Submitted by Lara Cook
Do not be far from
me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Psalm 22:11
As a Christian, I always feel like I have this responsibility to show this enormous faith and never fret or worry about anything that comes my way. I realized recently that I do have great faith in God but I am fearful of what He will allow to happen in my life. I know that He is powerful enough to stop any tragedy or illness or suffering of any kind. I know that He can keep anything bad from ever happening to me or anyone I love. But I also know that He allows trials and He uses them for His purpose. Right now, around the country, with the flooding and fires that are going on, I believe there may be a lot of people wondering why God would allow what is happening to happen. We have seen how Job suffered and handled it. David also suffered and taught us a few things about not to and how to suffer with grace.
David was a man after God’s own heart but he still
suffered plenty. Some of his suffering
was a consequence of his sin but he had some trials that were just a general
result of being alive, because after all, if you are alive, trials will come. In the verse above, David was in the middle
of a huge lament where he was crying out to God in desperation. The chapter starts with David crying out “Why
have you forsaken me?” He is crying out to God and God is silent. He has no rest or peace in his groaning, but
still, nothing. He tries to rationalize in his mind why God has forsaken him
and he begins to process all the reasons.
First, he reasons that God just must not really be all that powerful. He is not capable after all. But then he
remembers how God was there for his ancestors and helped them, so that cannot
be the reason. Then he begins to believe
that he is just so unworthy that God must think of him as a worm and think him
worthless of His help. But then he
remembers that God brought him into this world and he has belonged to God as
long as he can remember so that cannot be the reason. Then he says:
Be not far from me, for trouble
is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have
encircled me. They open
wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured
out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like
wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and you lay me in the dust of
death. Or dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me;
they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look,
they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, And for my clothing
they cast lots. Psalm 22:11-18
He has nothing left. He has no
strength and he realizes that this struggle he is in is not going to just
disappear. So he says to God, “Be not far from me, for trouble is near.”
David realizes that if he is going to experience this trial, at least he
wants God with him, by his side.
This story reminds me of a parent who is called in by a child in the
night that is afraid. They are afraid of
imaginary things all around them but in their mind they are very real. As a parent, you may go to your child to
comfort them by being near them. We
don’t go in with swords and slay dragons and fight evil clowns or whatever is
scaring them. We just simply go to them and stay with them until they fall asleep or calm down.
David realized that if he was going to go through this struggle, at
least he wanted God near him. If he
couldn’t make it all go away instantly, he asked, be not far from me! I don’t know
about you, but I don’t ever think of this perspective when I am in a bad
place. My prayer is usually Lord please fix this ASAP!!! By now I am getting the picture. He is not going to just wave His magic wand
and change everything instantly. But it
does make great sense to me that everything is for a purpose and if I am to go
through something hard, let me see the lesson and Lord, please do not be far from
me! Please hold my hand and hold
me up when I can’t do it myself. Please
walk with me through the fire and stay with me in the storm. He will.
He did if for David and David’s ancestors and yours and mine as
well. He will be there for you and I
when we need Him too.
Scripture to Claim:
For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. Psalm 22:24
For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. Psalm 22:24
