QT 21 Jun 17, Ps 138:7, God preserves us during times of trouble

Psalm 138:7 (ESV) — 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

NOTE: This is a similar thought to Psalm 23's "valley of the shadow of death," but the words are different in meaning. The Hebrew word for trouble, pronounced tsaw·raw, conveys the idea of enmity, trouble, or distress. It is that feeling in the pit of your stomach, when you know someone is against you, and that person has the ability to hurt you. David's reminder is that, while the person does have the authority, God's authority trumps their authority. God promises to preserve David's life. Even more so, God's hand is against the wrath of his enemies, and that same hand delivers David from them. Sometimes life can feel pretty terrible, and sometimes, maybe oftentimes, we are at fault. During those times, we need to repent. We need to fix what we have made wrong. And we need to trust God that he will preserve us. We must acknowledge that we don't know what that (preservation) looks like from God's point of view. We must exercise faith and trust during those times. God is never trumped by evil. He knows what he is doing in our life.