Psalms 138:7:  “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.”

 

One of my readers sent me an article from the book Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman.  This is truly a wonderful devotional book and I encourage everyone to pick up a copy, that is after you have purchased my soon to released devotional book in June Revealing the Heart of God. The particular article she sent was a study on Psalms 138:7 where the author showed that the words in the midst of trouble in  Hebrew really says to go on in the center of trouble.  I love that, that really does expresses the heart of what the Hebrew is trying to convey.

 

“Though I walk in the center of trouble you will revive me.” I have a friend who helps me in my nursing home ministry.  She called this morning to tell me of a sad event in her life. She really was determined to help me at the nursing home service today but she felt wiped out.  A truly sad and heart breaking event had occurred the night before leaving her feeling weak and lifeless.  She knew going to the nursing home would cheer her up but she did not have the strength.  Had I not been through such events in my life I would probably have insisted she go but I realized just how draining such an experience can be and encouraged her to stay home and just get some rest as she was up all night because of this event.

 

Some might say this sad event is not really trouble, as implied in Psalms 138:7 but I disagree, I believe that is exactly what this verse is addressing. This word trouble in Hebrew is tsarah which comes from an old Canaanite  word.  Ancient man would squeeze the juice from the bark of the pomegranate tree as it was supposed to cure diarrhea.  Anyways tsarah entered the Hebrew language with the idea of squeezing to distill something. It eventually carried the idea of flowing as the juice flows and as the tears flow from one’s eyesTsarah is not so much trouble like a bill that is due or a boss giving you are hard time, although tsarah does not exclude this but tsarah is any trouble that squeezes tears from your eyes.

 

What is important about this understanding of tsarah rendered as trouble is that it makes this trouble very personal. A child may have a broken toy and just cry his heart out over that broken toy.  The adult may smile and say: “This kid doesn’t know what real trouble is.”  I’ve got news for you that is a kindergarten size trouble and is just as devastating as a bad review from your boss. Someone may weep over the loss of a pet and we may smile but to that person the loss of that pet is just as painful as the  loss of a close friend.  In other words, God understands, he knows the pain your heart suffers even if the world doesn’t.

 

God promises that when you walk in the midst of this distress and  heart break, he will revive you. Note it does not say he will deliver you.  A financial crisis, a layoff, a demanding boss, these your need deliverance, but a broken heart, a sadness you need to be revived. The word revived in Hebrew is chayah from the root word Chi.  It means to restore to life, to live again. The tsarah my friend is experiencing has drained the life out of her.  She doesn’t need deliverance, she needs to be chayah, have the life restored in her.

 

I recall years ago attending an Andrea Crouch concert.  He would start to preach right in the middle of his concert and at one point he was really getting into it.  A woman behind me was really being blessed. As Andre listed all the people who could let you down this woman responded with a loud “Yes, Lord,” Andre proceeded, “Your boss can let you down.”  “Yes, Lord.”  “Your preacher can let you down.”  “Yes, Lord,”  “Your fellow Christians can let down” “Yes, Lord,”  “Your parents can let you down.”  “Yes, Lord.”  “Your children can let you down.”  “Yes Lord.”  Your husband can let your down. “Oh, Lordy, Lordy, Yes.”  I would say this sister was in the midst of tsarah yet she knew where to go to be revived, she went to her Savior who assured her that He was one person that would never let her down, one person that would never break her heart.

 

The writer of this devotional in Streams in the Desert went on to use Martha as an illustration: “Lord, if thou hast been here my brother would not have died.”  It seemed like Jesus was late with his reviving. Yet, he proved it is never too late and He has His own time for His wonders to perform.  I continued to read this story and I found the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept.”   In the Aramaic this word for weeping is a weeping for the sorrow of someone else.  Jesus was not sad, he knew where Lazarus was, but he felt the hearts of those who wept and he could not help but weep.

 

When you are in the center of tsarah and you feel your heart will just break wide open be assured, Jesus is also weeping with you. He feels  your heart’s pain for He knows what a broken heart is, for you have broken His heart many times yourself.  You were created in His image and that image means you have a heart like his and if your heart can break so can His.  Just as he voluntarily came to earth as a human to experience physical pain and suffering, He has also voluntarily opened his heart to you and when you sin and seek other gods, it breaks His heart.

 

The wonderful thing is, that because you broke you His heart, He understands what it is like when your heart is broken and He loves you so much that He uses the very heart you have broken to weep for your broken heart.

 

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