Psalm 118
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! - Psalm 118:1
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. - Psalm 118:13-14
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. - Psalm 118:22
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! - Psalm 118:29
There have been a few times in my life that I feel God was pushing me to grow. It happens roughly every 3-5 years as I’m thinking it through. Whether it’s growth in my faith in Him, my faith in people, my faith in myself as His son, like it or not, it seems like growing is part of this Christian life.
The tough part about growing is that it is always preceded by pain. For instance, in 2008, I experienced personal tragedy when people very close to me got wrapped up in infidelity. It forced me into a place of shepherding people, and man that was a difficult season. In 2012, my daughter got sick, and my time was up at the church I was working at...literally at the same time. Fear set in, and identity issues ensued. This year, I’ve had to come to the end of myself and begin to shift the way that I lead to make for a more wholistic approach towards ministry. I’ve been fortunate that God has placed people in my life to help me walk through it.
No matter who you are or what you do, growing happens, and growing hurts.
What I love about this psalm is that it starts and ends with the exact same phrase. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” But a lot of the stuff in the middle is about how tough it’s been on the psalmist.
I am particularly drawn to the fact that he was “pushed hard”, but the Lord helped him. That sounds like growth to me.
But it’s not only that, it says the stone that was rejected became the cornerstone. That is a direct foreshadowing of Jesus. Jesus went through an incredibly difficult time for growth. Only it wasn’t for His growth, it was for our growth. And the whole time he was giving thanks to God.
See that’s maturity. That’s #goals kind of maturity...to be able to go through something really difficult and painful and in the midst of it be thanking and praising God for His steadfast love. That is maturity and it’s what we are called to.
We have the model in Jesus of how to walk through tough times. Growing pains are part of life, but on the other side of pain is growth. The more that happens, the more quickly you may turn to God when you’re being “pushed hard”.
Some of us get so caught up navel gazing about our problems that we don’t see that God is trying to push us hard towards growth! He is our salvation, and our helper. He is where we should run to when we are lost, confused, or hurting. I can say with confidence that God doesn’t waste pain. He’s always able to use that to grow you into the likeness of Jesus.
No matter who you are or what you do, growing happens, and growing hurts. When you find yourself in that place, cry out: Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Love you, church!
⁃ Pastor C
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. - Psalm 118:13-14
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. - Psalm 118:22
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! - Psalm 118:29
There have been a few times in my life that I feel God was pushing me to grow. It happens roughly every 3-5 years as I’m thinking it through. Whether it’s growth in my faith in Him, my faith in people, my faith in myself as His son, like it or not, it seems like growing is part of this Christian life.
The tough part about growing is that it is always preceded by pain. For instance, in 2008, I experienced personal tragedy when people very close to me got wrapped up in infidelity. It forced me into a place of shepherding people, and man that was a difficult season. In 2012, my daughter got sick, and my time was up at the church I was working at...literally at the same time. Fear set in, and identity issues ensued. This year, I’ve had to come to the end of myself and begin to shift the way that I lead to make for a more wholistic approach towards ministry. I’ve been fortunate that God has placed people in my life to help me walk through it.
No matter who you are or what you do, growing happens, and growing hurts.
What I love about this psalm is that it starts and ends with the exact same phrase. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” But a lot of the stuff in the middle is about how tough it’s been on the psalmist.
I am particularly drawn to the fact that he was “pushed hard”, but the Lord helped him. That sounds like growth to me.
But it’s not only that, it says the stone that was rejected became the cornerstone. That is a direct foreshadowing of Jesus. Jesus went through an incredibly difficult time for growth. Only it wasn’t for His growth, it was for our growth. And the whole time he was giving thanks to God.
See that’s maturity. That’s #goals kind of maturity...to be able to go through something really difficult and painful and in the midst of it be thanking and praising God for His steadfast love. That is maturity and it’s what we are called to.
We have the model in Jesus of how to walk through tough times. Growing pains are part of life, but on the other side of pain is growth. The more that happens, the more quickly you may turn to God when you’re being “pushed hard”.
Some of us get so caught up navel gazing about our problems that we don’t see that God is trying to push us hard towards growth! He is our salvation, and our helper. He is where we should run to when we are lost, confused, or hurting. I can say with confidence that God doesn’t waste pain. He’s always able to use that to grow you into the likeness of Jesus.
No matter who you are or what you do, growing happens, and growing hurts. When you find yourself in that place, cry out: Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Love you, church!
⁃ Pastor C
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