The Fifty-Seventh Psalm in my Bible has been highlighted at least three times. In this passage, the Psalmist cries repeatedly to God for mercy and deliverance.
“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,” he says in verse one. Later on, he cries out, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” The last verse of that chapter repeats that refrain.
David is the author of this psalm and those words, especially the last two verses, have become a signpost for me.
You see, I lived through a hardship a few years ago I never thought could touch me. Unemployment. Extended unemployment. I’m not good with being out of control, so such a long term of
unemployment in our household was a trial. Repeated resumes, repeated interviews, repeated rejections all combined to cause periods of self-doubt, discouragement and even a few bouts of depression.
But in the midst of that, I was taught an important lesson. I am not to rely on myself, my husband, my family or anyone else for sustenance. That reliance is much better suited to The One Who Can Supply All Needs … God, the Father Himself.
The hardships we endure in life are allowed for one very important reason. To draw us closer to God. If that is accomplished, if we come to the point at which we, like David, can cry out “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth,” even in the midst of the most severe hardships, that hardship has been a glorious and unbounded success.
We will, at some point, be able to look back on those rocky parts in the road of our life and say, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”
