I’ve asked Tony DeKoter, principle at Quisqueya Christian School in Port Au Prince, Haiti, to share his reflections on the readings for this week. Tony and Mary have been serving in Haiti for three years, you can read more at their blog, Hope For Haiti.
Psalm 31
Once again I hear that God is my Refuge, my Rock, my Fortress. When we run to that fortress we also align ourselves with that King. He will be my Protector, my Redeemer and save me from my enemies.At times in our lives it seems that the whole world is against us. We feel lonely and isolated. Alone and forgotten. No good word is said about us. Yet one thing we must remember at all times. God is my Redeemer King. In Him I place my trust. He is my Guardian and He will lead me and guide me through the dark valleys as He has promised if I lay hold on His promises. He is my Refuge. When I feel all alone, I need to cry out for help. He is my constant Companion if I have but the eyes of faith. The Lord my God is always with His people, being faithful to His promises. I am more than a conqueror if I but take heart and hope in the Lord. I am never ever alone. Into Your hands I commit my spirit. The very words of Christ Jesus on the cross. I need to learn that I can trust whatever into His hands. Isn’t my name engraved into the palms of His hand?
In all of life, may prayer must be as He taught, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the Kingdom and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen. Look at God faithfulness in days past and He surely is able to do that again and again because He is able to do immeasurably more than we all ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. May God be glorified in all we do and say. You are my Lord and God needs to be my response as it was Thomas’s. My times are in Your hands; therefore I am strong.
God gives His people strength.
If we believe in His way, He’s swift to repay
All those who bear the burden of the day
God gives His people strength.God gives His people hope
If we but trust in His word, our prayers are always heard
He warmly welcomes anyone who’s erred.
God gives His people hope.God gives His people love
If we but open wide our hearts, He’s sure to do His part
He’s always the first to make a start.
God gives His people love.God gives His people peace.
When sorrow fills us to the brim, and courage grows dim
He lays to rest our restlessness in Him.
God gives His people peace.
in His time
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 31
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. [Psalm 31:9] Why does God wait so long to help? It often seems that He waits until the last possible moment before He shows up (think of Daniel in the lions den, or Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego in the fire). I am sure this is a question that many people who go through suffering raise. Even those who are not suffering themselves cannot bear to watch someone else suffer, and would do something if they could – so why doesn’t God?
Does it have something to do with helping us deeper than we want; He is not just rescuing us from the immediate concern, but also from our deeper, more serious condition. Its like a doctor prescribing Tylenol 3 for a strong headache (the immediate concern) but not going deeper to deal with the tumour that is growing. Sure, He can provide immediate relief, but will that help us in the end?
Our deepest need, and our deepest problem, is our separation from God, and the corresponding self-reliance and self-centeredness that messes our lives up. God is not just saving us from our problems, He is saving us from ourselves, and I often takes hard situations to break us, to get us to the point where we surrender ourselves to Him. David is brought to the point where he says, Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. [Psalm 31:5]. Compare that with Jesus’ words: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. [Luke 23:46] This is a journey we must all follow, through the cross to the crown.
At the end of the day, the help that God gives will be right, good, perfect. We cannot see this now, but one day we will see it better. I hang on to this, that at the end of time, I will look back on my life and say, ‘Ohhh, now I get it!’ In the meantime, the whole bible repeats the call to courage and hope. Do not give up on God, even if it seems He’s not coming through. Hang on, your time will come. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. [Psalm 31:24]
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to surrender my spirit and life to You, to trust You EVEN when You lead me THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death to the place that is prepared for me.