May 5, 2024

Psalm 68.6 NIV)
God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.

Every action of heaven has one aim: that you know God.*

The idea of God giving a family to a lonely person has its appeal. Other translations of this verse word it as “settles the lonely (wanderers) at home,” and “sets the desolate in a homeland.” Coupled with the next line about leading forth prisoners with song, the words remind me of a verse in another psalm:  “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37.4)

What would be the desire of the heart of a lonely person? How about the heart of a prisoner? God knows what we long for and he fills the empty places in our lives with himself. When God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you,” (II Corinthians 12.9) he wasn’t speaking only of God’s saving grace. God’s grace is sufficient for living, too. The context of the verse is Paul’s account of his request that God remove his “thorn in the flesh.” While we don’t know the nature of his complaint, it’s safe to assume that Paul already knew that God’s grace was sufficient for his salvation but he had more to learn about God’s sufficiency for his daily life.

In the past, I have asked God for things that I thought I needed to make my life complete. At one point, due to a chain of events, I found myself with no close circle of friends. I struggled with my loneliness for a long time but over and over in my mind, I heard God’s words to Paul: “My grace is sufficient.” I knew it was true but it was not until I allowed it to be true in my life that he began to bless me with human friends. Friendships are even sweeter now that I know God has given them to me - not to fill a need but to give me the desire of my heart.

 

What void can God fill in your life? Let him place you in a family. Sing along with him as he leads you out of your prison.

It is when we are out of options that we are most ready for God’s surprises.*