Week 25
Psalm 81:7 “You called in trouble and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah.”
Prayer always has its rightful answer and its mysterious solution. We may not see the solution, or the solution may not be the one we expected, or the solution may not come from the source we had hoped. But prayer to God is always heard with sovereign wisdom and loving goodness.
The psalmist called to God in trouble, and God answered him. But the divine answer sent by God in response to prayer came from the “hiding place of thunder.” Where is that exactly? Where does thunder hide? Thunder hides in the dark and unknowable providences of the wise and good Lord of the universe. From this mysterious place, thunder booms with power, and prayers are answered in remarkable ways.
Paul would write in Philippians 4 that God would supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. There in that majestic storehouse God has ample resources to provide all our needs. When we pray, He gives in response our prayer. And He gives over and above our needs; He meets our needs in bountifulness and richness. He does, in the words of Paul in Ephesians, exceedingly abundantly more than we are able to ask or think. His answers to our prayers are better than our prayers, they are more than our prayers, and they are greater than our prayers.
This brings us to the consideration of “Meribah.” This was the place of bitterness and testing. God tested His people at Meribah, but He did not abandon His people in the hour of their test. Meribah showed the weakness and faithlessness of God’s people. Meribah showed a bitter and distrustful heart among the people of God, but God was gracious at Meribah to His sinning people. He tested them to prove them, but it was there that His gracious supply was bountifully bestowed to the surprise and delight of His disobedient covenant people.
Answers to prayer often come to unworthy people. We do not deserve the least of God’s mercies. Quite the opposite! We deserve to be punished and cast aside for our spiritual duplicity and infidelity. But God still gives His grace to us. His heart is full of goodness and mercy to us, even on our bad days.
Thus, God worked miraculously and provided what was needed, even at Meribah. God rescued His people with His mighty hand, and they rejoiced in the goodness of God.
Dear friend, look to the Lord of goodness and grace. Do not be overcome by your sin and indiscretion. Pray diligently and earnestly for God to pour out His blessings upon you, and in return give Him praise and thanksgiving for His gifts. Then straighten your walk in your daily life and seek to honor and obey the Lord of gifts.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I am unworthy, but I beseech Your great mercy and grace. Thank you for loving me and taking care of me. Amen.
