Meditating in Psalm 66

Early this morning I sat under a huge mango tree with three dogs and read Psalms on my kindle. Talk about mixing my metaphors. It was an overcast and cool muggy start to a new day. One passage caught my attention. I found it in Psalm 66 verses 8 through 12.

I realize that psalms are songs and that lifting a passage from a song might not convey the original author's complete intent. Let’s just say that this is poetic license. I might ask the author if he minded my extraction but he can’t be reached.

This psalms setting is ... well we don't know. Its title gives no clue and an author is unmentioned. It is, as one commentator notes, a call to national and personal praise. Or as another mentions it is a call to thanksgiving.

Verses 8 - 12 intrigued me. Look at them

8 Bless our God, O peoples;

let the sound of his praise be heard,

9 who has kept our soul among the living

and has not let our feet slip.

Meditate with me on this. We bless our God because he preserves our lives. We sound his praise because he gives us firm footing.

Firm footing is necessary for a steady walk. I resort to using walking sticks when I hike in the mango tree field. That stick has saved my hide on a number of occasions. It steadies my ever weakening stride. The hard packed clay ground can be so slick when slightly damp. You think your foot is planted then Whoosh! You are down and in pain.

This psalm reminds us that we can stride because He is keeping us. We can run and not faint because he supports us. We can praise him because he protects our being. Yet the psalm doesn't stop there. It almost seems to take a strange twist. Look at the next lines of this section.

10 For you, O God, have tested us;

you have tried us as silver is tried.

11 You brought us into the net;

you laid a crushing burden on our backs;

12 you let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and through water...

None of these options seem appealing to me. Testing, trying, nets, crushing burdens or some stiff driving over my head are not my cup of tea. I want PROTECTION from stuff like this. I know that “God goes with me” through such times. I know the “Footsteps” poem. Only one set of prints was when He was carrying me. I know that “He will never leave me nor forsake me”. I know! But my goal is to avoid crushing burdens, head-busting drive-by’s or spiritual waterboarding.

I know that God’s plan is perfect. I've heard all of that. But, if it is, why on earth does he allow stuff like this to happen to good people like me? I saw an R.C. Sproul quote recently. It said something like, “Why do bad things happen to good people? Actually this only happened once. And he volunteered!”

I laughed. R.C. is right; there are no good guys. However, there is a good God. If he is so good why the nets, burdens, fiery tests and head busting trials? It is because of sin.

Oh right that is always the answer. Sin. What has sin got to do with it? Exactly my point!

Sin clouds perspectives and understanding. Sin damages my ability to see myselve as I truly am. Sin cripples me. It muddies the often dark waters of my life. Sin makes me look like a prince when in reality I am a pauper.

Because of sin we, like silver, need refining. We need attention grabbing, “crushing burdens”. Whether we realize it or not we need someone to drive over our rock hard head every now and then.

When I am going through the “riggins”, as mom used to say, (try as I might I could find no answer as to what the word “riggins” meant. But it was a BAD thing I know that!) the first thing that I do is cry out to my Dad.

My cry does not always bring instant relief. It does not always spring me from the eminent trouble. It doesn't always keep me from hurt. However, that cry does several things. It reminds me that I am a sinner in need of a Sovereign helper. It reminds me that I am weak and He is strong. It reminds me that He knows where I am and what is happening in my life. And incredible as it might seem, my cry comes into God's presence!

Whether here and now or over yonder this portion of music ends with, yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. I can deal with this. I love happy endings. I don't want to be disappointed at the final buzzer. As I go through life’s walk whether uphill or on the down swing. Whether at a rapid clip or a slow crawl I can proceed knowing that the end will be good beyond compare. “It will be worth it all”, as the old hymn chimed. When I make my final hike and step on to that spiritual shore I will need no walking stick. I will set foot into my Father’s abundance. I will never wander again and, I won't remember all of the hard trials. However, that bad stuff will have accomplished exactly what God intended and I will be like my Savior. Praise His Name!!