Psalm 33:19
19 To deliver [natsal] their soul [nephesh] from death [maveth], and to
keep them alive [chayah] in famine [ra`ab]. KJV-Interlinear
19
that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. ESV
Death refers to physical
death, not spiritual death. And famine
is one of the most cruel difficulties that can be experienced in life.
But the world is filled
with adversaries. Whether they be from the
world or nature itself, or due to people, or due to governments, or due to
organizations, there is no shortage of obstacles, any one of which can bring an
end to your life.
Of all of the things that
sit in opposition to you, there are four fundamental obstacles.
The first is from your
own thoughts. The quality of your
thoughts depends on what you allow into your soul, or what you prevent for
getting into your soul. What you think
is what you are. And what you think
depends on what you learn or experience in life. If you learn Bible doctrine, then you are on
a good path. If you are indifferent
toward Bile doctrine, then your path is not so good.
The second obstacle comes
from other people. People can be brutal,
vindictive, criminal, self-righteous, gossips, and so forth. The tongue and
actions of others can bring hardship into your life.
The third major obstacle
comes from bureaucracy. Whether
government or business or clubs or social structures, bureaucracy affords a
shield or veil behind which people can hide or melt into, avoiding
responsibility and accountability, as they give you a difficult time.
The fourth major obstacle
comes from natural events. And this can
include anything from poor genetics and handicaps, to major storms, to
accidents, to disease, and so forth.
These things can take you down in a heartbeat and they can last for a
long time, or all of your life. They can
come upon you from your own habits, like smoking and cancer, or from events
that are beyond your control, like a lightning strike on your head.
But in all of it, God is
there. And He can protect you from the
difficulties of life and sustain you when times are tough, as well as protect
you from events that would normally bring death, like a military assault on a
beach against horrendous odds.
And since most of us will
not be charging against enemy fire on a beach landing, we all will face
problems socially, economically, physically, and so forth. God is always there to see us through.
More often than not, we will
want more, but this is the devils world and God works His will through it all,
despite the evils of this world.
One day life will be
perfect. That will be in eternity.
But for now, there is no
perfection in this world and it should not be expected. That would be unreasonable.
But God is always there,
and we should look to Him, and not to our problems.
