It’s the kind of good news which, while you’re glad to hear it, in a way you’d rather not hear it. The promise of a good outcome sourced in another promise of a less than desirable reality. Something to look forward to even through you sort of dread having to look forward to it. After all, when all is said and done, who wants to have to be delivered many times?

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
 and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
 and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
 but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
 not one of them is broken.

(Psalm 34:17-20 ESV)

The “inspiration” for this song of David? My bible says it’s when David “changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away” . . . aka, when David had to act like a loony-tune in front of an enemy king, pretending to be a madman and drooling all over himself, so that everyone would think he was too crazy to care about (talk about your less than best moment). On the run from Saul, the king of your people . . . ending up in front a Philistine king, the enemy of your people . . . what’s a guy gonna do? Commence drooling . . . and praying. For when the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Praise God for deliverance! Good to know the LORD is near to those who are desperate. Yes and amen! That’s good news.

But who wants to keep being in situations where they need to experience that good news over and over again? Who wants to repeatedly find themselves desperately needing to “take refuge in Him” so that they might repeatedly “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8)? Who looks forward to the thought of having to be delivered many times?

But says the songwriter to the righteous, many are the afflictions of the righteous. How’s that for a promise to claim? And just so we’re not thinking that in the original language “many” doesn’t really mean many — it does. As in, much, abounding in, more in number than, abundant. Heavy sigh.

Honestly, at this stage in my life, I had thought things would have gotten somewhat easier. Not really. And yet, I’m not complaining (most of the time). For without the Psalm 34:19a part of the promise, I would not know the Psalm 32:19b part of the promise — the LORD delivers him out of them all. O taste and see that the LORD is good!

Every desperate situation is an opportunity to know the presence and power of the Deliverer — the Redeemer who led you out of Egypt, the Rescuer who freed you from bondage. The prize in every pressure situation — situations where you’re brokenhearted and crushed in spirit — is the prize of drawing near to, and finding refuge in the Savior who draws near to you. Every hard thing endured is another thing which helps you know Jesus more deeply.

Oh, and speaking of Jesus . . . Did you notice the Messianic reference in the last part of the promise, the part about no bones being broken (see John 19:33-36)? Jesus, our Deliver. Jesus, the defining source of what it means to be righteous. Jesus, who knew affliction upon affliction so that He might be acquainted with our reality, “made like His brothers and sisters in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest” (Heb. 2:17).

Jesus, who said,

” In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

(John 16:33b ESV)

Jesus, the LORD who delivers us out of them all.

Again, and again.

Delivered many times.

By His grace. For His glory.