My studies, took me to Psalm 16 this week. I had used verses two and three of the chapter before in claiming a truth. But the timing this week in which I found myself in chapter 16 can be nothing other then divinely inspired.
Psalm 16
1 [[Michtam of David.]] Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2 [O my soul], thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou [art] my Lord: my goodness [extendeth] not to thee;
3 [But] to the saints that [are] in the earth, and [to] the excellent, in whom [is] all my delight.
Notice (Michtam of David) near the beginning of the Psalm, which most likely means golden selection of David. What this suggest is that this was one of David’s favorite Psalms. It is easy to see why this is beloved by David’s after reading it. I along with many others, feel this chapter is the Word of Christ unknown to David as he penned the Psalm as led by the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 22 is another passage like the fore mentioned passage that David wrote, not knowing he was writing the words of Jesus Christ on the cross. Psalm 22 was written about 600 years before Christ was born. At that time, crucifixion had not yet been invented. Yet when Jesus cries out from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He did so, in order to draw attention to this Psalm showing that it was He in Psalms 22.
In Psalm 16, we see the Son of God talking with the Father. I feel it is pretty clear as one reads it, that this be the case.
Notice in verse two that Christ says, My goodness expended not to thee. I hope you can understand why this is said. If you think about it, it becomes clear. God is not only good, but all goodness comes from God. What could be given back to God that is good? Nothing.
But notice where this goodness is extended. The goodness of Christ goes toward the saints on the earth. The saints are Christ’s very delight. Our God has a very deep love for His people. For who shall separate us from the love of Christ? I am persuaded, says the apostle (Rom. 8:35, 38, 39), that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Notice the verses in chapter eight of Romans, that it is the love of Christ that binds us and not our love. This love of God is strong and cannot be broken. We have a great God full of love and mercy.
My youngest daughter was to go back to school this last Friday. Not that this paints me in the best light, but little did I know that there were problems. Yes I was aware that she came home owing a tuition from last semester, but I also knew she was in charge of seeing that this was addressed. She was to talk with others at the university as well as banks and other financial institutions to address the balance of her bill.
I guess I just let my job take control of my thoughts more then I should, but whatever the case, not that I should have been surprised, but the truth was, I was surprised that she had dropped the ball. After one or two calls early in the year, my daughter had failed to follow up in order to get this resolved. Still, being a dad in cases such as this, I would keep on her to see it was done. So I’m saying both my daughter and I dropped the ball on this.
Now it is three days to go before we leave to go back to school. I had told the guys at work I was taking the day off. My wife had planned the same day off from her work. My daughter had worked her last day at her summer job saving what she could toward school. There were a few shopping days to get little things to take back to school. And then we asked about the bill she answered..."oh..I forgot". At that moment I could feel 258 of my own hairs gray in one second.
As things would have it, she still owed $5000 from last year. The private school she attends will not let you carry over a remaining bill from the previous year. All accounts must be paid in full, in order to start a new year. Ok, now what?
I did not have $5000 setting around the house and there was no way I could raise this kind of money in 2 days. What could I do but pray? However, I was unsure how to pray.
I mean it is not such a bad thing to sit out a year. Others do it. She could do this as well. Maybe it would teach her a good lesson. Maybe school was out of the picture this year and this was all part of God’s plan. Maybe God had something better for her, or maybe God had another way to educate her other then school.
The last full day I prayed the Lord’s will be done. Yes I always include this in my prayer, but this was my full prayer with nothing added. I really didn't know what else to pray. I know that this should always be my desire. Yet most of the time when I pray I just add this to a long list of the things I want. This was one of the few times my heart was right.
Around 4pm -5pm as I readied myself to go home from work, I added one thing to this prayer. I prayed that my daughter would see the work of God in her life, starting that day. Now I have prayed this before as it relates me and for the next few months I was met with hardship as God molded me and shaped me into something more workable. I remember thinking of this as I drove down the road praying as I did. Had I just asked my God to bring hardship into my daughter’s life? Did I really want that? Was I willing to set back and watch this happen? I had all of these thoughts as I drove home with this new prayer. It didn't take me long to say YES.
Yes, this was my prayer, if this means my daughter will be closer to God, then by all means… Yes! If it is hard times that come, but in the hard times my daughter is in God’s will, then bring it on. Oh I know that hard times for my little girl also means my heart will be heavy. But do I trust God? Does He not know the best? Then I must pray as I did, God be real in Reagan's life and let her see you at work first hand.
When I got home I asked my wife if they had heard anything from the university. She had no word. This was after 5pm and it was becoming clear we were not going to hear anything. My daughter was still packing her things but not with a smile. I watched knowing she had to be unsure as I was, if we were in fact going to make this trip. Yet she packed on. I needed to talk with her.
As a dad I had had many talks like this before. I remember the day I picked up my oldest daughter from basketball try-outs. She had never played the game before, and I knew the outcome before I picked her up. I had to tell how Michael Jordan got cut from the team once and this lead to him being the best ball player of all time. I tried to encourage her not to stop trying to do whatever she wanted to try. Still the tears came long and hard and I just had to be there for her at that moment.
This time it is my youngest daughter and she is much older, and this time it will take a better story to help overcome the disappointment. But I also knew that she is a strong girl, and this is not the first time she has faced disappointment.
In ways, maybe it was I that felt the disappointment more than her. I was able to send two oldest girls to school and help pay for most of it. The youngest got the short end of things. Not just this once, but it seemed to happen over and over. From the time she entered in high school, we as a family have just had to cut back. We had to not do this and that, and pass over many things that we gave the other girls. My daughter has never really said anything about it. If anything she should be praised for her good spirit.
There was very little I could do. I had come to peace with God on this. The guilt I had was replaced by trust in God years before. I wrongly had thought it was I that paid for our other daughters schooling and it was not I, but God. All blessings come from God. God gives, and God takes away. The guilt was gone, but it is still hard not to feel the disappointment seen in this daughters face.
My wife was taking a bath. It was getting late, being around 9pm. I needed to talk with my daughter. She had walked out of the living room. I knew I needed to address this when she returned. She was gone for a while and then she walked back in and was crying. It must have finally gotten to her. She tried to talk to my other daughter, but was unable in her broken voice. When she was able to talk, we found out she was indeed going back to school.
In less than 28 hours $4000 from various sources had come in toward her account. We had told no one, but God knew. Yes she still owes 1000 dollars but she is able to go back.
my goodness extendeth not to thee; But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight
Christ delights in the saints. Why? No reason other then love.
Now for the amazing part of this story, my daughter goes to a private Christian college. All schooling is not cheap, but this has a much higher cost then say a state ran school. This is her 3rd year in college. This is also the 3rd time that this story has happened. The most money my daughter has had, when going to school has been around 1000 bucks. Yet, through it all, God has provided for all of her schooling, other than this 1000 dollars. In His time, He will provide for the rest.
Christ’s goodness extends to the saints on the earth in whom is all his delight.