“I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.” -Psalm 119:121

Have you ever felt alone? A spouse dies, a friend abandons you, or no one around you quite understands your feelings or circumstances. At some point we all have felt alone. Secondary infertility and living in a special needs world is certainly a struggle of loneliness at times for me when this isn’t the norm for most. No matter how loving and gracious family and friends are, there is no “fixing” it. Yet staying in self pity or despair is just how Satan oppresses God’s children. The remedy then is to go to God in our distress, like the psalmist does. God will never forsake His own no matter how abandoned we might feel. When Satan tempts us to despair, we must ask, “what is true?”, “what is God’s character?”, “what are His promises toward me?”, “can I trust the Lord even in suffering?”

In God’s loving sovereignty not one hair on our heads is touched without His permission. Nothing happens outside of His will, even the free will of man’s sinful choices. This too is in the Lord’s foreknowledge. There is so much you and I can’t possibly begin to understand in how the Lord operates. Somehow the Lord lovingly purposes pain, oppression and sorrow so that we might not rely on ourselves but on Him. It is death to a dream, to self, so that we can have life in sweeter, deeper, richer fellowship with the One who loves us best. 

The psalmist in this verse honestly recalls his own behavior before the Lord. This isn’t a moment of spiritual pride but of examining himself and finding he is blameless, much like Job when he was afflicted. This doesn’t mean he has never sinned, but his character is consistent with holiness. The psalmist pursues and practices holy living. He goes to find relief from God, not men, and leaves His enemies in the Lord’s Hands. When we need help, who do we run to first? Following the writer’s example, we too can go to God with all our needs, desires and pleas. It is also wise to leave our oppressors, physical or spiritual, in God’s Hands. Our Lord will continually deliver His beloved from the slings and arrows of this life with His Power and Promises by sharpening our eternal perspective, refining our faith.

Grace upon grace,

April

Growing deeper: Isaiah 40:27-31; Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 4:8-18

My favorite hymn of the moment is ‘O Love that wilt not let me go’ . It is taken from a poem written by George Matheson (1842-1906). He penned these words from a personal heartbreak. As a young man, Matheson was engaged to be married but found out he was going blind. There was nothing the doctors could do. His fiancee did not want to be married to a blind man so she left him. Out of his pain of rejection we have this beautiful hymn. Suffering in God’s economy is never wasted. I hope this hymn blesses you as it has me.