Situations Recreated in Our Lives
"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands" (Psalm 143:5).
Why do similar situations get recreated in our lives? It feels like we’ve been through a similar situation before, so why are we facing something so similar again? If the situation is difficult and painful, we may be too overwhelmed to realize that we’ve encountered a similar scenario before. However, if we pause and reflect on the situation calmly and objectively, we may realize that we’ve found ourselves in a similar place in the past. So, how should we think about these recurring situations? Should we just say it’s a coincidence? Absolutely not. It cannot be a coincidence. There is no such thing as coincidence in God’s plan. Within God’s sovereign providence, there is definitely a purpose for these similar situations reappearing in our lives. What is that purpose?
First, the purpose of God in re-creating similar situations in our lives is to make us long for His salvation by reflecting on His past acts of deliverance.
In Psalm 143:5, we see that David, in a desperate situation where he was facing the threat of death due to Absalom’s persecution, remembered and meditated on all the works of the Lord. When he did this, David most likely thought of the grace of God’s salvation, when God had delivered him from King Saul’s persecution before he became king (Psalm 142). One reason I believe this is because both events are similar. In Psalm 142, when David was persecuted by King Saul, and in today’s passage, when David, as king, was persecuted by Absalom after his sin, the Bible tells us that David’s soul was deeply distressed in both cases (142:3, 143:4). Why were similar situations recreated in David’s life? The reason is that God wanted David to remember (meditate) on His deliverance from Saul’s persecution, which would cause him to long for God’s saving grace during the persecution by Absalom, as described in Psalm 143. That’s why David says, “I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land” (Psalm 143:6). In his urgent situation, David asked God to answer his prayer quickly (143:7).
Second, the purpose of God in re-creating similar situations in our lives is to reveal our sins, lead us to repentance, and make us return to walking in His will.
In today’s passage, Psalm 143 and Psalm 142, David found himself in similar situations, but there was a key difference. The difference is that when David was being persecuted by King Saul (Psalm 142), it was not because of any sin David had committed. Rather, the persecution came because of David’s victory over Goliath in the name of God, which led to women praising him and causing King Saul to become jealous. On the other hand, in today’s passage, Psalm 143, David was facing persecution from his son Absalom because of his own sins: the adultery with Bathsheba and his attempt to cover it up by intentionally having Bathsheba’s faithful husband, Uriah, killed.
Thus, in Psalm 143:8 and 10, David sought to be taught by God’s word and desired to follow the will of the Lord. When I reflect on this, I think of the story of Peter in John 21:9 and following. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias and asked Peter three times, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" (John 21:15, 16, 17). This situation is very similar to when Peter denied Jesus three times. How do we know it’s similar? Because in both situations, whether it was Peter’s three denials of Jesus or Jesus’ three questions to Peter, there was a presence of "fire". Do you remember? When Peter denied Jesus three times, Luke 22:55 says, “And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.” Clearly, when the resurrected Jesus made a fire, cooked fish, and prepared bread, and then asked Peter three times, "Do you love Me?", Peter would have remembered sitting by the fire and denying Jesus (John 21:9). By recreating the past, Jesus wanted to deliver Peter from his guilt and also give him a new mission to fulfill God’s will. How amazing is God’s love and providence?
As we live our lives, when similar situations are recreated, let us take a moment to pause and reflect before God. If the Holy Spirit brings to mind a similar situation from the past, let us remember and meditate on God’s work of salvation in that moment. In the midst of that reflection, let us look to the God of salvation in our present situation and pray to Him. As we remember and meditate on the grace of past salvation, let us also confidently approach the God of salvation, assured of the salvation the Holy Spirit provides. And as we reflect, if the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance unrepented sins, let us rely on the precious blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, confess our sins to the Holy God, and repent before the God of mercy, grace, and abundant love. Let us lay down all our will at the foot of the cross and dedicate ourselves to doing the will of the Lord. In doing so, through the situations that God recreates in our lives, He will accomplish His will and receive all the glory.
With a desire to remember the works of God’s salvation in the past and to commemorate His salvation in similar situations today,
Pastor James Kim
(Praying that, instead of being led by situations that cause inner turmoil, we will discern the will of God who governs those situations).