March 10

Morning

In prosperity I said, “I will never be shaken.” — Ps 30:6 BSB

“Moab has been at ease, like wine left undisturbed—never poured from jar to jar.” Give a person wealth and prosperity—let their ships continually bring in riches, and let their crops grow abundantly. Let their health never falter, their nerves be steady, and their life filled with joy and happiness. Let them be known as a successful businessperson, standing tall among their peers, enjoying peace and comfort, and the natural result—even for the best Christian—will be presumption. Even David said, “I will never be shaken,” and we are not better than David, nor as good.

Be careful, my friend, of the easy paths. If the road is rough, thank God for it. If God were to continually rock us in the cradle of prosperity, if He constantly dandled us on the knees of fortune, if our life was always smooth and easy, we would become intoxicated with pleasure, thinking we were standing firm. But in reality, we would be standing on a pinnacle, like a person sleeping on a mast, in constant danger of falling. So we thank God for our afflictions, for the changes we experience, for the loss of worldly wealth, because without these trials, we might become too comfortable and secure in ourselves. Continued worldly success is a dangerous trial. Afflictions, though painful, are often sent in mercy.

Evening

Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. — Job 14:1 BSB

It might be helpful to remember before we fall asleep tonight that adversity can come at any moment. While this isn’t a pleasant thought, it can humble us and keep us from boasting, as the Psalmist did this morning, “I will never be shaken.” It reminds us that this world is not our true home, that we shouldn’t plant our roots too deeply here, because soon enough we will be transplanted into heaven’s garden.

We should remember how fragile our hold on earthly blessings really is. If we truly understood that all the trees of this world are marked for the woodcutter’s axe, we wouldn’t build our nests in them. We should love those around us, but love them with the understanding that death will one day separate us. Our loved ones are only on loan to us, and the time may come sooner than we think when we must return them to their Maker.

This is true of all our worldly possessions as well. “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone.” Our health is just as uncertain. Like fragile flowers in the field, we won’t bloom forever. There will come a time when our strength fails, and we’ll be called to glorify God through suffering instead of through active service. There’s no part of our lives that’s safe from the arrows of affliction. Our days are filled with uncertainty, and anyone who looks for constant joy in this life is searching for sweetness in an ocean of bitterness. So don’t set your heart on the things of this world. Instead, seek the things above, where moths and thieves cannot take what’s precious. The path of trouble is the road home. Lord, help this truth be a comfort to many weary souls.