Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday April 29, 2008

Most of my adult life has been invested in helping others get up from the pit of despair and, for about an equal amount of time, finding ways and means to get me up from the pit of despair!!

For years I have found the Book of Psalms to be of great help to me and to others. Often when counseling others on how to overcome the urge to hurt themselves, I found that the thoughts and verses from Psalms were also encouraging me.

I checked the scribbling in the margins of one of my old Bibles, and found a great passage in Psalm 71, giving a description of an aged warrior and his climb from the pit of despair, which he often found himself. In wise words:

Psalms 71:20-21"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."

Though no one is certain of the writer’s name, all agree this person who knew rejection, vs 7, from people continued to look to the Lord. In the two bolded verses, the man has faced ruin of some kind, and feels as though he is the grave, even hell, he expects God to vindicate him and increase his usefulness.

If you have ever been "down" and who among us hasn't; you know that a bright hope from the Lord, and even a kind word from a friend can make an enormous difference. Kind words from a friend may be hard to find, but words of hope are all through the Bible, and the Psalms are full of them.

A little outline I use to focus my thoughts is simple but very effective. The man is Ruined. I don't know just what the ruin involved, but because of this you can put your own great and sore troubles in the slot. From whatever brought the ruin, the man Repents, meaning agreement with God about it, he experiences Revival, (quickening) and moves on to Reconciliation and Restoration. The sequence is beautiful and the aged one is moved up and comforted. Often (comfort) is encouragement, which means to "Re-courage" or give courage again.

When you think, "Well, it's all over for me," move on to the truths in this Psalm and get up and get going with the Lord.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2009 Use with credit.

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