School of Hard Knocks
When I was a child, I remember the playground at recess could be a place where kids were not always kind. Maybe that's where the term School of Hard Knocks comes from. I know in my life, I have experience somehard knocks that have caused desperation, loneliness, isolation and disappointment. When these types of hard knocks enter our lives, we can become overwhelmed with sorrow. When this happens, sometimes we may do nothing, or we may run away to hide.
In Psalm 42:9, King David felt abandoned and depressed. He could easily have identified with the saying,School of Hard Knocks. David was in a dark situation that seem hopeless, when his own father-in-law hunted him like wild game. King David fled for his life and hid in a cave. In the loneliness of his situation he even felt that God had forgotten him.
“I will say to God my rock, 'why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?'”
Psalm 42:9
The good news is that David didn't stay in the cave or allow the School of Hard Knocks to define him. During the lowliest point in his life, he looked for a strong tower. He called on the Name of the Lord with faith in his heart.
“The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe”
Proverbs 18:10
There was a time in my life when I experienced a dark depression. My youngest daughter and my brother were both at the hospital ICU in the Philippines. As I walked in the lobby of the hospital, fear and depression crept over me. As I walked back and forth in the hospital corridor, I started uttering the Name of Jesus, again and again. As I spoke His name, and claimed that He is the healer, deliverer and strong tower, I felt faith rise up in me. I proclaimed the truth that in Jesus, I find rest, comfort and peace.
In the Strong Tower, who is Jesus. I realized who is my Prince of Peace and my Defender. The peace of God overflowed with in me. I was overcome by an inner strength to fight the lies of the enemy. There was a peace that passes all understanding that encompassed me.
My daughter recovered from her illness but my brother was ushered into heaven. Even during this School of Hard Knocks, I found that perfect peace and assurance that I had surely ran to the right tower.
This week you may be in your own School of Hard Knocks. If you are, I have some great news. You don't have to stay there or run away in fear. Run to your Heavenly Father. Seek the Lord with all your heart, soul and strength. The Name of the Lord is our strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.
There is power in His Name. He is our Salvation, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Prince of Peace even when we are in the School of Hard Knocks .