I don’t know if you have ever visited someone in the hospital in order to cheer them up, and came away more encouraged than when you arrived, but I have. You enter the room expecting to find someone very ill. You find that, but you also find that they are filled with joy and peace. And that joy and peace overflows in your direction. They have so many reasons to complain, but there isn’t a complaint in the room. There is no explanation for this seemingly incongruent attitude. We expect someone going through difficult times to be sad and complaining. So when we find someone who is filled with joy instead, we don’t always know what to do with it.
Our psalm is filled with these types of incongruities. Our section begins with him expressing that he feels like those around him are like a pack of wild dogs, circling their next meal. They probe with a bite, and then withdraw. Hands and feet are easy targets for wild dogs, since they are often used to try to fight off the attack. So this attack is getting very personal and very dangerous. He is probably feeling as if it is only a matter of time before they eat him alive.
Everything about this man is exposed. And they are ready to divide up what is left after the dogs have eaten their fill. If anyone had reason to reject the LORD’s goodness, it would be this man. If there exists a God of justice, certainly this would be the time to show up. And yet, this is not his plea. He doesn’t want an immediate escape. His first concern is for connection and strength. He does want deliverance, but he recognizes a greater purpose in his life.
And that greater purpose is the glory of the LORD. He wants to make the LORD great in his life. He wants people to do the same. He wants to lift up the LORD. He could be shaking his fist in anger and resentment, but instead he is offering praise, because despite his current circumstances, he has confidence in the LORD’s goodness. He knows the LORD won’t let him stay in the mess.
Somehow he is able to know the LORD’s character, and that character deserves praise, even if his present circumstances are dire. He calls on everyone everywhere to see the LORD for who He is and yield to His authority. He is in charge and we must all acknowledge it, even if our present circumstances might seem dire.
So how we handle the dire circumstances that come into our lives does make a difference, both for us and those of this current generation, but also into the future. The way we express our faith and hope in the middle of the circling dogs can bring glory to God. But we must make the choice to allow His strength to be with us in those moments of greatest distress. We must look beyond the current struggle and see future generations and the ultimate consummation of everything. The LORD will be praised. What He has done, and allowed, will be understood, at least as much as we are capable of understanding, and we will offer worship.
The Arnold Journey 