The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3
Although we had attained to a kind of maturity at the end of the third stage of the Psalms of Ascents (Psalms- 129-131), it seems that we still felt ourselves to be quite high and important. This is why we needed to go through the fourth stage, the stage of enlargement.
In order for us to be enlarged the Lord caused us to be brought low. We experienced difficulties and afflictions in our environment which forced us to spend more time in the Lord’s presence. In the light of His presence we saw who we really were. We could no longer think of ourselves so highly. We realized that without the Lord’s mercy we were capable of committing any sin. We could no longer be so proud or so haughty, and we no longer desired to do great things. Instead, we became as a “weaned child,” humble and submissive to the Lord and with a proper attitude towards the church life. This means that we entered into a healthy and greater maturity.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 95-96.
Tomorrow: “Giving Up Our Spiritual Ambitions”