December 6, 2019 -- Psalm 119:68 -- Perfectly fitted for His service
/You are good and do good,
teach me your statutes.
Psalm 119:67 English Standard Version
Yesterday I referred to John Piper’s brief biography on C. Spurgeon. While I was encouraged and blessed by reading it, there was also an undercurrent of frustration as I read it. Spurgeon was so diligent, so proficient, so prodigious in his work. While I admired his work and productivity, I also started to feel inadequate myself.
Thankfully, before putting the book away I came to this encouraging portion.
He often worked eighteen hours in a day. The missionary David
Livingstone asked him once, “How do you manage to do two
men’s work in a single day?” Spurgeon replied, “You have forgotten
there are two of us.” I think he meant the presence of Christ’s
energizing power that we read about in Colossians 1:29, where
Paul says, “I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully
works within me.”
J. Piper A Camaraderie of Confidence, page 42
King David testified to the goodness of God, the faithful One. God alone is Good. When we work doing the things He requires of us, the very things which He designed us and the circumstances He made for us to thrive in, then we accomplish great things. In those very circumstances we testify, it is God my Father Who made me in the womb and knew me and the purposes for which He made me. It is Christ my King Who purifies me and fits me for holy service. It is the Spirit of God Who works in me all good so that by the power of God I can toil and work with great joy.
In such circumstances the statutes of God are precious and good. Imagine a soccer game where ten friends are playing “pick up” soccer. Some are following the rules. Some are just horsing around. Some are using their hands. Some are checking others and pushing them. The game would be utter chaos. It isn’t a game. It is a recipe for losing friends! Now a man stops by and says, “Hey, I am a referee for the local men’s semi-professional league, let me ref this game.” As soon as he imposes the needed order, the men flourish in the game. The statutes needed enable the men to play, each one using his talents—the goalie’s gift in blocking shots on the net is not impeded by his being unfairly tackled and physically pushed away. The mid-fielder can run his paces the length of the field and his skills would be proper tested by the rules governing whether or not a particular play is off-side. His adherence to the rules of the game contribute to the fun, of a hard-fought soccer match.
So it is, though infinitely more gloriously so, that God is good. He has created us for life, for work, for purposes and activities. God does good. He works in us and through us accomplishing His will and bringing many sons and daughters to glory. He gives us the limits we need so that our lives adhere to the craftsmanship He has exercised in making us and directing our interactions and opportunities. I do not need to be a Spurgeon. You do not need to get all bent out of shape trying to be something you were not created to be. Each us is gifted with the blessing of working in exactly the right places and spaces allotted to us by God—Who is Good and is the Source of all good.
No wonder the Psalmist praises You and blesses Your Name, King of kings and LORD of lords! You really have dealt well with Your servants in ages past and so do good to us in this day and this era also. In every part of our lives we can see Your goodness. That is why we join the writer of this psalm praising You by saying, “the law of Your mouth is better to us than thousands of gold and silver pieces”. Great are You, LORD! Amen.
