Overcoming 2: Life Lessons From the PsalmsSample

Come and See

Psalm 46:7–9 (NIV84): "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah, Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.”

I love hindsight. Hindsight is smart, educated, and safer. It sees better and understands more. When we can add to our current reality the wisdom of hindsight, we can live each day with some insight. If we allow hindsight to be a tutor to our soul, we position ourselves to live a smarter future. The Psalmist was speaking from hindsight. In verses one through seven he proclaims from the hindsight of his experiences who he had discovered the Lord Almighty to be. He wrote this Psalm to every reader who needed the encouragement of his hindsight. He wrote, “Come and see…”

For six verses, the Psalmist declares what had been his amazing experience with the Lord. In moments of trouble and turmoil (verses one through three), the Psalmist experienced the saving presence of the Lord Almighty. In moments of sadness, failure, and threat (verses four through six), he experiences the sovereignty of God’s presence. Verses seven through eleven are his instructions to all who would place their trust in The Lord Almighty. His choice of words is emphatic, descriptive, and full of absolute conviction. I desire my words to be like his because my faith would be as absolute as his.

The Psalmist refers to the Lord Almighty as the God of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the patriarchs of the Old Testament. They lived approximately one thousand years before the Psalmist. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the heroes of the Jewish faith. Every Hebrew child grew up hearing the stories of these men of faith. Why did the Psalmist only mention Jacob? Because the Lord Almighty changed his name to Israel. Thus, the people of Israel view Jacob as the founder of their nation. But there is another reason. Jacob was a “plain man, dwelling in tents” (Gen. 25:27 KJV). There were days when he was a man without any faith in the God of his father and grandfather. Then, one day, he had a “Come and see” encounter with The Lord Almighty. That day changed his life. His story became a story of redemption. The people of Israel related more to Jacob’s life story than they did to the stories of Abraham or Isaac. They, like Jacob, had faithless days. Their story, like Jacob’s, included deception, manipulation, and self-dependence. Jacob’s story gave them hope. If Jacob could change, so could they. The Psalmist knew there were those in Israel who needed the redemptive intervention of The Lord Almighty. Thus, the Psalmist said, “Come and see.”

As believers in Jesus Christ, it is imperative we experience moments in our life journey where we experience the works of the Lord. As the Psalmist faced each battle in faith, believing the Lord would be mighty, his faith became his experience. The hope in his heart became his reality on the battlefield. In the battle, the Lord desolated the enemy. What he believed of God before the battle became the evidence of what God can do in any battle. His faith and battle experience melded into his testimony of who the Lord was to him. That is why he could say to others, “Come and see.”

How we navigate every trial and tribulation influences our personal faith and the personal faith of those observing ours. For our sake and theirs, our faith must become tangible. Our faith in God must include the evidence of the sustaining presence of The Lord Almighty. And then, at some point, our testimony needs to include not only the sustaining presence of The Lord Almighty but also “the works of the Lord.”

There are many who would love to say of their internal battles for peace and freedom, what the Psalmist said in verse nine. They would love to say to that which enslaves them, “May the war within me cease. May the powers and influences (bows, spears, shields) that enslave me be broken. May I experience freedom to the degree that the only remnant left of the previous enslavement are the ashes of the war that once lived within me!” These precious people need to see living proof of the presence of The Lord Almighty. They need a Lord who can desolate their issues. They need a Lord who can cease the issues of anxiety, stress, unrest, and confusion that live within them. They need a Lord who can break the bow and shatter the spear that keeps them imprisoned to behaviors that punish them. It is possible we are the only evidence they have of a Lord who could be mighty enough to do in them what they need.

Friend, The Lord Almighty is with you. He desires to be a fortress on your behalf. Face the trials and difficulties in your life with Psalm 46 echoing in your soul and present in your breath. Ask the Lord to desolate the enemy through you! Sing, speak, share, and support others with a faith of holy desolation. Strengthen your faith by absorbing the Word of God. Read the Bible with a focus on the sovereignty of God. As a battle begins, hold onto your faith. Ask the Lord to add to your faith the divine privilege of seeing Him desolating the enemy that has presented itself. Faith in God for bigger battles is strengthened when faith in God for smaller battles has occurred. Seek Him and continue to do so. Do not give up the fight for restoration, recovery, and healing. May your testimony of The Lord Almighty grow from battle to battle. The Apostle Paul spoke to this same principle in Romans 8:37: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” If our outward circumstances do not change, but our heart reflects the sustaining grace and power of God, then we are a marvel of God to ourselves. If God desolates our outward circumstances, then we are a marvel of God to ourselves and others. Therefore, may our lives be to us and others an amazing marvel of God. Let us say, “Come and see the works of the Lord.”