Psalm 60
God works only good for His people, but sometimes that good looks to us mortals like trouble. This psalm helps us to see why God, for good reasons, sometimes lets His people fall into adversity. The psalmist is David, and the scene is a battle or series of battles against Philistia, Syria, Moab, and Edom (2 Sam.8 and 1 Chr. 18). Israel was victorious in the battles, and the end result was a significant extension of their territory, but as the psalm shows, there were serious setbacks along the way.
David was concerned to know why. It looked to David as though God had "cast off" and "broken down" their strength. His natural conclusion was that God was "displeased" with them. He tells God that He has "shown Your people hard things; . . . made us drink the wine of confusion." In fact, he finally had to say, "Lord, how are we going to be victorious at all? 'Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?' Simply put, he might have said, "How can we possibly win, Lord? It looks to me like You're letting us lose!" But, once again, he had to come to a familiar conclusion, and that was the one in which the only One Who could help them was the very One Who seemingly "cast us off," the One Who "did not go out with our armies."
It's that conclusion that brought him to the final prayer: "Give us help from trouble. For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He Who shall tread down our enemies."
In all this, if we look closely, we see purposes for adversities in the lives of God's people. Through those adversities – and through them alone - David once again learned that "the help of man is useless," that it was only through God that "we will do valiantly," that only God would "tread down our enemies."
David had thousands and thousands of strong, agile, well-trained men with swords, arrows, spears, speedy chariots, strong, swift horses - and all the rest of the paraphernalia that was supposed to result in victories - but he had to learn that all that "stuff" wouldn't necessarily add up to great victories – God's help had to be there or they'd lose! God had to get David's attention with a few well-placed defeats!
So it is with us as well. We may have large bank accounts, two cars, nice new computers, etc., etc. - but we can also have headaches, heartaches, and hernias. We need to be doing God's will, and we need also to be trusting only in Him - or we'll have to relearn some vital lessons!
How true, Alan!
"Give us help from trouble. For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He Who shall tread down our enemies."
We must remember in all this that our Lord glorifies Himself.