Psalms 66:11 & 12 (KJV)
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
Understanding Why Life-Changing Adversity Strikes (& Changes You)
English: Deuteronomy 8:18, Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, 1901 Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today we continue to meditate on Psalms 66: 11 & 12. My last post discussed how the Lord allows us to be tempted and to suffer hardship as a means of refining us and purifying our character. The Bible refers to the Lord as being like a “refiner’s fire and a launderer’s soap” (Malachi 3:2), because He refines and cleanses us. Like the worker of precious metal and gemstones, the Lord purifies, washes, shapes and trims us until we become “like gems in a crown, sparkling over his countryside” (Zachariah 9:16).
Being purified by the Lord is serious business. Verse 11 says the the Lord lays “affliction upon our loins.” The word “loins” actually means the waist or small of the back (Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary, 2013). The waist and the small of the back are places where we are most narrow. The upper back is the part that we normally choose for carrying weight. Putting weight or pressure on our lower back shows that the Lord wants us to be able to handle pressure in places where we are least accustomed and naturally able. He does not want any part of us to be weak. Every muscle and curve of our spiritual body have to be strong. Application of weight or resistance is the only way to strengthen our bodies, minds and spirits.
So the Lord allows affliction (weight, pressure, burdens) in the places where we are not naturally strong or accustomed to feeling pain. He does this in order to refine and strengthen our character. God also tries the places where we think we are strong. Verse 12 says “Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads.” The head is the designated point of the most strong part of anything. The head is where direction and coordination takes place.
In today’s reading, the word “head” has a deeper meaning. Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (Strong’s, 2013), tells us that the word “head” is translated from the Hebrew word which means “to shake.” The shaking applies to the head as the part that is most easily shaken. Usually, we think of the head as being the most stable and least likely to be shaken. But the Lord says, not so: The head is the part most easily shaken. The meaning of the word head encompasses not only the physical heads of individuals, but also the heads of “people, places, things, rank, and highest part” (Strong’s). So the Lord also purifies by “shaking up” our individual minds and will. He shakes up the individual as well as heads of all things, whether it’s the head of families, governments, or captains of industry. He will allow emotional, physical psychological and environmental turmoil in order to purify our hearts, so that we can be conformed to the image of Christ, Who is the ultimate expression of all beauty.
As believers, we often attribute all adversity to the devil. To be sure, everything evil that happens to us is satanic. But our thinking should not stop there. We should be able to look past the pressure and adversities to see the hand of God as He works to purify our hearts and conform us to the image of Christ. So even as the companies you work for and the governments and economies of the nations in which you live are shaken; whether it be through joblessness, civil unrest or war, the hand of the Lord remains upon the righteous. He alone has the strength, love and wisdom to perfect and strengthen you even regardless of the circumstances or severity of your adversity.
The word of God instructs us in wisdom. Proverbs 4: 7 tells us:
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.
Are you experiencing a pressure or weight where you think you are least able to bear it? Do you understand better how it worked for your good? Are the places where you thought you were strong being shaken? Are you still going through, or is it behind you? Do you now have wisdom and understanding of how adversity has changed you? We’d love to hear your testimony. Use the comment link to share your story.
Part III of this discussion will continue with the next post.
May these words educate and comfort you today. Until we meet again: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)
- Verneda
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