Hello, my friend. I am always greatly encouraged when I read in I Corinthians 12:28, speaking about the Body of Christ, “God has in fact arranged the parts of the body, everyone of them just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” And in vs. 13, “God has combined the members of the body…if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” I am encouraged because I know that God is in charge of the distribution of the various areas of ministry which partner with Him.
So how does this relate to our PSALM 60, for today? David, as you may have read, is again distressed by the difficulties through which he was going, and he even states that because God seems angry with them, they often stagger as drunk men. But then he says, in vs. 4, “But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against their weapons.”
And then he quotes God, in vs. 6, who speaks from the sanctuary. God says, “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.” In fact, all the arrangement of these twelve tribes of Israel was on God’s initiative and because of God’s authority. And when I am keeping in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), I can totally trust the Lord to exercise initiative in my life, since he has made me the way I am for His glory alone. I need not, I should not waste my time wishing I were someone else, with someone else’s gifts. God in triumph has determined my way, and I can only thankfully and loyally trust Him to continue to work in me that which will bring Him pleasure (Phil.2:13). Why? Because even as we read in our Psalm today, “Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter…” And He looks on you and He looks on me and says, in triumph, “You are mine!!”
What a huge blessing and privilege to belong to the Lord, in a very real, practical and sufficient way. As David says in vs. 11, “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory…” Thank God for people who do their best to help us, but in the final crunch, the help of man is worthless. We are thankful for every bit of encouragement, but to God alone belongs the victory. And as we develop this relationship with each other and with the Lord, we increasingly rest on Him above all others.
“Thank you, Lord, for this reminder of remembering where indeed is our ultimate resource of strength, renewal, protection and enabling. We are workers together with You, and this makes the journey such a blessing, with You and with each other. Bless my friend, who is on the Internet, with whatever need one may face.”
And thank you, partner, for your fellowship. I thank God for you. Cheerio!
These meditations on the Psalms were written by Village Schools of the Bible Founder, Monty Sholund and first published in book form as Monty’s Musings on the Psalms in 2000.
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