The God who shows us great and sore troubles

Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. Psalm 71:20-21

It ought to be an article of faith for every believer in the truth and authority of the Scriptures that God is sovereign over our troubles. God is the one who shows us "great and sore troubles." God is not only over the small difficulties, but over the great ones and the sore ones as well. And in this we can find tremendous comfort. It means that there are good and wise and loving reasons behind the troubles we are experiencing. It means that we have good reasons to persevere in hope through the trial. It is because of this that the Christian can rejoice in hope and be patient in tribulation (Rom. 12:12).

We see the goodness of the Lord in the fact that, no matter what trial he is bringing us through, the fact of the matter is that he will "quicken me again" and "bring me up again from the depths of the earth." Note well that word "again." No matter how far we have fallen, no matter how deep the pit into which we find ourselves, we can cry to the Lord out of the depths and have confidence that he will hear our voice and answer our cry. There is always an "again" to which the Christian can look; evil cannot and will not have the last word.

And not only that; but the Lord will "increase my greatness and comfort me on every side." The final reality for the Christian is the greatness of future glory and eternal comfort in the presence of God. Yet even now he gives us glimpses of this through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who communicates to us the power and grace of the risen Christ.

Today, let us rejoice that we serve a God who is over our troubles, who will bring us through them, and into greatness and comfort in the end.