You have done such wonderful things! This is the Psalmist’s testimony of God! So wonderful are these things that the Psalmist says in Psalm 71:19, “Who can compare with you?” What caught my attention in today’s reading is how this thought and the following verse are part of the same paragraph.
You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. (Psalm 71:20, NLT)
The Psalmist testifies that God’s allowance of hardship and His response to these hardships made him see how wonderful God is and that no one can compare to Him. The Psalmist further writes that God’s response to these hardships strengthened his faith.
You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again. (Psalm 71:21, NLT)
Can God’s sovereign allowance of hardships in our lives be good? According to the Psalmist, yes! Is it not through hardships that we see God as we have never seen Him before? Is it not through hardships that our faith in God is strengthened? Is it not through hardships that we gain a testimony that honors and glorifies God, highlighting His mighty acts of deliverance? Is it not because of hardship that we find ourselves better able to help others see the God we see? Do not hardships soften us, humble us, and mature us? Yes!
May we see what the Psalmist saw and submit to the sovereignty of God during seasons of hardship…Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? (Psalm 71:19, ESV)
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 1 Kings 1-2; Psalm 37; 71; 94.