Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. – Psalm 138:7
I underlined this verse in my Bible over seven years ago as I was reading my devotions. Then I continued reading in the next passage. However, I always find myself stopping and meditating on this verse each time I read through my Bible. Its words are like a magnet, drawing me in to get a closer look.
There are three words from this verse that always jump right off of the page at me. As is my custom, I just needed to look them up. Those words are midst, trouble, and revive.
- The word midst means physically in the middle of something.
- The word trouble literally means distress.
- The word revive means preserve, restore, continue or sustain, particularly in regard to life.
Whether the distress we are experiencing be brought on by our own bad decisions or imposed upon us by circumstances beyond our control, we all have gone through situations that cause us distress, heartache and—dare I say it—worry and doubt. As I stop here and meditate on these words, I remember the many times that I or my family found ourselves physically in the middle of some type of distress. We all have had those times when we thought we were never going to be able to pull ourselves up out of whatever situation we were in; but then God stepped in.
God reached His mighty hand of mercy down to restore us, giving us back our joy in the Lord and in life! God is always there to revive us—to restore and sustain us in this life—no matter what we are going through. This verse gives us this promise! Even though we might be in the “thick of it,” and things may seem not to be going as we think they should be, this verse tells us God WILL revive us! God WILL go up against our enemies and fight for us! God WILL save us and bring us out of it, despite ourselves!
There is a song to which I enjoy listening, and I can never seem to get enough of it. It’s called God’s Great. Read the words of the verses and especially pay attention to the chorus.
GOD’S GREAT
Looking back over my life,
God’s good, so good.
And it’s a fact sometimes I took the wrong track,
But God’s good, so good.
And when I look at where I’ve been
And what He’s brought me through,
All I can say is God’s been so good;
But on second thought, God’s been great.
How great, how great, how great is God’s amazing grace.
Amazing grace, the grace that sought me,
Great, the blood that bought me, how great!
How long, how long, how long are His arms of mercy,
Reached way down to the bottom,
Picked me up, no problem.
Ain’t God good?
No, God’s great.
I’m moving on, and I’ve got a new song
Cause God’s good, so good.
And when I’m faced with trials in my way,
God’s good, so good.
And when I’m questioned about this smile on my face,
I must reply.
All I can say is God’s been so good;
But on second thought, God’s been great.
How great, how great, how great is God’s amazing grace.
Amazing grace, the grace that sought me,
Great, the blood that bought me, how great!
How long, how long, how long are His arms of mercy.
Reached way down to the bottom,
Picked me up, no problem.
Ain’t God good?
No, God’s great.
How wonderful to know that, no matter what our distress—financial, emotional or spiritual—God is there to revive us and bring us out of it! GOD IS GREAT!
by April Hernandez
