Psalm 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

We tend to forget that training involves repeated action that is increasingly like the real thing. This verse brings to mind my army training, which wasn’t necessarily enjoyable and was often exhausting! David knew that each thing God took him through prepared him for the next thing he would have to face. Life on this earth, though often delightful and certainly filled with blessings, is nonetheless a battle, and continues to be so until we reach heaven. God sees to it that the pressure isn’t constant, but He also sees to it that necessary lessons are repeated until we have learned them well. We don’t really like that! He was in all probability speaking metaphorically, but in Psalm 18:34 David said that his training had been so thorough that he could use a bronze bow. I’ve done archery, but I don’t think I could pull that off! It’s interesting that here, he speaks not only of arms but of fingers. Raw muscle isn’t the only thing that’s important! We need skill, finesse, to be able to handle situations well and come through victorious. God knows exactly what we need, and provides training to give it to us. We would like it to be instant, but that’s simply not the way it works.

I’ve certainly learned this lesson by experience, but even so I sometimes long to be zapped with abilities rather than having to be trained in them. I have ongoing areas of weakness, such as my tendency toward clutter and my failure to plan ahead, which I recognize are related problems. My improvement in those areas may be slow, but it is real, and God is incredibly patient with me. I don’t know what battles lie ahead, so I need to be faithful in the battle of the moment, knowing that it’s training to strengthen and prepare me for future victory. As a pastor, I need to communicate this gently to the believers, not belittling them for their struggles but encouraging them that God will bring them through and they’ll be stronger for it. When I have been through a similar struggle, I must not talk down to anyone, but rather assure them that God’s grace is sufficient.

Father, thank You for Your gracious, loving, training program. Help me not gripe about it, and help me encourage the believers to see it for the blessing that it is. It is so clear to me what training You are giving some individuals, but sometimes that isn’t so clear when I look at myself. Help me trust You at all times and lead others to do the same, so that Your will may be done in and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!