You've seen those commercials, haven't you? The ones that show you the before...and after of something. Like the diet product commercials. They show a picture of someone before they lost 200 lbs....and then they show you a picture of the same person, although that's sometimes hard to decipher... anyway, they show the same person "after". And what about those make-up and haircut "Make-overs"....the before and after is quite incredible with some. Sometimes I like the before better than the after. Or have you watched the TV show "This Old House", and the host will show you a before and after of the renovations that have been made. I enjoy watching those. Or perhaps you've watched the news and a reporter is showing you the before and after of an urban renewal project. Maybe you thought of going to a technical school because of an AD that told you before someone came to the school they made $15,000 a year... and after graduating with their certificate they made $35,000 a year. The before and after...we see and hear of it every day.

In our Scripture lesson today, the Psalmist is giving us some insight into his own personal "before and after". You may have noticed if you are following the "Year of the Bible" readings, that Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible. In the Hebrew Bible, it has 22 sections, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, each with eight lines. We are looking today at the portions that begin with the letters Zayin, Heth and Teth. These verses continue the theme of Psalm 119 of the Glories of God's Law upon which the writer is expounding. Eight different terms are used for God's Law: commandments, statutes, ordinances, decrees, words, precepts, promises and law. The portions before the one we are looking at give praise for God's law and offer prayer to be strengthened and rejuvenated through keeping the way of God's commandments, and the Psalmist's plea for understanding in order to keep God's law.

By the time we come to verses 49 through 72 the Psalmist has given us a description of his own "before and after"....a "spiritual before...and after". Now, there aren't specifics about what the Psalmist has endured. He gives us hints though as to what he has suffered. He's been distressed, hopeless, derided, without a secure home, ensnared by the wicked, humbled by his circumstances, and smeared with lies of the arrogant. He has not had an easy time of it. And yet he says in verse 67, "Before I was humbled ( or afflicted) I went astray... but now I keep your word". And in verse 71: "It is good for me that I was humbled, so that I might learn your statutes". So am I standing here today, echoing the Psalmist and saying that good can come out of our suffering?

Quadrepalegic Ray Campanella tells this story: He would go to the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, in New York City, for treatment two or three times a week. He rolled through the reception room many times, but this one time he stopped his wheelchair to read a plaque on the wall...they were the words of an unknown Confederate soldier. He could hardly contain his excitement as he read it:

A CREED FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.

I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey...

I asked for health, that I might do great things.

I was given infirmity, that I might do better things...

I asked for riches, that I might be happy.

I was given poverty, that I might be wise...

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.

I was given life, that I might enjoy all things...

I got nothing that I asked for..but everything I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am , among men, most richly blessed!

When hard and painful circumstances come into our lives, if we look to God and God's Word for help, we won't be overwhelmed or destroyed by those circumstances... and the Lord will teach us His way of living and we will find hope and comfort.

Before we are afflicted......we depend on ourselves and our own knowledge. But after...we realize we need the wisdom of God to help us through the circumstances. We learn we don't have all the answers.

Before we are afflicted.....we look to other people to define us and give us our identity. We seek their approval and acceptance. But after...when we go to God's word...we recognize that we are God's children and He tells us we are loved with an everlasting love and the only approval we want is that of God's approval and the acceptance we crave is already ours through Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sins.

Before we are afflicted....we put our hope in the things around us, the systems and powers of society, the people that govern our land, the decrees of our country. But after...we put our hope in God and in His commandments that give us life and bring security and peace to our hearts. And we see that the only sure things in life are from God and He never changes and His Word stands through all generations.

Before we are afflicted... we look at other's sufferings and cast blame or we run because we don't know how to respond. But after...we recognize that we are all vulnerable and that we have no guarantees and we learn compassion and understanding for others in their time of need. We seek to offer a helping hand or words of comfort, the same words of comfort we found in God's promises to us.

Before we are afflicted... we think we have time and eternity on our side to do all the things we want to do in life. But after...we take every day as a gift from God. We realize that we are finite and our energy and time are limited, and if Jesus tarries, we will all face death.

Before we are afflicted....we take our loved ones for granted and we take the good things in life for granted and we think we have certain things coming to us. But after....we appreciate all those who love us, and we love more fully and more freely, and we are willing to live a richer life through giving and serving others.

Before we are afflicted... we forget about God...and we think we've accomplished what we have all by ourselves. But after...we realize our total dependence on God, and we see that all that we have and all that we are comes from God.

Helen Keller, a woman born blind, deaf and mute once said...Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

The Psalmist says, "It is good that I was humbled, so that I might learn your statutes". When in the midst of suffering, if we go to God and look to God's Word, according to this Psalm:

we are kept from sin and shame

we can praise God with a clean heart

we are counseled by God's wisdom

we are revived in our spirits

we find liberty and boldness

we have songs in the night and joy in the morning

our priorities are right, we have a teachable spirit

and we learn the value of knowing God.

And as it is written in verse 57,

we discover that "God is our portion".

God is enough, Jesus meets all our needs. God is our life.

I mentioned to you at the beginning of the summer, that I would be working at St. Peter's Medical Center for the summer months and into September. I had many rich and rewarding experiences there. I noticed something about most of the patients that I visited. They were very open and receptive to Pastoral Care. They were very willing to allow me to encourage them concerning God's presence with them and to pray with them. I had very few people say they didn't want me to pray for them. When we are in difficult situations, when we are afflicted we are open to God's presence and instruction in our lives. We are willing to listen to God's voice.

But I wonder how many of us have made promises to God in the middle of our suffering...only to forget about God when we are out of the difficulty? We bargain with God and say, "Lord, if you'll only get me out or through this...I'll (whatever)". Do we make vows to God, to get us out of the problem, then when He does, we go our own way again?

Many of us are parents. We are often asked to do something for our children that requires sacrifice. Sometimes we are called upon to help them out of hard circumstance. And we do it, out of our love for them. But imagine if we never get a "thank you" or some acknowledgment of our assistance from our children, how it would hurt. Maybe you've experienced that in your life.

When the Lord brings us out of our distress, let's remember to be thankful for what God has done in our lives. Let's not forget the "before" part...where we've come from...what God has brought us through...what He has saved us from...how our difficulties have made us into stronger Christians and better citizens and more compassionate neighbors and more loving family members. The "before" part of our story is as important as the "after" part. Before I was humbled, I went my own way...but now that you've shown me who you are, God, I have found your Word and your ways more valuable than gold or silver. Nothing compares to knowing God and resting in His promises, living by God's commandments and precepts, learning to love God's word as our guide through life.

I walk with a fellow seminarian every morning at 7:00 am. We walk from 7-8 each day. The other day she told me a story that I would like to use in closing. Some friends of hers were in seminary in South Carolina a few years ago. They just had a few days off during the holidays to go home to Oklahoma. They started out on their route and after a short time, it began to snow. They were on the road in Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains and didn't want to stop and waste time in getting home. So they continued on their way. They could hear on the radio that the storm was getting worse up ahead, but they traveled on. They refused to stop. After a while, the road got so bad they could not see where they were going. There were no other cars or trucks on the road with them...no one to follow...and they knew that on the right side of the road, there could be a cliff to run off at any point. They prayed and soon realized they could see the small reflectors along side of the road and began following them. Those reflectors were their guide until they were out of the storm. That's how God's word can guide us through the storms of life. Don't give up...keep driving, don't turn back, don't try to follow someone else, keep going....keep reading God's word, keep trusting in his steadfast love and mercy. And your "After" will be much greater than your "Before".

Amen.

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