Once we come to the point in the Psalms of Ascent in which we are able to minister life to meet the needs of those around us, we may feel, “It is sufficient. There is no need for anything more. This is as high as it can go.” However, we still need another “turn” in our experience. We have had two “turns” already, in Psalm 126: a turn to come into the church life and a deeper turn to be freed from our self-life. Now we need an even greater turn, which we call “the stage of enlargement.” The Lord must enlarge us so that we no longer consider ourselves to be special individuals. No matter how mature or spiritual we are, we can only satisfy the Lord by taking care of His testimony. The Lord must work on us and enlarge us so that our desire is not for ourselves, but for the whole church life to be healthy.
The Lord enlarges us through three different experiences. Firstly, He arranges difficulties and afflictions in our environment so that we would grow properly (Psalm 129). Secondly, He exposes our sinful condition as we spend time in His presence (Psalm 130). Thirdly, He brings us to a state of lowliness and submission (Psalm 131). By these healthy experiences we are enlarged to properly care for His testimony.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 77-78.
Tomorrow: “Afflicted for the Sake of the Lord’s Testimony”