For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 116:8-9
We think of life as relative calm broken up by occasional periods of trouble. But the opposite may be more true: Life is troublesome relieved by occasional periods of peace. That is not pessimistic; it is realistic. It parallels what Eliphaz said to his troubled friend, Job: “Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Perhaps the most personal and private trouble we ever experience is loneliness.
The psalmists often had to listen to the echo of their own prayers as they cried out to God from a place of isolation. Even if others are around, we can feel lonely if we forget that God is always there. We don’t know who wrote Psalm 116, or in what circumstances, but the situation was dire: “The pains of death surrounded me, . . . I found trouble and sorrow” (verse 3). During his isolation and fear, the psalmist called out to God: “O LORD I implore You, deliver my soul!” (verse 4) And God answered: “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful” (verse 5).
No trouble is greater than God’s power. Loneliness is a fiction since God is always with us. Call upon Him today and He will hear you, and draw near to you.
Life and trouble are married together. Thomas Watson
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