God can best guide us when we desire to be led by Him.
Learning in Troubled Waters
Psalms 34:1 – 34:19
1 ([A Psalm] of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.) I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear [thereof], and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard [him], and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good [thing].
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 What man [is he that] desireth life, [and] loveth [many] days, that he may see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD [are] upon the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their cry.
16 The face of the LORD [is] against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 [The righteous] cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
God promises that when we face challenging times, He will keep His divine eye upon us. He wants to be our teacher and guide through the difficulty, but we must position ourselves to respond to His signals. That is, we need to:
Have a longing to follow God’s way and His way only. Scripture compares such yearning to a deer panting for water (Psalm 42:1). The same should be true of us each time we wait for God’s direction instead of acting on our own.
Be willing to be taught by God. He will transform trials into times of learning when we look to Him for guidance. Such was the case with Hannah as she pleaded for a child (1 Samuel 1:1-20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10). It was also true for Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died (John 11:17-27). We need willing spirits if we are to learn what God wants to teach us in the “classroom” of His choice. Most of us would opt for a comfortable, pleasurable setting in which to gain understanding. But God knows the best way to instill wisdom and may choose pain and trouble as the place of instruction.
Yield to His will. Before we know God’s solution, He asks us to commit ourselves to His way. The Lord calls us to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) and to acknowledge that we are helpless without Him (John 15:5). To declare commitment to His way is always best.
Troubles are an unwelcome fact of life, but they can have value. Often what we wanted to avoid turns out to be the very thing we needed. God asks that we have a tender heart, a teachable spirit, and a yielded will. Does this describe you?
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