|  
                                                         WORKING 
                                                          BACKWARDS OR HINDSIGHT 
                                                          ON GOD'S FAITHFULNESS 
                                                          IS 20/20 
                                                        "Just 
                                                          grab a Bible, open and 
                                                          read it!" I heard 
                                                          clearly in my mind. 
                                                        I 
                                                          grabbed a copy of the 
                                                          NLT Living Water Bible, 
                                                          flipped to the Psalms 
                                                          and settled on Psalm 
                                                          139. 
                                                          But a notation just 
                                                          beside the chapter caught 
                                                          my eye: Assurance Psalm 
                                                          138:8 
                                                        I 
                                                          lifted my eyes to read: 
                                                          "The Lord will 
                                                          workout His plans for 
                                                          my life - for Your faithful 
                                                          love, O Lord endures 
                                                          forever! Don't abandon 
                                                          me, for You made me. 
                                                          V8" 
                                                        That 
                                                          sounded good, it spoke 
                                                          to my heart so I continued 
                                                          up the page to V7. 
                                                          "Though I am surrounded 
                                                          by troubles, You will 
                                                          preserve me against 
                                                          the anger of my enemies! 
                                                          Your power will save 
                                                          me." 
                                                        So 
                                                          far so good, why not 
                                                          try V6. 
                                                          "I said though 
                                                          the Lord is great, He 
                                                          cares for the humble, 
                                                          but He keeps His distance 
                                                          from the proud" 
                                                        Good 
                                                          teaching I thought, 
                                                          and read the rest of 
                                                          Psalm 138, back to front 
                                                          where V1 begins with 
                                                          (or in my case, ends 
                                                          with) 
                                                          "I give You thanks 
                                                          O Lord, with all my 
                                                          heart, I will sing Your 
                                                          praises before the gods!" 
                                                        I 
                                                          had worked back through 
                                                          my trials, through my 
                                                          trouble, grief, stress, 
                                                          fear, anger, disappointment, 
                                                          frustration, misunderstanding 
                                                          and found that the Lord 
                                                          was there all the time 
                                                          just waiting for me 
                                                          to return - He never 
                                                          left. 
                                                        I 
                                                          was the absent minded 
                                                          Professor of my ailments; 
                                                          He remained the Great 
                                                          Physician of my soul. 
                                                          Sometimes it's hard 
                                                          to see God through the 
                                                          pain, your spiritual 
                                                          eyes water, your spirit 
                                                          aches, all the woes 
                                                          of the world weigh upon 
                                                          your shoulders, it is 
                                                          in these times we need 
                                                          to allow God to shoulder 
                                                          the burden for us, to 
                                                          hold on to the truth 
                                                          that God does all things 
                                                          through and because 
                                                          of His great love for 
                                                          you and for me. 
                                                        Rejoice 
                                                          in the Lord Always! 
                                                        Dario 
                                                          Ferko 
                                                       |