Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:5,6 ESV)
Broad and Narrow
It’s not unusual to read in Scripture of God’s help. It’s what He does. But Psalm 118 adds a twist. “Out of my distress…” brings a specific word into focus.
Distress is not just a synonym for trouble. Distress is a particular kind of trouble. Distress refers to being constrained, being trapped, being pushed into a narrow confining set of circumstances.
Have you ever felt that your choices were being taken away, so that the only choices you have left are bad ones? THAT is distress.
Psalm 18 and Psalm 31 give us context, actually. While we sometimes think God narrows our action-choices, He actually broadens our options. He is King of the universe! He has all of time in his demesnes! His Law is not given to us to say, “DON’T do that!” But rather to draw us a map of all that we CAN do. We get to know that there is ONE God, and He’s grand. We get to know His NAME. We get to know how He wants us to approach Him. Every part of God’s Law shows us how grandiose it is to be in His Will.
It seems that right now our choices and options are severely limited. And that feels like distress. But Psalm 118 tells us that even in distress, that we have nothing to fear. God’s broad love, power, understanding and map of the universe are the answer to our distress.
This, too, is a part of His fantastical plan for EACH of His people! Maybe we shouldn’t be getting out and about… but that let’s us focus on our relationship with HIM. Maybe we are feeling the pressure of economic restraint… but that let’s us be aware of what does not rust or decay. Maybe we are stir crazy… but that gives us the time to form new habits, better habits, more God-focused habits.
And maybe this time away is exactly what we need to know ourselves better. To repent of our wandering minds and hearts. To know HIM more, and therefore experience less distress, because He is bigger than any state mandate, broader than any limitation, expansive in His love of YOU.
With Jesus in your living room… we have no distress. There is so much to do!
Fear not, God is BIGGER than our distress.