"Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy works, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the santcuary: who is so great a God as our God?" - Psalm 77:9-13 So many times we feel as if we are all alone. As if God has completely forgotten about us and we begin to ask why. Many times in David's life, God chose to stay silent wanting him to simply have the faith to trust that God knew what He was doing. David must have felt alone in the cave when Saul wanted him dead. He must have felt alone when Absolom was marching on Jerusalem to take the crown by force. When Ammon abused Tamar and was killed by his brother, David must have felt such sorrow for the disgrace and turmoil it brought to his fami...
Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Affliction. Oh that word is not fun to hear or think about. Nobody wants to be in pain or misery. And yet, it says it is good for me?! I don’t think so. But wait a minute. Why is affliction good for me? As children, when we would physically injure ourselves, "Oh you'll be alright. It'll feel better soon." And what would happen? We would eventually forget that we even got hurt or we would be hurt to the point of it leaving a scar. However, over time the injury doesn't hurt anymore, yet we can still see the remnant. God works with us in the same way. He allows the hard times. He allows the pain and affliction to come into our lives. Sometimes it's just a scratch; It's not too bad and we heal pretty quickly. Other times, He allows something that leaves a scar. With the scar comes great lessons. Let's take Jacob as an example. God had allowed affliction ...