10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
“That car accident was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” he said. This was surprising, the accident had in fact caused him a great deal of pain and had lingering effects upon his body. It reminded him regularly when he awoke in the morning with a sore hip which would eventually need to be replaced.
The accident had done something else. It had put him in the hospital where the doctors had run a few tests, looking for injuries and complications from treatments. Those tests had revealed another problem, a small problem now, but one which would have become life-threatening in the coming months and years. By the time this other problem showed up, however, it would have been too late to treat. Now, it was a relatively simple matter. A small surgical procedure and he was fine.
It was one of those times where we get to see the providential care of God and praise him for it. The car accident, for all its pain, probably saved his life in the long run. It is hard to imagine a car accident being a good thing. On this day we could see it. The world and our enemy will regularly throw difficult things into our paths. We suffer and sometimes it appears to be utterly pointless. In truth, most of the time I can see no good reason for it. I do not tell the story so that you would delve into the possible good reasons you have suffered. I tell the story because the Psalmist assures us today that Lord is righteous in all his ways. He is near to those who call, and he delivers all who trust in Him. He preserves all who love Him. Had the doctors not found that little problem in my friend, had it grown to be the death of him, God would have still saved him. Baptism works, resurrection happens. Trust that no scheme of Satan will ever thwart God’s love for you. You will join all His works, speaking His praise, and blessing His holy name forever and ever.