Psalm 11 In the Lord I put my trust;
how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4 The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.
1 In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
We didn’t know which way to turn. We had served with one mission group for twenty years. But now the founder and head had died, and we weren’t sure what would happen next. What if the mission advisory board chose to close the mission? What could we do? Just when we were beginning to completely despair, a missionary friend told us about a new mission group, one dedicated solely to medical missions rather than more traditional groups that would include health workers in a patronizing fashion. Within a few months we joined the new group, maintaining our relationship with our original mission group as well.
4 The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.
What did we learn from this experience? The swift acceptance from the new group validated our calling as medical missionaries. We gained new friends who believed in us and who clearly understood the stresses of our particular position and who were prepared to help. Blessedly, our original mission group was able to survive and continues to operate to the present. Rather than losing the only mission group channeling support to us, we now had more opportunities open to us.
Why does the Lord test the righteous? God doesn’t test us to hurt us but to clarify what’s real in our lives and help us to see how He can move when all appears hopeless. God hates wickedness and violence for the sake of violence because such people have turned their backs on Him and have become totally dark. Darkness and light cannot exist in the same place at the same time.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. Does God really send coals, fire and brimstone and burning winds? There are all kinds of ways God can deal with the wicked, but generally, God does not attack the wicked but leaves them to the results of their own deeds. Wickedness carries the seeds of its own destruction. Satan will use people until he has no more use for them and then he will discard them.
The entire universe tilts on the axis of free will. God has created us with the ability to make choices, whether good or bad. Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” AndEcclesiastes 12:13-14 tells us, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
Feel as if the foundations of your world are crumbling? No worries! Trust the Lord of the Universe who can redeem any situation.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You no matter what happens. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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