Wilderness Wanderings

God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts...That you may tell of them to the next generation (Psalm 48:3, 12, 13).

In the Bible, cities can be centres of pride and corruption. Babylon symbolizes this kind of civilization (Revelation 17:18). However, a city can also be a centre of strength where the Lord God is worshipped. Jerusalem, also named Mount Zion, is the symbol of this form of society (Revelation 21). She is often called, the city of God.

Throughout the Biblical story, Jerusalem, as the capital city of Israel, never fulfilled this destiny to be the city of God. Therefore, the Gentiles destroyed her in 586 BC and again in AD 70. Prophets such as Ezekiel and Isaiah looked for a new city with a new, restored temple.

In the New Testament, the story turns from Israel to the church. Even before the physical temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, the church is identified as the new temple of God. Paul tells the Ephesians that they have been made members "of the household of God" and they are a building, under construction, growing "into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19-22).

So, we do not come to "God's house" on Sundays for worship. We are God's house; we gather as God's temple. Honestly, church buildings do not mean much to God; he does not live in them.

When John has his final vision in the Book of Revelation, he sees the New Jerusalem, God's city, which is also the bride of Christ. This city is His church (Rev. 21:9-11).

Psalm 48 celebrates the greatness of Jerusalem on Mount Zion. Zion is great because God is great and he dwells in His city and in His temple, among His people.

The immediate context of the psalm is probably that of worshippers going up to Jerusalem for one of the major festivals. We notice that as the worshippers head towards Jerusalem they contemplate this city. They ponder what it means that God is within her.

The glory attributed to Jerusalem was never fulfilled in the Old Testament. The church, too, has fallen far short of the glory of God. We look much more like the Israel of the Old Testament than we generally care to admit. Yet, we eagerly await and look forward to the day when we will be glorious (Romans 8:18-23).

Thus, this Psalm invites us to contemplate the church of Jesus. When we think of the church, what do we think about? Do we think about all the unholy people who claim to be Christians? Do we see the faults of our fellow worshippers? Many of us do exactly that. I'm sure it is one of the reasons why we have so many different denominations.

We do need to be honest enough to admit the church's unholy state. We should never try to minimize the hurt the church has caused.

But we are also invited to see something more. God is among his people sanctifying his church. Do we see the Spirit at work preparing the bride of Christ? Can we see people being made holy and pure and spotless? Imagine your fellow worshippers being presented as holy to the Father in heaven. Your fellow worshippers will someday be part of that holy city. God will see it done. He is faithful. What a vision to prepare us for worshipping together!

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

"Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with [Moses] and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.' Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped." (Exodus 34:5-8)

Sad to say, but summertime is drawing near its end already. Is summer in some ways like a wilderness? Not for the most part, but in a few respects it is, and not just because of the heat! We also tend to scatter, slow down and change our rhythms and habits over the summer. We withdraw from some of grind that marks the cooler months of the year. And so, in this late-August moment as the seasons come near to changing, it's good to think of some wilderness questions for our faith.

It was in the wilderness where the Lord revealed Himself most fully to Israel and first proclaimed His name to them. This is where the people of God really got to know their God: being stuck in the wilderness with nothing but themselves and God for forty long years.

Now there were a few things God equipped His people with in these early chapters of their desert pilgrimage for that journey of getting to know and trust Him. He gave them the means to survive through provision (manna and water from the rock) and security (the defeat of the Amalekites through faith in God). Then God gave the law (ethical shape of life), the tabernacle (liturgical shape of life), and invited them into rhythms of meaningful work and Sabbath rest (creational shape of life).

Lastly, as the covenant is restored following the golden calf incident, God also affirms the gift of His presence with His people—the most necessary ingredient of all for their life and living. And as the book of Exodus closes, that presence is embodied in the cloud that fills the tabernacle with the glory of the Lord. God, their God, was indeed with them. Anytime of the day or night they could steal a glance toward the tabernacle and be assured: God was still home—right there in the middle of the camp, tenting it with His people out in the wilderness.

For forty years they walked this journey of wilderness pilgrimage, learning by those long years of repetition to trust all God's gifts of grace. Along that journey, they would unlearn how to be slaves and they would learn for the first time how to truly be free: following and living in the provision and presence of the God who was compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

So the questions: what have you been learning about God through these summer months? What are the graces God is giving to you? What are the shapes for life—the habits & practices—he might be calling you into this Fall so that your attention and trust can be better trained on him? Where is he calling you to trust more fully in Him? Take some time to reflect on those questions today.

May God continue to tent it with you in the wilderness as he accomplishes his purposes in your life and in the lives of all His people.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51).

Birth and death both reveal that human life is fragile. To embrace both life and death, we need hope. Christians find their hope in the words of our text, "we will all be changed".

The birth of a child is often a beautiful thing. Few things are as awesome as cradling your newborn in your arms. There is so much hope, so much potential. Love and joy overcome our fears.

But the fears are real. There is fragility. This living being is totally dependant. Most parents, when they hold their newborn child, encounter that sober reality that some day, this child too will die. Before that, there will be many trials and probably much suffering. To be a parent is not for the faint of heart.

As Christians, we do not avoid these realities of evil. Whether it is at the birth of a child or the death of a loved one, we acknowledge evil's grip on this life. There is much wrong with this world, and we cannot escape it. Wars in Ukraine and the Gaza, destructive fires and rains, homelessness, pandemics, all tell the story. We humans are frail.

And as Christians, we acknowledge that evil's hold on us is caused by humanities rebellion against God. When the apostle writes about our flesh, he is usually referring to that reality: that we are rebels, that we have walked away from the God who gives life, we have chosen death. Or as the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, 'we have a naturally tendency to hate God and our neighbour."

Yet, as Christians we face this frailty, this fleshness, with courage. This frailty is doomed to die. In his great chapter on the resurrection, the apostle says that 'our flesh and blood' cannot enter God's forever kingdom. Frail, mortal humanity cannot survive in God's eternal and perfectly holy presence.

But because Christ took on our flesh and blood, subjected himself to death, and rose again, death has lost its sting and its victory. By faith in him, our bodies too will be raised to new life. We will be changed. In our text, Paul refers specifically to those who are still alive when Christ returns. However, elsewhere he tells us that the dead are raised to their new bodies, and the whole creation is liberated from decay to share in the freedom of the glory of God's children. All who are in Christ will be changed. God will change our mortality to immortality and our perishableness to imperishableness, our frailty to power.

When that day comes, death will have no more control over us. Our frailty will be gone. That fleshness will have been rooted out and destroyed. Life eternal will flow in us, forever. Our bodies will be transformed, along with all of creation.

God has already done the new thing in the Messiah, Jesus, and he will do it for all Jesus' people through the power of the Spirit. And in that new thing, death and decay will be gone, swallowed up for ever.

And so today, in whatever way we face the frailty of human life, we can so with courage and hope. The church gathers to worship God and to remember that "Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed."

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted. (Psalm 47:5-9)

There is a bit of a call and response rhythm to these first few psalms of Book II of the psalter. Do you notice it? Psalm 44 cries out in suffering and psalm 45 responds with a hope-filled vision of the messianic wedding feast. Psalm 46 speaks to the moment the earth gives way under our feet, reminding us of the promise that God will be glorified in all the earth. Psalm 47 responds with exactly that: the glorified God ascending to his throne of glory.

This is a psalm that has been sung in the Jewish faith at the turn to the new year. In Christianity, it has often been recited on Ascension Day. In the book of Revelation, this psalm surely informs the Apostle John's imagination as he sees the kings of the earth entering the royal city of Jesus, the King, bringing their tribute.

Perhaps this psalm also informs Paul's vision of Jesus Christ being the one in whom all things hold together, indeed the one through whom all things (including thrones, powers, rulers, and authorities) are reconciled to God.

This is the movement of the psalm. "The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham." Did you catch that little word "as?" The nations have somehow become the people of God! You thought they were outsiders, but as it turns out: they belong to him! The promises that God made to Abraham are fulfilled. It is not just that Abraham will be the father of many nations, but also that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through" Abraham. Indeed: all peoples now come under the rule and blessing of the God of Abraham.

There is again something within this psalm that smacks of our future hope in Christ. The world we see at present is not the world we place our hope in. We certainly do not see every nation and ruler bowing the knee to Christ right now, but our faith suggests with this psalm that God's reality looks different. The heavenly country we long for has a much different texture to it. No more power games or warring nations. No more economic woes. No more young men or women who die before their time or suffer from addiction or disease.

No: God is the God of the living, says Jesus. And when God ascends to take his throne: all of his promises will be fulfilled. All will be resolved to justice and peace under the one rule of Christ, the Lord King. All will be made well and right in resurrection, reunion, restoration, and reconciliation through the one who holds all these things that we've entrusted to him against that day, together.

Amen. Come Lord Jesus, come.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge (Psalm 46:1,7).

Songs shape our faith. We remember very few sermons, but there are songs we can sing from memory, shaping our thoughts and feelings about God. In 1529, Martin Luther wrote a poem based on Psalm 46. The story is that he composed it to be sung to a popular pub tune of the day. Some of you will recognize these words.

"A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same; and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers no thanks to them abideth; the Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill: God's truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever! "

To this day, this hymn is one of the best meditations on Psalm 46. I suspect it has shaped a few of you. I know that it formed me. But like much poetry, this psalm takes a moment to digest. Let me help a little.

Imagine the fear you would experience if you were sleeping with your family in a cheap canvass tent on the Canadian prairies only to be woken by a very loud clap of thunder. That horrifying noise is followed by a deluge of rain being driven by hurricane force winds.

This scene helps us get into the skin of the ancient Israelites. Such was their life, they lived subject to the natural elements. The turmoil caused by the nations at war against Israel aroused this same intense fear.

This is the key point of the psalm. Israel belonged to the Lord God. He had called her out of the nations to fulfill His redemptive purposes in this world. But there were forces of evil bent on destroying Israel. Often, it seemed like they would succeed.

So, the psalmist helps Israel sing her faith, "God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." Those are the key words of the Psalm. Later it says, "Be still and know that I am God."

This psalm does not tell us that all our problems will go away. Rather, this is a testimony given to the church that as she seeks to fulfil God's calling, God Himself will ensure that the church will not fall. Many times, the church has gotten things wrong and has caused harm. Yet Jesus keeps building his church.

Storms may come in the form of ridicule from our co-workers, outright persecution on university campuses, or through temptations of all sorts. During the worst that Satan can unleash against us, God is like a river in the middle of a besieged city. He gives life while death surrounds us.

So, let's stop our fretting (that is, be still). God will be exalted in the earth.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:18a,19-21)

In the first half of verse 19 we hear Paul's prayer that we may know in our heart the power of God for us who believe. It has been my increasing sense over these past number of years, probably ever since 2015 or so, that we as Christians in the West have little sense of this power of God. I've said it before, but its worth saying again (and again).

Whether in the legalism of progressive justice or the legalism of conservative ethics—both political and church discourse has been shaped by an implicit belief that if any Christian good is going to get done around here—we have to do it ourselves. That is: we have to do it in the strength of our own power. These "strong positions" of "strong stances" can betray a belief in a very small, impotent God. A God that's functionally dead. The actions of many Christians seem to suggest a belief that "it's all up to us now." We believe we're on our own.

From the spiritual angle, I think the smallness of our God and our functional belief in his powerlessness is, more than anything, what has driven the polarization in church and society. We don't believe there's anybody that can save us anymore. So, we think that we have to save the church. We have to fight the secularists. We have to save our society and country. We have to achieve holiness. We have to set things right and make justice happen in this world. We. We. We.

Through the power of law and policy, the power of our money, the power of our influence, the power of our votes—through any power that we can get our own hands on to use—we ourselves have sought to become the god that we no longer believe in.

Aside from lip service, very rarely in these divisive conversations have we bent the knee of our hearts to a power greater than our own. Very rarely have we laid down our powerful, coercive armaments and battle-ready defences and securities in trust that it is God's power that will fight and win the battle, God's power that will vindicate and save us—if not now than in the world to come. Very rarely have we held out hope that his power will see us through to a glorious inheritance despite what our eyes can see and heart believe.

When we lose sight of a big, sovereign God—a powerful God—we lose everything. If we no longer believe that God is powerful to act in our lives, world, and church anymore, then we functionally deny the very power that "he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand." Said differently: a belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ demands belief in a God who powerfully works in our world still today. The power is the same, Paul says. The power of God for us who believe is the same as the power that vindicated Jesus in resurrection life. Do you believe this?

Against all the despair, uncertainty, fear, polarization, violence, desolations, and turmoil of our world and present moment—do you yet believe in a God who is powerful to save his people?

Believe it. God is on the move! Just like in those days of power when, through his mighty strength, he raised Christ from the dead. My prayer is the same as Paul's: that God will once again open the eyes of our hearts to perceive and rest in his mighty power, hope, and calling for us who believe.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:4-5).

There is a story of a young Naval graduate, who after completing his first overseas cruise, was given an opportunity to display his talents at getting his ship underway and out of port. The young officer's efficiency established a new record for getting a naval ship underway. He was stunned, however, when a sailor approached him with a message from their captain. "My personal congratulations upon completing your underway preparations exercise according to the book and with amazing speed. In your haste however, you have overlooked one of the fundamental rules -- make sure the captain is on board before you leave."

David begins this psalm with the bold statement, "In you, Lord my God, I put my trust." And a little later, in our text, he says, "my hope is in you all day long". This trusting and hoping in God propels David to know and live according to God's ways. Our text says, "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long".

English grammar was not my favourite subject, but when I started learning Greek and Hebrew, I came to appreciate how useful it is. In our text, the word 'for', which can also be translated as 'because', is the pivot of the sentence. David wants to know God's will because his hope and trust are in God.

Why does David ask God to 'show me your ways,' and 'teach me your paths'? David has the law given by Moses, after all. But there are many situations in life in which we need to discern the right course. The given or revealed law of God doesn't cover every situation. David, as king of Israel, is called to lead God's people in the ways of obedience.

Whatever context God has placed us, we are called to obedience as well. But it is not always easy to discern: What does God want us to do with our money? How must we raise our children? What should we do in a troubled marriage? How can we best help the poor, the marginalized, the socially ostracized? Christians have given many different answers to these questions. Often each situation has its own answer, depending on the circumstances.

Like Israel, God calls us to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5, 6). Echoing these things, Peter writes, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession…Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Like David, Peter calls us to righteous living because of what is to come, because of our hope in Christ's return. So how do we discern God's will in each situation? How can we live into the hope we have? It begins with prayer. David asks God for help in discerning his ways.

None of us will get anywhere is living God's ways, if we don't ask him for help. When we pray "show me your ways" than the captain is on board. Like the young naval officer, we often set sail without the captain. And like the captain on a ship, God needs to tell us where to go. And he is eager to give us the wisdom we need (James 1:5).

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text of Matthew 8:14-22. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

1. The little story of Peter's mother-in-law shows us important aspects of God's mercy. What are they? How should we respond?
2. This short story also highlights an important dynamic of discipleship. What is it? How are you living that out in your life? What changes do you need to make
3. The evening healings reflect on both Jesus authority (power) and sufferings. The next verses challenge our willingness to follow Jesus in his suffering. Take time this week to reflect on your own willingness. As you do so, reflect on both your 'pride' and your 'hesitation'.
4. In both these stories, Jesus calls these two people into deeper discipleship. Likewise, Jesus is calling you. How will you respond?

Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. (Psalm 45:6)

Today's psalm picks up almost directly on the heels of yesterday's. A question looms in psalm 44 about the suffering God's people have faced. They've done nothing wrong, and yet have been crushed. Their God and King has decreed victory, and yet they have faced defeat. As Pastor Michael noted yesterday, no answers are given to the concerns stirred up in psalm 44, just a prayer for God to rise up and rescue his people.

Psalm 45 would seem in some ways to be that answer to psalm 44's prayer of suffering, though.

It is a psalm to mark the wedding day of the King. The King's presence, power, and purity of character is revealed in all its royal majesty. "Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds" (45:3-4).

It all builds up to our verse today, a verse quoted in the book of Hebrews as pertaining to Christ: "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom." The King enters and rises up in the fullness of his power and majesty, vested with all the finest garments and armaments to be every ounce the God and King we would ever hope for him to be.

As the psalm continues, the bride is also described in all of her glory and beauty. The song is joyful, anticipatory, taking a long look at all the descendants to follow from the union of these two pure and noble persons. Bride and bridegroom, king and princess soon-to-be-queen: the consummation of the very best ideals of all that is good and right in the world (if you need a visual: perhaps Aragorn's Coronation and reunion with Arwen in the white city of Gondor from the final scene of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, would be appropriate).

This psalm rhymes with the Song of Songs, and certainly looks ahead to all the beautifully cryptic language of our Christian hope: that day when Christ, the coming King will be united with his bride, the Church in that great heavenly wedding feast at the end of the age. It is a hope and a moment that encapsulates all the very best that we can ever hope for or dream: every ideal of justice and righteousness come in perfection, every notion of healing and wholeness made complete, every longing for fullness, given in abundance in ways that leave our cups overflowing.

Psalm 45's answer to psalm 44's suffering then, is to remember and to believe in the hope that is ours in our King.

Of course, in Christ, we have a much fuller picture to remember and believe as we await our Christian hope in our present times of suffering. It is no longer a merely human king that we look to, but Christ: one who is both human and divine—a king who perfectly embodies the truth, humility, and justice that we seek and who is mighty to save his people. This is our king who has been enthroned and our bridegroom who will come again to draw us all into the splendor of his royal reign when we take our seats and celebrate together with him at the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Dear friends: in the present tumult of our times, may we never lose sight of the hope of joy, reunion, and peace to come in the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

We are brought down to the dust, our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love" (Psalm 44:25-26).

Often in the Christian life, faithfulness does not equal success, at least, not the way the world measures success. The clearest example of this is the ministry of Jesus. He was faithful in preaching the Good News of the kingdom, in healing the sick, in delivering the possessed, in teaching the multitudes, and in training His disciples. He was faithful in doing everything His Father sent him to do (John 17:4).

Yet all rejected Him at the end and His enemies crucified Him. By sundown on that first Good Friday, as Jesus' followers limped away in despair, it seemed that Satan had won.

Frequently in the history of the church, those faithful to God have experienced similar defeat. Untold numbers of Christians died in Hitler's gas chambers and in Russia's gulags. Other nations have made Christians the objects of military and police massacres. Faithfulness does not mean survival.

Psalm 44 is written in the context of Israel's faithfulness and defeat. A military campaign has been lost. The enemy has taken the spoils, sold captives as slaves, and deported them. The king, who is also the commander of the army, has been dishonoured, and the battle has resulted in great slaughter.

While the memory of past triumphs remains, and the hope for fresh victories has not died, the difficult fact is that God's people are defeated, and Israel's state of weakness brings reproach.

Often, Israel's defeat is a result of God's judgement upon her faithlessness. But not here. This psalm justifies Israel before God: "All of this happened to us, even though we had not forgotten you. We had not broken the covenant you made with us. Our hearts had not turned away from you. Our feet had not wandered from your path" (17, 18).

She knows that victory is only in the strength of the Lord her God. And the claim is made that God's people have remained true to Him. The question is: if Israel is faithful, why is she not successful? How can a faithful people be overrun?

The question is not answered. It lingers through the ages getting picked up in Romans 8, where verse 22 of this psalm is quoted, "But because of you, we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be killed" (8:36). Paul uses this psalm to encourage the young Christians to remain steadfast in the face of many hardships. Here too the suffering is unexplained. We are encouraged to endure because of the glory that is to come. Suffering does not negate God's redemption work.

Christ has accomplished salvation. This salvation is much more expansive than just the forgiveness of sins. It includes the restoration of the entire cosmos. But that salvation is like a seed that has been planted and is growing but is not yet ready for harvesting.

We live in that growth period. While we wait for the fullness of salvation, we will experience suffering. Yet, just as surely as Jesus was raised from the dead, in due time, we will experience the completion of God's redemption.

We endure suffering in the trust that God is with us and someday we will experience the glory his new creation.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.