I sometimes love the old language of the King James version of the Bible. The other day I read a Psalm (Psalm 4) in that translation. It immediately offered a completely different take on the passage.

Psalm 4
“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”

Look at the same verse in the NIV.

“Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. “¨Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.’

Not quite so amazing a translation is it?

“Thou hast enlarged me”¦” sounds pretty cool to me (as long is we are talking spiritual worth and not physical girth. I don’t need the other kind at all.)

My view is that God does choose to ‘enlarge’ us when we are in distress.

When my Mum had eye cancer, God ‘enlarged’ her faith. Her witness became easy as she simply shared her story. Maybe something similar has happened for you too.

This week I had some wonderfully healing prayer ministry. As I sat and beared my soul I realised afresh that some of the difficulties I have gone through in my past have made me stronger, braver and closer to Father God. I am enlarged as a result.

When God wants to grow our spiritual muscles what does He do? Firstly, He puts our muscles to the test. He gives us something heavier to carry, or wider to hold. Then He watches how we handle it. Will we moan and groan under the weight or will we adjust well to this new way of doing life? What will happen to our faith when things don’t go the way we planned? Will we collapse, or blame others or will we work hard to see how God is enlarging us?

I read in my Bible notes this week that the enemy’s number one target is our faith. No surprises there! Jesus said to Peter, ‘…satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail…’ (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV).

What a prayer!
“I have prayed for you,” says Jesus.
My notes went on to say, “In the same way that wheat gets separated from chaff, our enemy wants to separate us from our faith. He may attack your health, but he’s after your faith. He may attack your finances, but he’s after your faith.”

He may attack your reputation, but he is after your faith. He may attack your kids, but he is after your faith. When we realise this, what we most need to do is hide ourselves in God and pray that He will choose TODAY to enlarge our faith.

Join me in praying:

Father thank you for this new day. Please use it as a day to help me see where you are at work in my life. Help me to trust in Your plans to grow me and develop me, through every and any situation I face. Help me not to forget that you will enlarge me, even and sometimes especially when I am in distress.