Ended up in Psalm 34 this morning for worship.
As I was reading, the same crushing disappointment that I feel whenever I compare the formerly glowing promises with the bitter tarnish of my reality swept over me.
Broken promises.
Listen:
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encampeth around them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."
Was I not righteous enough to deserve deliverance? I cried, and I was still stuck in my hell-hole. My bones were broken, literally and figuratively. I have been desolate, even while I was trying my utmost to trust in God.
So I started talking to God.
You see?! This is exactly what I mean! I read these promises, and it just re-emphasizes to me that I can't trust you, because they're all broken. I knew I was right when I said that you'd promised to protect us. And still you didn't. Broken promises... I feel lied to.
And I read them again, maybe just to enjoy the feeling of salt in my wound.
However, I noticed something this time through.
It doesn't say "from", as in "God will save me from pain, he will prevent it from happening." No, it says the LORD delivers people out of the troubles that they're in. You have to be in something to be taken out of it.
So, okay. That transforms my understanding of the situation a little bit. But I still don't get the "keeping my bones from being broken" part, because, honestly, that sounds like a preventative measure to me, one that wasn't taken.
But I sincerely hope (and now I have a little more of a measure of trust) that the final promise in the Psalm is solid and sincere:
"The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."
As I was reading, the same crushing disappointment that I feel whenever I compare the formerly glowing promises with the bitter tarnish of my reality swept over me.
Broken promises.
Listen:
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encampeth around them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."
Was I not righteous enough to deserve deliverance? I cried, and I was still stuck in my hell-hole. My bones were broken, literally and figuratively. I have been desolate, even while I was trying my utmost to trust in God.
So I started talking to God.
You see?! This is exactly what I mean! I read these promises, and it just re-emphasizes to me that I can't trust you, because they're all broken. I knew I was right when I said that you'd promised to protect us. And still you didn't. Broken promises... I feel lied to.
And I read them again, maybe just to enjoy the feeling of salt in my wound.
However, I noticed something this time through.
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encampeth around them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."
It doesn't say "from", as in "God will save me from pain, he will prevent it from happening." No, it says the LORD delivers people out of the troubles that they're in. You have to be in something to be taken out of it.
So, okay. That transforms my understanding of the situation a little bit. But I still don't get the "keeping my bones from being broken" part, because, honestly, that sounds like a preventative measure to me, one that wasn't taken.
But I sincerely hope (and now I have a little more of a measure of trust) that the final promise in the Psalm is solid and sincere:
"The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."
0 thoughts: