Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man,
So are the children of one’s youth.
— Psalm 127:4
The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.
— Psalm 129:3
As we consider the earlier stages of the Psalms of Ascent (Ps. 121-131), we see that in the past we were filled with “arrows,” and thus able to deal with all kinds of situations. We became a supply of life and joy to the church life. But then the Lord came in to bring us down. The Lord plowed on our back and produced furrows for more life to grow.
By our growth in life we were enlightened about our real condition before the Lord. We saw that we were only a sinner, even the chief sinner, and that we were utterly dependent on the Lord’s mercy. This caused us to be enlarged and brought us into a quiet restfulness concerning the Lord’s testimony. It is in this restfulness, after being enlarged, that we are able to exercise according to our maturity.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 96.
Tomorrow: “The Exercise and Manifestation of Maturity”