Psalms 110 | The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. He will drink from a brook along the way, and so he will lift his head high.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. – James 1:2
We easily see a purpose in the good things that happen to us. How about those things we consider bad? Could bad experiences be prerequisites for the good God has in store for us? Could enemies and opposition be a gateway to opportunity and promotion? And could the level of opposition reveal our calling to something significantly better?
As a teenager, David moved from obscurity to notoriety by slaying the giant Goliath, who taunted Israel (1 Samuel 17). While the Israelites saw Goliath and his Philistine army as undefeatable opposition, David grasped the opportunity to conquer in God’s strength, and give God the glory. Facing this challenge propelled David forward in his call to leadership and new challenges in his life. David became not only a warrior and king, but God also positioned David as a prophet. As such, he prophesied about the coming of the Savior and His future victory over the opposition: “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’” (Psalm 110:1; Mark 12:36).
It’s no wonder Scripture tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). To “consider it,” we see ourselves blessed and victorious even when troubles and opposition are real. The obstacles we face don’t take us further from God. They develop us in God. —Matthew Hughes
What if the blessings we’ve been praying for are hidden in the troubles we face?
God, help me to see the good that can come now and in the future from my struggles when I entrust myself to You. In spite of difficulties, attacks, and opposition, help me press forward into Your will for my life and purpose. Water me with Your love.