In his book, The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan tells the journey of a man, namely Christian, from a place called the City of Destruction, referring to the world, to the Celestial City, referring to the heavens.  Along the way Christian must face various obstacles that try to stop him from reaching his destination.  Out of all, the hardest he must face is the refusal of his wife and his four children to follow along; they had rather stay in the City of Destruction.  But to make the long story short, one day Christiana, his wife, repents and decides to go.

It’s then while she’s contemplating going that someone knocks on the door.  A man by the name of Secret is sent by the Merciful One to let her know that her sins have been forgiven and that she’s now invited to join her husband in the Celestial City. Upon receiving the good news, she pleads, “Oh sir, won’t you carry me and the boys with you, so that we may worship the King?” Secret replies, “The bitter comes before the sweet.  You must go through troubles, as he did who went before you, before you enter the Celestial City.”

There is one verse in Psalms 56 that caught my eye, “You number my wanderings; You put my tears into Your bottle.  Are they not in Your book?”  (Verse 8).  Not long after he was anointed to be the next king of Israel, David had to be a fugitive from Saul.  On top of it he had to deal with the Philistines, the nation that Israel was at war with.  Psalm 56 was written out of his experience of being captured by the Philistines.  We can understand how distressed he must be; trouble never stopped coming from left and right.  But as always, he went to God and in prayer, he expressed his trust in God’s care. 

God knows what happens and cares for him so much that He even keeps the tears that David sheds in His bottle. God is still in control, so he need not worry; all are in God’s book.  We are in God’s book!

Pastor Paul