The other Shoe

Psalm 57

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach .. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.” (v.1-3)

There is a common English expression of, “Waiting for the other shoe to drop”. It refers to anticipating for something that we expect to happen when a common action precedes it. I remember this well when I lived in an apartment years ago, where the renter living above me would arrive home and there was the sound of a shoe that dropped. That is when you find yourself hesitating in what you were doing just until you hear the second one fall shortly after.

This is somewhat like what David experienced in this passage. David had already been through many trials and faced life-threatening situations. But David had learned from his experiences that even when there are days of impending dangers, God would surely redeem him and keep him safe as in prior times. We can see this evidenced by his words,” until these calamities be overpast”. David saw his bleak situation as a temporary event in his life.

Let us consider his other words, " performeth all things for me”.

The original meaning behind the word, “performeth” reveals something important for us. God isn't going to do things for us where our effort is required. God can not help you to be the best version of yourself without you. The language here actually refers to the idea of bringing an event to a conclusion or a desired end. It seems important to get this message that David wanted us to understand. The trials which come our way apparently have a particular purpose in our lives. There is something that God wants to complete with us and through our faith in him in order for it to be stamped as ‘complete’.

This theme is often revealed to us as believers. In our life it is not intended that we are to just negotiate our own way around life obstacles in this worlds maze until we find the cheese in heaven. Any trial which is introduced into our lives must have a value attached to the intended end as well. Each day and each trial serves a particular role for us and can unfold great lessons individualized for us to live victoriously. We need to approach our trials as muscle-building times for our faith. There is nothing that can overwhelm us when we embrace that we have something important to learn from the experience. This can give us confidence that our God is actively training us and will certainly see us through to the end of the lesson. After the first drop, just relax. The other shoe will eventually drop when it is the right time.

Have a good day, my friends.