acquaintances who have lost children in sudden accidents, who have found themselves in bad marriages, who have sat in hospitals for long hours wondering if loved ones were going to survive. Habitually, I gather up my pain and everyone else's and throw it all at God's feet, pronouncing, "Look at all that! What are you THINKING???"
God is good. God is gracious. He hasn't struck me with lightening yet, although I VERY much deserve it.
And Psalms 73 keeps showing up:
"When my heart was embittered,
And I was pierced within,
Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before Thee.
Nevertheless I am continually with Thee;
Thou has taken hold of my right hand.
With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.
"Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish;
Thou has destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Thy works."
9 years ago
3 comments:
I do the same thing, in fact, had a pity party for myself last week. Only one attended, me. I snapped out of it (a bit) after listening to The Horse and the Boy/Chronicles of Narnia on cd while commuting (one of my gripes). And it was a simple message that Aslan was the one who was chasing the boy and wounding the boy and protecting the boy and frustrating the boy, all for a purpose that was too big for the boy to comprehend or handle. And when the boy questioned why others were experiencing things either better or worse than him, Aslan reminded the boy that he was only telling the boy's story, not the other's story.
I'm not explaining this very well. But maybe it makes sense. Anyway, it helped me lighten up.
The Horse and His Boy is my favorite of the Narnia books, partly because of that part. Throughout the Narnia books, Aslan reminds various characters that they are only privy to their own story, and not to drag someone else's situation into their personal relationship with Aslan. So true.
My very favorite (and theologically related) part of THAHB has to do with cliffs and footprints, but I won't say more than that, in case you haven't gotten that far yet...
Annie -
Psalm 73 (or rather, the truth behind it) has gotten me through some DARK times these past couple years. I love what it says that, I might actually FAIL. My heart might fail at holding itself together. But God is the stregnth of my heart, not me. I understand the overwhelmingness of the weddings and babies (every other card in my mailbox is a wedding invite or a baby announcement). Enough already, I want to yell.
"But as for me, the nearness of God is good."
We've learned some precious things, my friend.
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