Psalm 118:5-6 (NKJV)
5 I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me
and set me in a broad place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What
can man do to me?
David calls upon all about him to give to God the glory
of his goodness. He encourages himself and others to trust in God, from the
experience he had had of God's power and pity in the great and kind things he
had done for him. There are many who, when they are lifted up, care not for
hearing or speaking of their former depressions; but David takes all occasions
to remember his own low estate. [Matthew Henry]
At the sight of the outstretched hand of a city beggar, I
have always grown uncomfortable. Until recently, I have thought it was because
of Jesus' warning in Matthew 25:45: "Whatever you did not do for one of
the least of these [the hungry, thirsty, unclothed, homeless], you did not do
for me."
But since I spent an evening at the women's shelter, I
see that Matthew 25 is only the partial cause of my discomfort. I am
uncomfortable because I see the beggar as myself—or my very own brother or
mother or father. And I cannot think of a homeless or hungry woman in such
personal terms without a reversal in the way I give my thanks.
The difference between "Thank you that I'm not one
of them" and "Thank you for the grace you have shown to me, and help
me to mirror your grace to others" may, at first, seem slight. But the
second is for me a wholly new mindset that makes me want to reach out, that
reduces my discomfort around those who have less than I, and, surprisingly,
that reduces my fear of a future that is unknown. Why? Because even though I
know I have no insurance policy against war and famine or sickness, I know I
have a God who does not forget his own. And for that I thank him also. [Except from: Evelyn Bence, "Two Kinds
of Thanks," Christianity Today magazine (November, 1999)]
God is there in our moments of distress. David was always
giving praise unto God; for David knew God was watching over him. Throughout
his life he had lived as a shepherd, as a musician in the King’s court, a man
on the run from danger and even a man facing the consequences of his sins. Yet
the Lord was always there to comfort David and to lead him back to a life of
righteousness; and so David was thankful.
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