“Nevertheless
he regarded their distress when he heard their cry,
for their
sake he remembered his covenant,
and showed
compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.”
~Psalm 106:44-45 (NRSV)
A great biblical encouragement is
found in this Psalm. No matter what has occurred in the past, despite our sin,
whenever we repent the Lord will
turn to us in favour in some way. Most of the foregoing verses (1-39) chronicle
the vastness of Israel’s
sin and God’s covenant faithfulness. There is One, alone, we can always trust.
Such repentance is about owning
the actual truth—no more no less. We ask the Spirit of God to reveal to us our
sin. And we ask for courage to not shrink from the truth of it.
The entire Psalm is a prayer of
repentance, encapsulated neatly in the plea at verse 47—“Save us,
O Lord our God, and gather us from
among the nations...”
***
When we turn back to God in our
distress, the Lord will hear our
cries for help, and deliverance will come. Often that is peace for our
perseverance.
***
To God we draw
near,
When calamities
swarm,
To allow
Him to steer,
Us through the storm.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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