Psalm 37:19

Psalm 37:19

Provision for God's children

This verse of Psalm 37 seems to take most of us to a different world. If we live in a civilised, organised, well-funded and protected country like Great Britain then disasters and famines are far from our daily experience. We link such calamities with third world peoples who live on the edge and whose existence is far more precarious than our own. Did disasters and famines affect David? Yes, they did, Israel experiences plagues and droughts and threats from enemies in his lifetime; these were all events that were, to some extent, out of the King’s control. Covid 19 has been a disaster from some and very frightening for many, we should not be complacent and think that these issues will never affect us. In fact, the Bible promises that earthquakes and famines and plagues will come upon the world in the last days and at those times men and women will read these verses and find hope and comfort. Meanwhile, perhaps we should not be so complacent and do more to help those who do live in precarious places and pray that the Lord will keep His promises to His people. And remember this, if and when bad times come, the Lord will always provide. He does not ignore His children.

There is another facet to this verse. Bearing in mind that much of David’s writings have a deeper, spiritual context, then I would suggest that true believers do face times of disaster and do experience famine. There will inevitably be moments during our spiritual journey, when the world appears to come crashing down and we fear for the future. The continental plates of faith take a massive lurch sideways and we tremble at the consequences. There will also be times when the spiritual waters run dry and we become parched and dry too. Those who steadfastly trust in the Lord and who depend upon Him, will not wither. Those who feed on Him will not go hungry or thirsty. Do not forget that!

 

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