A Wealthy Place

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 6
 
“For Thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.” Psalm 66:10-1210For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 12Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. (Psalm 66:10‑12)
Have you ever felt tangled in your circumstances? The psalmist felt brought into a net. Are you weighed down? This writer said God had laid a heavy burden on him. Trampled on? The psalmist was ridden right over. Burnt by your circumstances, way over your head, just drowning? “We went through fire and water.” And what is the final word? “Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.”
Where is that place? I have walked through fiery trials and cried, “Lord, where is it? Is it in heaven?” That certainly is a wonderful hope that we have, that the suffering of this time will pale in the light of the” far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:1717For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (2 Corinthians 4:17)). But recently I discovered a delightful fact about Psalm 66:1212Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. (Psalm 66:12). The word translated “a wealthy place” is translated “runneth over” in Psalm 23:55Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (Psalm 23:5)—“Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.” Even when we are in economic straits, hurting in a relationship, in pain, or aching with the loss of a loved one, God can anoint our head with the healing oil of His Spirit and fill our cup with His joy to the point that it runs over in praise and blessing. Joseph was misused by his family, falsely accused for following the path of righteousness, and unjustly thrown into prison by his employer, but he became a “fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall” (Gen. 49:2222Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: (Genesis 49:22)). In times of pain we can know that a wealthy place, a running-over place, is coming some day. And for today we can lift up our cup and ask the Lord to fill it so that we can spill over in blessing, so that we can climb over the wall and reach out to other hurting souls with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted of God.